If you’re a parent or caregiver, you’ve likely tackled the back-to-school list: new supplies, sneakers, backpack, and lunch box. How about what goes into that lunch box? Amidst hectic school-year schedules, here are some tips to make sure healthy packed meals aren’t an afterthought: Continue reading
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Why School Meals Matter
School foods in the U.S. have come a long way. In 2010 they received a complete makeover when The First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded a school meals initiative, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), which was signed into law in December of that year. The act targeted childhood obesity by funding child nutrition programs and […] Continue reading
Healthy kids ‘sweet enough’ without added sugars
The American Heart Association recommends children and teens consume less than 25 grams, or 6 teaspoons, of added sugar per day. Consuming foods and beverages high in added sugars during childhood is linked to the development of risk factors for heart disease, including an increased risk of obesity and elevated blood pressure. In a scientific […] Continue reading
The Nurses’ Health Study: Celebrating 40 years of vital contributions to public health
Forty years, multiple cohorts, and 275 thousand participants and counting. The September issue of the American Journal of Public Health celebrates the substantial knowledge on nutrition and other aspects of chronic disease prevention generated by the historic Nurses’ Health Studies. The Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) was launched in 1976 with over 121,700 nurse participants to […] Continue reading
Dessert by Design: The Three Pleasures
The scenario is likely a familiar one. You’re dining out at a restaurant for a special occasion, enjoying the company of those at the table, and as the dinner plates are being cleared, the server stops by and asks: “Would you like to see a dessert menu?” When striving to maintain a healthy eating plan, […] Continue reading
Different Dietary Fat, Different Risk of Mortality
Consuming higher amounts of unsaturated fats was associated with lower mortality, according to a study from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The findings also showed that higher consumption of saturated and trans fats was linked with higher mortality and that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats conferred substantial health benefits. In […] Continue reading
We Repeat: Butter is Not Back.
Yesterday, a systematic review and meta-analysis looking at the association of butter consumption with chronic disease and all-cause mortality made headlines that sound strikingly familiar. TIME, for example, reported that “the case for eating butter just got stronger” saying “butter may, in fact, be back.” Continue reading
Super-Tasters and Non-Tasters: Is it Better to Be Average?
By Guy Crosby, PhD, CFS Our sense of taste and smell is clearly linked to our overall health status. Many studies have shown that the flavor of food is by far the most important factor in determining what foods we choose to eat (1). Continue reading
Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement
In the first major overhaul of the Nutrition Facts Panel in over two decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today numerous changes that will be implemented within the next few years. One of the most important updates will be a line disclosing “added sugars,” along with a corresponding 10 percent-Daily Value—representing a limit […] Continue reading
Public health win: San Francisco law requires health warnings on sugary drink advertising
“WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco.” If you live in San Francisco, you will soon be seeing this message on billboards and bus shelters, as the city is set to become the first in the U.S. […] Continue reading