What does unhealthy advertising do to teens and youth in general? Various questions about unhealthy advertising are being addressed in research to understand if there is any effect, if at all, of ads on teens behavior and purchases from watching ads that promote sugary drinks, alcoholic drinks, and fast foods. Sugary drinks are advertised specifically to Latino and black youth audiences and recent studies show Latino youth are growing in buying power. Researchers with the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Boston University School of Public Health have recently reported that youth ages 13 to 20 years old, are more likely to consume alcohol that is advertised in public media than alcohol not advertised in ...
Science teacher and now paid brand ambassador of McDonalds', John Cisna, has been rolling out his infomercial video to schools across America, informing them that McDonalds helped him lose weight. In Cisna's documentary, 540 Meals: Choices Make the Difference, his daily choices at McDonalds lowers his caloric intake to help him loose weight and he starts having a more active lifestyle. Walking up to 45 minutes a day, where before he did not exercise at all, and eating at or less than 2,000 calories, when his body type required more than 3,000 calories to stay at his body weight of 280 pounds, he informs kids about a 'healthier lifestyle'. However effective Cisna is at losing weight in his documentary, it is not a way to market healthy food and lifestyle choices to kids, explains ...
What if fast food meals for kids were considered more nutritious? Researchers from New York University (NYU) studied kids' meals by looking at over 358 fast food receipts which detailed over 400 purchases of kids' meals. After calculating what those meals would look like with a set of healthy nutritional standards, researchers summed up that there would have been a nine percent drop in calories for kids if the fast food meals purchased were up to their standards. This may not seem like much, but Dr. Brian Elbel, the lead author of the study and associate professor in the department of population health at NYU, said in a recent article, that these changes on fast food kids' meals would be a step in the right direction to help fight against childhood obesity. The new bill purposed ...
Halloween is a holiday where $2 million dollars is spent on candies and sweet treats! The average American also consumes two to three pounds of sugar per week. How can a parent help their kids and themselves to avoid the temptations of these sugary treats that are all around? Obesityhelp.com gives some great tips on how to cut back on the tempting treats and avoid the sugar rush for parents and kids alike. Giving reasons why it's good to avoid the sugar cravings the offer up sweet-treat replacements with fewer calories, and warn against emotional eating. To find out how to hold back the sugar monster on Halloween and the upcoming holidays, click ...
Did you know your child could consume up to 31,260 calories of unhealthy school foods and beverages in just one year! That is approximately 8.9 pounds of weight gain per year, according to a new graphic called "Food At School Parties", produced by the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living. This graphic estimates the number of foods kids eat during one school year of school parties. It gives parents, teachers, and schools a closer look into how many unhealthy snacks are being served. Revealing that if students have more than forty plus parties in a school year, they will most likely consume at least one of everything ( a cookie, pizza slice, cupcake, juice box, serving of chips, etc.) at each party. Many families are not concerned with a few school festivities here and ...
Since November 1st, 2014, school districts in Broward County (27.5% Latino) have been making healthy changes in regard to what is offered in vending machines and school lunches. Sodas, candy bars and the like are not allowed according to nutrition standards set in place. The new healthier snack items or competitive foods must follow at least one of these rules to be sold: At least 50 percent of grains are whole grains.
The first ingredient must be fruit, vegetables, dairy or protein.
Contain at least ¼ cup of fruit and vegetables.
Contain at least 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of calcium, potassium, vitamin D or fiber. Work is still needing to be done, according to nutrition advocates that criticise the district to still allow fundraising efforts that sell ...
A new study by NOURISH (Nutrition Opportunities to Understand Reforms Involving Student Health) studied bans for junk food in schools, reporting that Massachusetts schools are able to implement standards with “very little technical assistance”, according to Jessica Hoffman, a Northeastern associate professor, and the study’s lead author. Reporting that only 13 percent of middle schools foods met the state’s standards for federal health standards before bans, and now the studied schools have risen to 69 percent of healthier food and beverage options. Also, 28 percent of beverages in high schools met standards before, and one year later (2013-2014) has reportedly risen to 80 percent. Before, vending machines across schools may have been filled with sodas, candy bars, chips ...
Most grocery store visits are planned for the things needed like milk, yogurt, fruits, veggies, lunch meat and more. However, a recent study from Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), explains that stores know that shoppers are tired and more vulnerable at check out, giving stores the opportunity for unhealthy choices to be easily made. This is where the danger of high-sugar candies, sodas, and energy drinks take affect, and stores sell more of these products, just through placing them in the checkout area. According to CSPI's recent report, many stores take advantage of the exhausted shopper and promote these unhealthy choices to make sure the shopper buys more at checkout. In fact, the report reveals that the food industry pays handsomely to place products at ...
Many parents struggle with knowing how to help their kids try new healthy options, especially in restaurants that limit kids menu's to a few select high-sodium dishes.
But how does one encourage their kid to try new healthy food options?
A recent article states that parents should consider the following steps to turn meals into teachable moments while dining out: Establish family norms: Take at home approaches and apply them when eating out, for example, no dessert at home or when eating out.
Be a role model: Show them how to eat healthy by choosing healthy options for yourself.
Take advantage of Kid's meals portion size: Many kid's meals are adult appropriate portion sizes for at fast food chains.
Prioritize nutrient-rich foods: Put healthy sides first by choosing fruits ...
