| Students learn about healthy habits | | Posted Wednesday, February 07, 2007 3:05:48 PM by Blog57 Team | | The Spike Live Nutrition Show gave Malvern Elementary School students some tips on healthy and nutritional habits Friday morning.Kris Ballard, marketing manager for McKinney Independent School District school nutrition, said Spike's Healthy All-Stars is a new program that educates elementary-age children on nutrition.“Basically, it's to get kids to maintain a healthy lifestyle or decide to take on a healthy lifestyle," Ballard said.In a society in which fast food, video games and late-night television rule, Ballard said childhood obesity is becoming a problem.“We live in a society where convenience is key," Ballard said.The presentation focuses on three key components for healthy living. Ballard said children can live a healthy life by eating a well-balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise and a good eight hours of sleep.The word “diet" might make some kids think they'll be eating nothing but fruits and vegetables for the rest of their lives, but Ballard said children don't have to give up sweet treats completely.“The ice creams and cakes are OK every once in a while," Ballard said.Along with the desserts to satisfy a child's sweet tooth, Ballard said there are other healthy choices that are just as tasty and not as unhealthy.“Healthy snacks are like popcorn," Ballard said.... | |
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| | | Moms, dads don't always know best | | Posted Monday, November 27, 2006 1:16:27 PM by Blog57 Team | | News item: More than eight out of 10 Canadians believe doctors should be required by law to tell parents if their child is too fat, according to a new national poll. News item: Canada should repeal the law (Section 43 of the Criminal Code) that allows parents to spank and physically discipline their children, United Nations special envoy Stephen Lewis tells a world forum on child welfare in Vancouver. Are these two items connected? Yes. Both "shoulds" reflect how Canadian society victimizes children in ways that laws and social etiquette prevent us from doing to adults. (See "spare the rod and spoil the child," "a man's home is his castle," "oh no, that dress makes you look slim, dear," etc.) I am not saying that letting a kid regularly have chocolate bars for lunch is the same as hitting them until they stop doing whatever it is that bothers you.... | |
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| | | Dairy Council of California Helps Hispanic Families Achieve Healthier Lifestyles | | Posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 7:04:17 PM by Blog57 Team | | Did you know that enjoying healthy meals as a family can actually reduce your child's risk of developing diabetes and other health risks and complications? Diabetes, which leads to other health risks and complications, is twice as common among Hispanic Americans than among Caucasian Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association. Currently, 2 million Hispanics have diabetes and more than 60 percent are overweight. With obesity a leading factor in developing diabetes, such prominent health concerns make it crucial for children to develop good eating habits early in life. Eating meals together as a family might be the best way for parents to keep track of their kids eating habits. "With today's families having less time together due to more mothers in the workplace and busier schedules overall, making every effort to have family meals at home will allow parents to not only watch what their kids eat, but also give parents the opportunity to act as role models, which can be a very effective tool in keeping kids healthy," said Monica Montes, R.D., and spokeswoman for Dairy Council of California.... | |
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| | | Death of China's one-child policy? | | Posted Saturday, November 11, 2006 11:27:17 AM by Blog57 Team | | Some couples in China, notorious for its draconian one-child policy, are now being urged to have two children, state media reported on Friday. Couples in which both people are from single-child families are being targeted in the drive. They need extra encouragement because they bear the burden of looking after four parents alone, and they may be tempted by the crushing welfare burden to have no children at all, the China Daily said. "With both parents coming from one-child families, these couples will bear full responsibility for looking after their parents and children," said Duan Jianhua, deputy director of family planning in south China's Guangzhou city. "As a result, many prefer even having no children to having two," Duan told the paper. Childless couples At present, Guangzhou has 100 000 childless married couples, accounting for 11.3 percent of the total number of married couples, according to the paper.... | |
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| | | WWO Founder Honored by World of Children | | Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:06:04 PM by Blog57 Team | | Dr. Jane Aronson, founder and executive medical director of Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO), will be honored by World of Children Inc. (WOC), an international children's advocacy group dedicated to honoring exceptional child advocates from around the world. WOC has named Aronson as one of the finalists for its annual 2006 Humanitarian Award. The WOC awards program is comprised of three awards: the Humanitarian Award, the Health Care Award, and the World of Children Founder's Award. The honorees hail from India, Chile, Canada and the United States and were chosen from hundreds of nominations worldwide. Award winners will be announced during a ceremony at UNICEF " /> UNICEF House (3 UN Plaza) in New York City, on Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m. EST. Aronson is one of three finalists for the Humanitarian Award.... | |
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| | | Parents: Your kids are watching, so be a healthy role model | | Posted Saturday, November 04, 2006 3:28:00 PM by Blog57 Team | | With one in five of America's children classified as overweight, experts in the fields of nutrition, medicine, exercise science and parenting are joining forces to figure out what to do to solve the problem of "couch potato kids." While many are quick to blame too much TV and computer time combined with the proliferation of fast-food outlets (some even providing school lunches), a new area of research is emerging that sheds light on the power of parents as healthy lifestyle role models. In a two-year study, Leann Birch and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University found that mothers and fathers who had low levels of physical activity and high calorie intakes (defined as "obesigenic" families) had children who weighed more compared with families with nonobesigenic behaviors.... | |
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| | | Bedtime blues | | Posted Wednesday, November 01, 2006 7:20:51 AM by Blog57 Team | | I f your child is throwing temper tantrums by day, a belated bedtime might be to blame. "We are not getting enough sleep, our kids are not getting enough sleep, our families are not getting enough sleep," says Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, a best-selling author, lecturer and parent educator. Her newest book is "Sleepless in America: Is Your Child Misbehaving or Missing Sleep?" (HarperCollins, $24.95). "Sleep isn't something we can just do in our spare time," Kurcinka says. Instead, she advises families to start viewing adequate sleep as a vital element, as much a part of good health as nutrition, exercise and well-child checkups with the pediatrician. Kurcinka says tension, time and temperament are three major factors that figure into the sleep equation. Tension "A good night's sleep starts in the morning," Kurcinka says.... | |
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| | | France props up Ethiopia's child nutrition programme France props ... | | Posted Monday, October 30, 2006 1:23:05 PM by Blog57 Team | | ADDIS ABABA, September 29 -- France Friday donated US $897,305 in support of Ethiopia's initiative to provide better nutrition to pregnant and lactating mothers, malnourished children under the age of five and HIV/AIDS affected people. Backed by UNICEF and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Ethiopia is currently running a targeted supplementary feeding programme in order to reduce child mortality rates. The initiative is designed to increase access to health care for the target group and to provide supplementary food and essential nutrition education to those identified as malnourished. "As part of their commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the French authorities pay particular attention to the health of pregnant and lactating women as well as of children, and they work in close relation with UNFP and WHO to improve their situation," said French Ambassador Stephane Gompertz.... | |
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| | | USDA AWARDS $1.8 MILLION FOR RESEARCH ON FOOD ASSISTANCE AND NUTRITION PROGRAMS | | Posted Saturday, October 28, 2006 3:17:46 PM by Blog57 Team | | WASHINGTON, October 27, 2006-Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner today announced $1.8 million in grant and cooperative agreement awards in eight states and the District of Columbia to examine and evaluate food assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Over the course of a year, USDA's food assistance and nutrition programs directly touch the lives of one in five Americans by providing children and low-income families access to nutritional food," said Conner. "This research will help ensure access to healthy diets for all Americans." The goal of the research is to examine, evaluate, and enhance USDA's food and nutrition assistance programs, drawing upon the expertise of external researchers. The grants and cooperative agreements will fund projects in the District of Columbia, Ill., Mass., Mich., N.J., Nev., Texas, Vt., and Wis.... | |
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| | | Child diets alarm experts | | Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2006 7:13:04 AM by Blog57 Team | | Parents are spending more on lollies for their children than fruit, prompting health experts to warn that the young are not getting vital nutrients. A Health Ministry monitoring report has found the average household spends more on confectionery each week ($6.50) than it does on fresh fruit ($5.90). .... | |
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