How often do we stop and think about where we will get our next glass of drinking water, when we will next bathe or where we will go the bathroom? Many of us take quick and easy access to clean, safe water for granted, but the fact is that an estimated 750 million people—roughly two and half times the U.S. population—lack that privilege in developing countries around the world, especially in rural … [Read more...]
Recent studies appear to back what child nutrition experts have been saying all along—the secret to getting kids to eat their greens is to see their parents consuming vegetables as well. However, one reason for this seems to be significantly more complicated than young children simply modeling adults. Yale psychological scientist Annie Wertz speculates it might be an evolutionary holdover from … [Read more...]
With increasingly more food products coming onto the market boasting energy boosts with added caffeine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Monday its intention to investigate the safety of added caffeine and its effect on children and adolescents. Sparking the investigation was Wrigley’s introduction of a new caffeinated product on Monday. Alert Energy Caffeine Gum contains … [Read more...]
According to Safer States, Connecticut is one of 26 states across the country to consider policies addressing concerns over toxic chemicals in 2013. These states will be tackling concerns such as bans on toxic flame retardants and identifying harmful chemicals in consumer products. According to a Jan. 24 statement, an analysis done by Safer States, a national coalition of state-based … [Read more...]
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than a third of U.S. adults are obese, driving a number of the leading causes of preventable death, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. In addition to lack of proper physical activity and higher calorie intake of less nutrient dense foods, nutritionists have long suspected a causal relationship … [Read more...]
On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) publicly amended its position on circumcision for the first time in more than a decade, moving to support the procedure in light of recent research supporting its health benefits. In a Circumcision Policy Statement published in Pediatrics, the organization listed the transmission of certain sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), … [Read more...]
As children head back to schools across the country in the coming weeks, many will be facing menu changes in school meals as new significant nutritional standards take effect in the National School Lunch Program for the first time in 15 years. Some districts, like in Tolland, have already made concerted efforts to provide healthier menu selections for students to help combat the rise in childhood … [Read more...]
On Wednesday, the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group, (ConnPIRG), released the findings of its report Apples to Twinkies 2012, which showed that more of Connecticut taxpayer dollars go toward subsidizing junk food ingredients than fresh vegetables and fruits, like apples. At a gathering outside city hall in New Haven on Wednesday, the impact to taxpayers of funding junk food and the … [Read more...]
by Renée Canada Stark anti-obesity ads in Georgia have generated fiery debate across the nation since they began appearing on billboards this past August in the Atlanta area. Now Alan Guttmacher, a leading child health expert at the National Institutes of Health has come out against the ads, saying they carry a “great risk of increasing stigma” for overweight children. The campaign, which has … [Read more...]
by Renée Canada Some heads were spinning when Congress ruled in November that tomato paste on pizza would count as a vegetable, and many protested the refusal to limit weekly servings of starchy foods like potatoes. Yet the general consensus is praise for the new nutrition standards announced last Wednesday by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for school lunches. These proposed requirements … [Read more...]