healthbriefs
November is: National Diabetes Awareness Month
and Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
BROCCOLI HELPS KEEP PROSTATE CANCER AT BAY
An Institute of Food Research study now shows that eating one or more portions of broccoli every week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer and prevent localized cancer from becoming more aggressive. It turns out that broccoli, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, affect genes by changing cell-signaling pathways, thereby reducing the risk of developing and spreading cancer.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Globalbriefs
Green Halloween
Tricks for Earth-Friendly Treats
The scariest aspects of Halloween are the unhealthy sugar overload and disposable waste in costumes, decorations and pumpkins left to rot. Ranking second only to Christmas as America’s best-loved holiday in a FamilyFun.com poll, Halloween started going green across the country last year with the help of a grassroots, volunteer-run initiative on the Web at GreenHalloween.org.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Newsbriefs
5Rhythms®
Dance/Movement Practice Fosters
Creative Expression
Creative expression is key to the 5Rhythms® Dance/Movement Practice. Developed by internationally renowned theater director, author and recording artist Gabrielle Roth, students dance freestyle through five specific energies or beats:
Popularity: 5% [?]
Globalbriefs
Advantage Cosmopolites
Living Abroad Expands Creative Perspective
Living in another country, a classic prescription for artists seeking to stimulate their imagination and hone their craft, may actually expand a person’s mental creativity, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Calming Anxious Lives
A Holistic Parenting Approach
by Lisa Marshall
For fourth-grader Skylar Shumate, a typical Tuesday looks like this. Rise at dawn for some toaster waffles and juice before sprinting to the bus at 7:15 a.m. Study for spelling en route to school. Embark on a seven-hour school day, filled with classes and quizzes. Head to cheerleading at 3:15 p.m., hip-hop class at 5 p.m., then return home to practice piano and do homework before grabbing dinner and heading to bed.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Healthykids
A Prime Opportunity to
Serve Up Improvements
by Aimee Witteman
The United States deserves an F on any national report card on children’s nutritional health. One out of three of our children are overweight. During the past 30 years, the rate of obesity has quadrupled for children ages 6 to 11 and tripled for those ages 12 to 19. As a result, it is now predicted that one in three children will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
Our education system has traditionally held that reading, math, science and English classes form basic building blocks for success. But what lessons are our children learning daily in their school cafeteria?
Why School Lunch is Vital
For many of America’s children, a school lunch is the most important meal of their day, constituting a third to half of their nutritional intake. As childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes skyrocket, Congress is re-examining what shows up in school lunches and exploring ways to get healthier, locally grown foods served up to our nation’s kids.
Admittedly, school lunch programs are just one of several areas that need to be addressed to reverse the current unhealthy trend, but many experts think that it’s one of the most critical.
Studies have shown that the nutritional quality of lunches is lacking in many schools, as they mirror the national trend toward overly processed foods that are low in fiber and high in fat and salt.
The Department of Agriculture’s School Nutrition Dietary Assessment, which collected data from 130 school districts across the country, determined that only 6 to 7 percent met all nutrition standards in the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Most of the meals had too much fat or saturated fat or too few calories.
Lobbying for Change
This year, Congress plans to reconsider the Child Nutrition Act—federal legislation that authorizes the school lunch program—and a grassroots effort is underway to improve the state of affairs in school cafeterias. Specifically, good food advocates would like to see $50 million in mandatory funding for Farm to School programs.
The farm to school concept has been broadly defined as a school-based program that connects schools (K-12) with local farms. Goals include serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving child nutrition, supporting local and regional farmers and educating the public about the links between agriculture, health and nutrition. Already, independent farm to school initiatives have begun cropping up around the country.
If Congress mandates such programs through the Child Nutrition Act, these programs could flourish in every part of the country. This would help children to start naturally building healthier eating habits and connect them more closely with where their food comes from.
Too many of today’s kids are shocked to see that the milk they drink from cartons came from an animal. One young girl visiting a farm couldn’t believe that lettuce exists outside of a plastic bag.
Parents may question whether their child would choose baked butternut squash over a butter-slathered biscuit. In all seven studies of existing farm to school programs compiled in the report Bearing Fruit by the Center for Food Justice at Occidental College, participating students chose more fresh fruits and vegetables, regardless of the alternative meal option.
Community Payback
It’s not just the kids who benefit. Farm to school programs regularly translate to more money going to schools because they spark increased participation in school lunch programs and schools are paid on the number of lunches served. Local farmers realize more income, which in turn strengthens local economies and creates jobs.
Ecotrust, a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon, has published an analysis of the impact of investing school food dollars in the local food economy. The study found that for every food dollar spent locally by two school districts in the Portland area, an additional 87 cents was spent in Oregon.
Deborah Kane, vice president of Food and Farms programs for Ecotrust, in Portland, says the research confirms that these programs are a viable investment. “Farm to school programs can make an immediate impact on nearly every sector of our state’s economy,” she says. “We knew the effort would likely benefit the Oregon agricultural community and, of course, Oregon’s children. We were encouraged to learn that the benefits extend far beyond the most obvious.”
Visit FarmToSchool.org for program details. Help ensure farm to school is a pivotal provision in the reauthorized Child Nutrition Act by calling members of Congress through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Aimee Witteman is the executive director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Support the mission at SustainableAgriculture.net.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Healthbriefs
A Novel That Helps Kids Lose Weight
The first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, by Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center, produced surprising results. Researchers asked obese girls ages 9 to 13 who were enrolled in a comprehensive weight-loss program to read an age-appropriate novel called Lake Rescue.
The book, crafted with the aid of pediatric experts, includes specific healthy lifestyle and weight management guidance, as well as positive messages and strong role models.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Globalbriefs
Safe Kids
Saliva Test Detects Lead Levels in Children
Confirm BioSciences recently released the first non-invasive test, a saliva screening kit, that parents can use to discover if their kids have been exposed to excessive levels of toxic lead. Industrial areas, with older housing incorporating lead pipes and old paint, are of special concern.
Children often get lead poisoning by eating lead-based paint chips or breathing in lead paint dust, but a range of consumer goods have produced lead recalls in recent years, as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that lead poisoning is the leading environmentally induced illness in children, yet one of the most preventable.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Newsbriefs: Tips For a Stress-Free Summer
This summer Dr. Louis Abate, of Illuminare Wellness, offers Network Spinal Analysis and Somato Respiratory Integration to help clients process stress without locking it in the body, which can lead to pain, illness and disease. Dr. Abate offers these tips for summer:
Popularity: 15% [?]
Green Girl PART FOUR
Absence Makes The Heart Grow Greener
By Ally Polly
Where do I begin? It’s been quite a month. It started with my very first Earth Day, during which I treated myself to an oxygen infused facial, a ‘living salad’ at Bliss, and a car service to get me home in time to turn out my lights for an hour with the rest of the world. My month continued with my Last Supper with Will at JGMelon, where I ate a side order of pickles and a small draft beer (my only vegan options) while Will relished a juicy medium-well, bacon cheeseburger, which I’m convinced he ordered out of spite since he knows I love bacon and I had just told him I met ‘ someone else’ who liked me and my ‘greenness.’ Will’s parting words were: “You’ll be back.” I’m not sure if he meant back to the world where meat patties roam free, or back to him. But I’m holding steady, on both counts.
Popularity: 34% [?]