New School Programs That Aim To Combat Childhood Obesity
It was on the first quarter of 2010 when First Lady Michelle Obama announces the ambitious national goal of resolving the epidemic of child obesity in America. The campaign is called “Let’s Move” and it aims to provide schools, families and communities simple tools to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy. Since then, several other healthy campaigns from various sectors followed across all states. And before the year ended, President Obama enacted into law a new nutrition bill – Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010 – that would help improve the quality of foods served in schools.
Another noteworthy event that happened in line with Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign was the launching of Fresh Healthy Vending a healthy snacks vending franchise offering where most of the healthy vending machines are placed in schools and in locations where children spend time after school like YMCAs.
Childhood Obesity As A National Security Threat
When First Lady Michelle Obama launched her Let’s Move program she described childhood obesity as a national security threat. “A recent study put the health care cost of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion a year,” Mrs. Obama said. “This epidemic also impacts the nation’s security, as obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.”
The statement happened at a ceremony at the White House during the launching of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign which was attended by many officials of the President’s cabinet. And on December 2010, a few days before ushering the New Year, a new nutrition bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama to promote better eating habits among children.
Ways to Maintain Healthy Eating Habits for Couples with Children
Although couples are still able to maintain healthy eating habits after their first child arrives, they tend to falter on the routine after the birth of the second child. The presence of colorful cereals and other dairy products tend to dominate the household menus rather than munching on more vegetables and fruits. Somehow, this framework impacts children’s perspectives in terms of which foods are nutritious and which needs to be removed.
Here are some ways to get you and your family back on the right track:
Study Shows Parental Influence on Kids’ Diets Is Getting Weak
The outside forces being referred to include friends, schools, area stores and advertisers, among others.
While parents are able to heavily influence children’s healthy eating habits there still needs to be a concerted effort outside the home. One of the positive things that happened before 2010 ended is the signing of the new legislation Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This new law aims to set nutritional standards for all food offered in schools.
Prior Obama’s signing of Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, several states have been passing memorandums that orders school districts to review their existing nutritional guidelines. In the Baltimore area, many schools have been making menu and curriculum changes. In the spring, officials will launch an advertising campaign aimed at countering ads for unhealthy foods called Get Fresh Baltimore.
The epidemic of childhood obesity is hard to ignore. It impacts the lives of our younger generation and may deprive them with better opportunities if we fail to address the issue. Parental influence should not be taken lightly when it comes to kids’ diets. It is absolutely impossible to watch the kids every minute of the day. However, teaching them the value of nutrition and encouraging them to eat nutritious meals and snacks is an important step to give them a good framework.
Better Kids Behavior Starts With Healthier Diets
If you want well-behaved kids, get rid off the junk food. While this may sound unbelievable and even quite ridiculous, there’s just enough reason to believe with the outcome. And one school institution to have reaped the glory of feeding its students with nutritious foods is Appleton Central Alternative High School—an alternative school with notoriously delinquent students.
“I found the students to be rude, obnoxious and ill-mannered,” said school counselor Greg Bretthauer when head his first job interview with ACA High School in 1997. The sight of the students’ behavior made him turn down the job offer only to take it several years later after seeing the astounding change that took place in the school’s atmosphere and children’s behavior.
Fresh Vending Machines Coming to Schools Nationwide
img class=”size-medium wp-image-1534″ src=”http://www.freshhealthyvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/healthy-vending-machine1-148×300.jpg” alt=”" width=”148″ height=”300″ />“Eat ‘Em Like Junk Food.” This is the eye-catching slogan you will on the vending machines installed on September 17 in both Mason High School, in Mason, Ohio and Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Syracuse, New York as part of the healthy public relations campaign of Bolthouse Farms— Bakersfield, California-based grower. Indeed, there is no stopping healthy vending machines in coming to schools nationwide to promote healthy eating habits to children.
Though President Obama has earlier seek the improvement of child nutrition by eliminating junk food options in vending machines and replacing them with healthier options, there have been several moves among business owners targeting healthy changes in vending machines. This comes right in time when childhood obesity in America has gone uncontrollably higher in the recent years.
Yogurt is Good For You and Can Help You Lose Weight
Yogurt has been frequently mentioned in talks concerning obesity, weight loss, and other health and wellness concerns. Does it really help in losing weight? How much of a yogurt does a person need to consume to start losing weight? Is it really a good part of a healthy diet?
According to an April 2004 study in the journal “Obesity Research” by M.B. Zemel of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, greater fat loss has been observed when a diet high in calcium-rich dairy foods was consumed compared to a low-calcium diet or a diet supplemented with calcium in vitamin form. The following year, the “International Journal of Obesity” published a study by Zemel that links similar weight loss results specifically to the consumption of yogurt daily.
Fast Food Meals For Kids Worsen Obesity In America
Advertisements are made to attract people to buy certain products. They definitely make an effective campaign not only to increase a company’s revenue but also to provide people several options of which products to buy and which to avoid. In the case of fast foods, advertisements make a huge impact for kids’ choices of what’s healthy and what’s not. As obesity cases in America grow, are fast food chains seriously changing the way they advertise their meals for children?
Researchers do not seem convinced that fast foods are making a good impact in children’s health these days despite promises to change the way they market their meals. Unhealthy food options like French fries, ice cream, greasy burgers and chicken nuggets are still the dominant items on the menu as opposed to serving more fruits and vegetables as side dishes for every meal.
Tips For Kids Staying Healthy in Schools
In today’s hectic schedules among working families in America, it is somewhat inevitable for parents to just give their kids money to buy their own meals in school as opposed to packing healthy lunches and snacks at home. Unfortunately, in many cases, monies are not well spent in healthy food options because the lure of junk foods in vending machines is just around the corner. So how then do we keep our kids healthy in schools if monitoring their food during mealtimes is hugely impossible?
One viable option being looked at recently is the introduction of fresh healthy vending machines in school campuses. We know students are almost always in a rush when they’re in school due to a variety of reasons; and thus, lining up in school cafeterias to get nutritious snacks are likely to take the back seat. This is where vending machines come into the scene. After all, kids still adore fast and convenient service and food access.
The Secret to Better Grades Starts With a Healthy Diet for Kids
Don’t parents often wish their kids have better grades in schools? Isn’t it an exhilarating feeling for parents to hear their kid’s name being called in the honor roll list? Of course, any parent would love to bask in their children’s glory, but ensuring kids to have better grades is not just about enforcing them to keep studying and diligently doing their homework. A good behavior and better grades means having a nutritious diet for kids, too.
When nutritious foods have been introduced to the students of Appleton Central Alternative High School, the goal is clear and simple: to show that fresh, nutritious food can make a real difference in student’s behavior, learning and health. Pioneered by Natural Oven President, Dr. Barbara Reed Stitt, developed a program that offers students fresh healthy food options for breakfast and lunch.