Chef Ann Cooper founder of the Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) has created an online resource called The Lunch Box, to help support schools who want to change their food environment. In a recent interview Emily Miller, from CAF told Food Tank that they want to help create a healthier food system for kids in today's world, where kids can learn the importance of nourishing their bodies and where their food comes from. Miller explains that the best way to teach kids about healthier foods is through school, where kids are already in a learning environment. The Lunch Box resource is an in-depth school food resource, where school food professionals can use free tools to help transition from processed foods to scratch-made plates, that are sustainable. Including over 200 recipes that are ...
MomsRising is a multicultural organization that focuses on family economic security, discrimination against women and mothers, and grassroots efforts to align businesses and families. They are starting a new experiment to get their online community of secret superhero moms together in-person in a local setting and wants to know what you think. According to MomsRising, "In 2015 alone, we’ve won battles against the NRA, kept moving the ball forward on paid family/maternity/paternity leave for ALL, advanced fair pay policies at the national and local levels, defended and expanded affordable healthcare and childcare, increased access to healthy foods for kids (including taking on fast food restaurants and getting their kids menus changed for the better!), helped pass earned sick ...
The Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity and the Elimination of Health Disparities helps create dialogue on racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare. Created by the Institute of Medicine in 2007, the Roundtable examines the development of programs and strategies to reduce disparities. For the past several years, a major topic of discussion has been the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its effects upon ethnic and racial minorities. The ACA has several provisions specifically designed to encourage minorities to participate in eliminating the gap in health disparities. A workshop was held recently to discuss the effects of the ACA at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, CT, entitled “Achieving Health Equity via the Affordable Care Act: Promises, Provisions, ...
The first comprehensive map of urban agriculture in San Antonio is here. Created by the Food Policy Council of San Antonio's Urban Agriculture workgroup, the map helps connect potential farmers to resources for business planning. The San Antonio's Urban Agriculture workgroup hopes to connect the farmers with access to business plan writing, microloans, sales outlets, and affordable land options. Seeing where gardens already are is a first step to determining if a new urban farm will be a successful business. This is important for farmers, especially in low-income areas where access to healthier foods is a need. According to a recent article, many community gardens can be found in areas of San Antonio with less than $33,000 as the median household income. The Green Spaces Alliance ...
Breastfeeding initiation and duration rates are lower among Latinas than whites because they face more social and environmental barriers to breastfeeding, culturally unique barriers, and lack of access to health care providers and lactation specialists. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to systematically review the documented effectiveness of clinical breastfeeding interventions among Latinas to increase breastfeeding initiatiion and duration. "The team found that interventions of moderate intensity (three to six contacts) and those that started before the baby was born and continued afterward were most effective," according to one source. Breastfeeding duration is associated with reduce risk for obesity; therefore, it is important to implement effective breastfeeding ...
A movement for healthier school lunches called, "National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day", is all about helping parents have the resources and tools to make sure their child is getting the nutrition needed in their school lunches. Kiwi, a magazine that promotes health for families, covering organic products, nutrition and wellness, helps support the initiative along with the School Nutrition Association. The weeklong initiative is held in October and helps parents connect with school officials, opening the doors for movements toward healthier school lunches. Parents and school officials can learn more about why healthy lunches are important by downloading a checklist for a healthier school lunch or downloading the free Lunch Day Toolkit. Parents can also enjoy a free ...
A controversy is growing over sugary drinks and their impact on health in largely Latino San Antonio, Texas. Sugary drinks recently surged into the national spotlight with emerging research on the link between too much dietary sugar and health issues like diabetes and obesity, and the growth of sugary drink pricing initiatives by cities to cut consumption and increase revenue for health promotion programs. These issues have prompted push-back by the beverage industry. That push-back reached San Antonio, where beverage industry reps and health advocates sparred over local health, fueled by research by Salud America!, the Latino childhood obesity prevention network at UT Health San Antonio. Obesity and diabetes are grave local and national health concerns with no single cause, ...
Latinos are almost twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes than non-Latino whites, and researchers want to know exactly why. According to a recent article, rising rates of diabetes are occuring in the Latino youth population. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention predicts if these trends go unchecked one out of every two Latino children born in the year 2000 will have diabetes. Dr. Esteban Gonzalez Burchard, an associate professor at UC San Francisco, studies why certain ethinc populations are affected by certain diseases, and specifically why some Mexican Americans may be linked to something called the "founder effect." Buchard studies genetic factors that may have been passed on through generations but ultimately thinks that the strongest predictor of health ...
ChangeLab Solutions and the Nuestras Voces Network will be hosting a free webinar on January 6 to discuss comprehensive tobacco control policies for the Hispanic community. Administered by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, this is the second of a three part webinar series on sustainable policy approaches to improving public health. Speakers include individuals who have worked on tobacco control policy adoption in Hispanic communities around the country. The seminar will provide evidence-based approaches to creating sustainable, comprehensive tobacco control policies. Tobacco control is an essential component to prevent cancer and chronic diseases. It is also a key strategy for advancing health equity, as communities can work to implement policies that reduce tobacco-related ...
