New Nutritional Standards for Schools

This year First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled new requirements for nutritional standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs across the nation. The official press release outlines the improvements to school lunch programs that are expected to enhance the health of children at school as well as lessen the childhood obesity trend. Under the new rules, schools will be required to double the servings of vegetables and fruits per meal.

In an effort to support the nutritional standards for school meals and our teachers and students, TEACH.COM has created an info graphic, “Targeting Children with Treats” with statistics sharing lifestyle, consumption, and media activity relating to children. Take time to look at this and share it with your children! We can't wait to see the changes that are happening in Nutrition in our schools.



 

**Brought to you by Teach.com and http://mat.usc.edu/.

**Info from USDA-United States Department of Agriculture and Food and Nutrition and Certificationmap.com (thank you)

What are the healthy foods in 2012

January always comes with a new commitment to good nutrition. Dr Jopling found this great article by Elizabeth Ward in USA today. It list several "HEALTHY FOODS" that can help in 2012. Read part of the article here and click below for the full article.

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Why not take a more positive approach to changing eating habits for the better in 2012 and beyond? Instead of concentrating on what you can't eat, plan your eating pattern to include more nutrient-rich choices.
I reached out to my colleagues, some of the country's top health experts, and here's what they recommend you put on the menu in 2012 and every year.

Pumpkin. It's packed with antioxidants as well as immuneboosting vitamin A , and it's simple to incorporate into your everyday diet. Use canned pure pumpkin to work this super-nutritious vegetable onto the table any time of the day. Stir a cup into your favorite bean chili recipe; use 1/4 to 1/2 cup canned to replace some of the solid fat, such as margarine and butter, in recipes for baked goods; or add a few tablespoons of pureed pumpkin to fruit smoothies.

- Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD, and Liz Weiss, MS, RD, aka The Meal Makeover Moms (authors of No Whine With Dinner: 150 Kid-Tested Recipes from the Meal Makeover Moms)
Beans. Whether purchased in a can or bag, beans provide more nutritional and culinary versatility than any other food I know. They are one of the best natural sources of fiber you can bring to the table with an average of seven grams of fiber in every 1/2 cup serving of cooked beans. Beans are also a good-to-excellent source of six other vitamins and minerals including folate, potassium and iron.
When trying to meet the ChooseMyPlate recommendation to fill half your plate with produce, beans can help because they are vegetables. When you have plenty of other vegetables on your plate, your beans can count as a protein source instead. Now that's versatile!
-Robyn Flipse, MS, RD (co-author of The Wedding Dress Diet)

 

 

To read the other suggestions click HERE
**info from USATODAY

Enfamil recall Warning

We wanted you to be aware of a new voluntary Enfamil formula probe (from the AAP)

Wal-Mart announced Wednesday it has pulled Enfamil Premium Newborn formula from its store shelves nationwide after the death in Missouri of a newborn boy who was given the formula. The move was a precautionary measure, Wal-Mart said. No government or manufacturer recall had been issued as of Thursday, December 22. Mead Johnson Nutrition said the lot of 12.5-ounce cans had tested negative for the suspected rare bacterium, Cronobacter sakazakii, before being shipped. The lot number ZP1K7G is stamped on the bottom of the formula can. Public health experts are investigating the source of the possible contamination and also whether any patient or environmental factors such as the water used in preparing the powdered formula played a part. Mead Johnson is preparing a public statement to be posted to its Enfamil.com website. Parents are encouraged to follow World Health Organization guidelines for safely preparing powdered infant formula. These include: washing your hands with soap and water, cleaning all feeding equipment in hot, soapy water and preparing enough formula for just one feeding at a time. As we go into a long holiday weekend (the AAP is closed until Tuesday, December 27), updated information may appear on the FDA.gov, CDC.gov, Missouri Department of Health (http://health.mo.gov/) and Enfamil.com websites.

Don't let this season be a nutrition nightmare

The holidays don't have to be a nutrition nightmare. In fact, many popular appetizers and even some desserts are low in calories and pack a powerful nutrient punch, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, a nutrition blogger and author of Read It Before You Eat It. Dr. Jopling found this article and wanted to share it with you.

• MORE: Battle holiday weight gain and treats with workouts

• BLOG: Read more advice from Bonnie Taub-Dix at Nutrition Nation

Like holiday gifts, the food's wrapping has a lot of impact, she says. "Fried foods and those wrapped in bacon or bathed in sauces can add unwanted pounds."

Some holiday foods are loaded with good nutrition such as lean protein in shrimp appetizers, fiber in roasted vegetable side dishes and beta-carotene in sweet potatoes, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian in Chicago.

"Just because the appetizers never made it to a plate doesn't mean these foods won't make it to your hips," she says. To read the full article click here.

**info from USA today

Adding "greens" to your Thanksgiving Table

We hope you are all enjoying a wonderful week of Thanksgiving. Dr Jopling found this great article about adding "green's" to your Thanksgiving table. It's not easy being green — particularly at the Thanksgiving table. Unless you're a snap bean forced into an arranged marriage with a can of cream of mushroom soup, green vegetables get short shrift on America's day of giving thanks. To read the full article click HERE.

We also know many of you travel during this time of the year and wanted to remind you to buckle up your little ones. For a few reminder tips click HERE and HERE.

Have a wonderful week and coming up this week--"What our staff is thankful for!"

Organic or Not?

Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Dr O'Mara recently found this website that will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce. Click here for the full article and use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all.

Buy these organic:
Apples
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches

Spinach
Nectarines (imported)

Grapes (imported)
Sweet bell peppers
Potatoes
Blueberries
Lettuce
Kale or Collard Greens

Lowest in Pesticide :Ok to Buy

Onions
Sweet Corn
Pineapples
Avocado

Asparagus

Sweet peas

Mangoes

Eggplant

Cantaloupe(domestic)

Kiwi

Cabbage

Watermelon

Sweet potatoes

Grapefruit

Mushrooms

 

*info from http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

Fact Friday: 1/3 of Children's diet is cooked outside the home

                    Study found a third of food eaten now is cooked outside the home

The amount of calories children ages 2 to 18 consumed from take-out foods increased significantly between 1977 and 2006, with the calorie percentage from fast foods higher than that from school-based meals, according to a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. "We cannot control where these eateries are located or how they prepare their foods, but we can decide to cook more at home, which will ultimately save money and help keep our families healthy," dietitian Samantha Heller said.

**info from Healthday News

Recently HealthDay News Printed this article about the concern of children eating take-out food or fast food.(click here for full article) We want to remind you of some great websites that help support good eating habits. We recently posted an article about the New Food Pyramid and also about The Sneaky Chef. What are you doing to help your children have good idea habits? How many home cooked meals do your children get? Is your child getting a healthy and balanced diet? We know this can be hard but hopefully a few of these websites will give you some great suggestions. Thanks to Dr Jopling for providing our HealthDay News article. Hope you are having a great summer.

MyPlate is the "new" food Pyramid

MyPlate is the “new generation” food icon to prompt consumers to think differently
about their food choices. ChooseMyPlate.gov contains a wealth of resources based
on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to help individuals meet nutrient and
calorie needs and make positive eating choices. We think this website has several amazing links along with helping you understand and teach your children the new Dietary Guidelines. Here are some highlights and click here for the full information.

Balancing Calories
● Enjoy your food, but eat less.
● Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase
● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
● Make at least half your grains whole grains.
● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce
● Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.
● Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Your food and physical activity choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.

These tips and ideas are a starting point. You will find a wealth of suggestions here that can help you get started toward a healthy diet. Choose a change that you can make today, and move toward a healthier you.

Tips to help you:
• Make at least half your grains whole grains
• Vary your veggies
• Focus on fruit
• Get your calcium rich foods
• Go lean with protein
• Find your balance between food and physical activity
• Keep food safe to eat
**All info from http://www.chosemyplate.gov/