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Children
Chris was outraged. But he is turning his outrage into action. He has founded a non-profit, “Parents Against Junk Food.” This is a good old-fashioned call-to-action website that aims to get parents riled up about this issue.
Chris writes in his editorial:
““One day, mothers and fathers across America are going to wake up, throw open the window, and yell, “We’re mad, and we’re not going to take it anymore!””
Way to go, Chris! Yes, parents need to be responsible for their kids’ health and well-being, but we need to ask for, no demand, that the public institutions that we pay for with our hard-earned tax dollars, support us in our efforts keep our kids healthy and safe.
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Inspiration/motivation, Children, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Childhood obesity, Nutrition, Social commentary, Healthy eating
While I agree, parents need to be good role models and set limits, I also believe that there are so many influences in kids lives today, ranging from TV, to the internet, to peers in play groups and day care, that placing all of the responsibility and blame on parents seems naive to me.
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Filed Under:
Weight loss behaviors, Public health, Children, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Research on obesity/overweight, Childhood obesity, Portion control, Nutrition, Healthy eating, Weight loss
Vince and Rob’s research indicates that the ACE Score likely captures the cumulative biologic consequences of these exposures. Multiple, well done analyses of the ACE data have been published in good medical journals. They demonstrate that the ACE score has a strong graded relationship to:
Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and other leading causes of death in the United States
Smoking, alcohol use and abuse, as well as illicit and IV drug use
Early initiation of sexual intercourse, promiscuity, and sexually transmitted disease (STDs)
Teen and unintended pregnancy, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortion
Suicide attempts, depression and poor health-related quality of life
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Filed Under:
Teens, Public health, Adverse childhood experiences, Children, Overweight/obesity, Research on obesity/overweight, Weight loss, Depression
Every morning, he has the same cereal for breakfast. It is also a Kellogg’s All-Bran, but it is their “Bran Buds” product. He thought it was lower in calories than the Yogurt Bites version. But when he looked at the serving sizes of the two cereals, he was in for a surprise. Bran Buds lists a serving size of 1/3 cup. That barely covers the bottom of the cereal bowl. The serving size of Yogurt Bites is 1-1/4 cup—a decent amount.
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Filed Under:
Weight loss behaviors, Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Food labels, Portion wise or portion lies?, Children, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Calorie counting, Portion control, Nutrition, Healthy eating, Serving size
Advergaming (a contraction of advertising and gaming) is the use of online video games with embedded brand messages to engage your target audience. It is specifically designed to blur the boundary between advertising and entertainment. This report looks at advergaming that targets kids.
Advergaming is a good deal for food marketers. It is cheap compared to TV advertising ($2 per thousand users compared with $7 to $30 per thousand viewers). Also, it can be tracked in a way TV ads cannot (number of visitors, time spent on the site, repeat visits and so forth). Sites with games hold the viewers attention much longer than 30 second or 60 second TV spots. Popsicle’s site, www.popsicle.com, for example has structured games that encourage you to play again and again so that you can improve your skills and improve your score.
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Filed Under:
Public health, Children, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Childhood obesity, Social commentary, Food industry, Food politics
So, what exactly is in the yogurt we are buying? Let’s take a look, starting with “Yobaby,” the health food for babies and toddlers. The food label states that “Yobaby” is made from cultured pasteurized organic whole milk. Sound good? I guess. All real yogurts are made from milk, although not necessarily from organic milk nor from whole milk which is naturally rich in fat content. The package label also says that “Yobaby” is made without the use of antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones or toxic pesticides. All of that is indeed good.
However, the second ingredient listed on the “Yobaby” label is “naturally milled organic sugar – organic, yes, but sugar nonetheless. Ingredient order on labels is based on how much of the substance is in the food. There are 16 grams of sugars in a 4 ounce container of “Yobaby.” Although some of these sugars are the naturally occurring milk sugars, the label makes it clear that additional sugar has been added. In fact, there is twice as much sugar in “Yobaby” than there is in plain unsweetened yogurt. Is this a health food? Or is it a dessert? No wonder my granddaughters love this stuff!
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Filed Under:
Lipids, Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Dietary Fat, Food labels, Children, Weight loss (benefits), Overweight/obesity, High fructose corn syrup, Food policy, Calorie counting, Nutrition, Healthy eating, Weight loss
Because of a deal brokered by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association with the American Beverage Association and major soft drink companies, Cadbury Schweppes, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo, sodas, these companies will
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Children
Pediatricians have a laundry list of age-specific issues they talk to parents about. These issues include advice about immunizations, when to add certain foods to the diet, counseling on behavioral issues and much more. They also have checklists
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Filed Under:
Exercise (benefits), Children, Overweight/obesity
Here is the transcript of a recent Medscape Webcast Editorial by Dr. Harvey Fineberg, the President of the Institute of Medicine. If you want to see him deliver his talk live, click on the hyperlink.
Dr. Fineberg points out in his editorial
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Filed Under:
Public health, Children
Two news stories caught my eye recently and made me wonder: "Are we creating a new norm of being fat?" One of these stories, "Heavy patients put strain on hospitals," appeared on CNN.com. The other, "Tots getting too fat to fit
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Filed Under:
Inspiration/motivation, Children
Want to get your little couch potatoes moving? Check out this community-based program for girls.
Girls on the Run, International is a non-profit organization that is designed for pre-teen girls. It combines training for a 3.1
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Filed Under:
Exercise (benefits), Children
In January, I wrote a blog about the relationship between the consumption of high fructose corn syrup and fat. Almost all sweetened sodas use this type of corn syrup as the sweetener. A story on CNN.com, titled "Scientists in food
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Teens, Children
There is a lot of concern in the medical community about the epidemic of obesity in children. Fat kids usually grow up to be fat adults. Also, fat kids are increasingly being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, a disease that used to occur almost
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Filed Under:
Diabetes , Public health, Fitness, Children
Rebecca is visiting gramma. She is 2 years and 4 months old...smart as a whip and sweet as a sugar pie. We read books and play with toys and sometimes we just hang out. But when it comes to exercise, forget it. It is
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Filed Under:
Exercise (benefits), Yoga, Children
Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame revolutionized American cooking by producing luscious food made with hand-selected fresh ingredients. Chefs who trained in her restaurant have gone on to open some of the most well-regarded restaurants in the country.
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Children
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