Researchers at Purdue University have found evidence that diet soda may not be the healthiest option if you’re trying to lose weight or improve your health. According to numerous studies reviewed by the group of researchers led by Prof. Susan Swithers diet soda may not be the solution to fight obesity—in fact, it may lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. "The concern that these non-caloric sweeteners might not be healthy is a message that many people do not want to hear, especially as the prevalence of artificial sweeteners increases in other products," Swithers said. If you want to stay fit and healthy the best option will always be ...
Students across the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), participated in the Healthy Schools Campaign healthy cooking contests. Students were challenged to create a nutritious lunch that includes fresh fruit and vegetables, meets USDA nutrition guidelines, be under 760 calories and costs less than $1.70. The challenge allows students to win a chance to represent Los Angeles across the state and serve the model meal in an all-expenses paid Cooking up Change competition in the capitol. The winner could go on from there to serve the meal to congress and become a model meal for schools across the country. Having healthy options and creative ways to get kids involved in creating healthy meals is a innovative way to change school food environments. Studies show that when ...
A study from Dr. Kevin Gordish, presented at the Experimental Biology 2016 conference, indicates that added sugars and salts increase the risk for increased blood pressure resulting in "fructose-linked hypertension." The study analyzed groups of rats whose diets mimicked the American diets high in sugary beverages and salt. One group of rats were fed drinking water with 20% fructose and another group was fed plain water, but given high salt diets in the second week, resulting in increase blood pressure and leading to hypertension. Gordish explained that the fructose intake, similar the amounts of sugary beverages we consume, decrease the body's ability to get rid of excess salt and increase sodium retention. “The specific combination of fructose and high salt introduced in the ...
Having fresh foods is vital for many schools across the country, especially for Latino kids who are more likely to be at risk for diet-related diseases like diabetes. Three school districts, Binghamton, Cortland, and Marathon are receiving a federal grant of $100,000 dollars to help students get more local fresh foods on their plates. Since 2012, the districts have been working to connect local schools with local farmers and build relationships to keep local produce in local schools. Working to continue the efforts and expand farm-to-school programs, the funds will help BOCES staff reach out to farmers and get more schools on board with buying local produce. Funds had been awarded in the past to BOCES and helped them train school staff in various activities like buying ...
A statewide poll conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3), in partnership with the California Endowment, recently completed groundbreaking research on the attitudes of California youth toward the social issues that affect their lives. Commissioned by The California Endowment, the Youth Engagement Poll surveyed youths, especially in under served communities such as the state’s Latinos, revealed their attitude concerning racism, inequality, and other social issues. Access to clean drinking water and better access to mental health care are two of the key health issues that were concerns of the Latino youths surveyed. Access to affordable health coverage is also a key issue for the youths surveyed. The surveyed also found that 81% would be “more ...
Texas A&M has come up with an infographic that offers ways to boost your metabolism. Be active- Make sure to get exercise! HITT or 45 minute Cardo workouts are helpful up to 14 hours afterwards.
Drink water- Water consumption increases your metabolism up to 30%, drink 2 liters per day for weight loss.
Eat a balanced diet- Fuel up with nutritious fruits and vegetables!
Drink Caffeine- Coffee increases your metabolism up to 3 hours after intake. (but watch the sugar and cream, this can backtrack efforts)
Prioritize Bedtime- Sleeping less than 8 hours can negatively impact your metabolism! Find out more ...
Many restaurants offer the same sugary beverages on kids meals with unhealthy options like high-sugar sodas, lemonades and juices. Now Maryland lawmakers are considering a bill to help ban soda's and other sugary drinks from kids menu's in all restaurants. Wanting to help parents and kids make the healthy choice the easy choice, the bill would change kids menus to offer healthier choices like water, low-fat milk or 100 percent juices at regular price. "The choice that comes with 80 percent of restaurant kids' meals is a soda or a fruit punch, and in those cases families are always welcomed to ask for a healthy drink, but it sometimes costs $2 or $3 more to get a milk," Robi Rawl, the Sugar Free Kids Maryland Executive Director said in a recent article. According to the Center ...
More countries are taking notice of the health risks associated with consumption of sugary drinks and are taxing sugary beverages, currently Chile, France, Hungary and Mexico have taxes on sugary drinks. Now more countries are taking notice, including Indonesia, India and the Philippines. Asian nations are looking towards a sugared beverage tax to help curb high rates of obesity and diabetes, reported a recent article. Indonesia originally vetoed a "luxury tax" on sugary drinks, however now an economic adviser recommended India levy a forty percent tax on sugared drinks, and soft drink companies are noticing. An estimation from Euromonitor showed the soft drink industry generates around 18 billion dollars in Asian nations, and media reports show how soft drink companies are ...
Sugar has been a hot topic in the news, with recent research showing the negative health impacts such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, but what about sugar's impact on kid's brains? A new study shows that not only does consumption of sweets and sugar filled products hurt the body, and cause oral health decay, but also consuming sugar can cause changes in the part of the brain that control emotional and cognitive function. The study was published in the Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, where researchers found that sugar water diets given to rats had the same effect on the brain as if rats were exposed to early life trauma or abuse. Over consumption of sugary sweetened beverages is a concern especially for young children the researchers explained, as this ...
