 |
 |
 |
To all our loyal readers:
We're trying to make Creating Healthy Kidseven better! This requires some "down time" on our end. We'll be back to you the minute we're up and running. In the meantime, why not take a moment to scroll through our older posts, just by reading down this page or checking out the archives? You'll find a lot of talk here about junk food, but no junk!
Check out Good2Go for a New Year's Solution to getting fit!
Lots of children’s programming aimed at teaching healthy eating habits and healthy cooking are already simmering on the stove, and more such shows are expected. Nickelodeon is involved in one, while others developed in Europe are trickling over to the United States. “Planet Cook” is destined to be a popular one in the United States. Soon to follow will be related cooking books and kid-friendly cooking utensils. Advocates are concerned that, even though the programs are designed to promote good eating habits, they continue to be marketing tools designed to sell more product—whatever that product is.
ABOUT CREATING HEALTHY KIDS
* Subscribe by using the box at the upper left and you'll get entries direct to your e-mail.
* The RSS feed at the left is another way to stay in touch. Read all about it by clicking on the phrase "What does this mean?”
**Ever wonder about life on the farm? Visit The Bovine Bugle. It's more real than reality tv.
Recently we noticed that some provisions of the federal Child Nutrition Act passed in 2004 are in effect now, requiring school districts nationwide to develop a local “Wellness Policy” that sets district goals for nutrition education, physical education, and other school activities, plus guidelines for all food that is sold on school grounds with the goal of reducing childhood obesity. What has your school district done? We'd love to hear it. Send your review to: chalvorson@stonyfield.com and put “Child Nutrition Act Review” in the subject heading.
ABOUT CREATING HEALTHY KIDS
* Subscribe by using the box at the upper left and you'll get entries direct to your e-mail.
* The RSS feed at the left is another way to stay in touch. Read all about it by clicking on the phrase "What does this mean?”
**Ever wonder about life on the farm? Visit The Bovine Bugle. It's more real than reality tv.
Some folks in Belfast seem to have the right idea. At a “leisure centre” there, they’ve opened KidzFit Gym, a specially designed health club sort of thing with equipment tailored to children ages 8 to 16. Owners say: “The mini-gym offers an entertaining, dynamic and safe resistance training programme for growing kids that leads to increased strength, increased bone density, improved athletic performance and improved body composition. Children also enjoy copying adults and many of their idols, pop and sports stars go to the gym.”
ABOUT CREATING HEALTHY KIDS
* Subscribe by using the box at the upper left and you'll get entries direct to your e-mail.
* The RSS feed at the left is another way to stay in touch. Read all about it by clicking on the phrase "What does this mean?”
**Ever wonder about life on the farm? Visit The Bovine Bugle. It's more real than reality tv.
The USDA’s new food pyramid that has yet to see its first birthday has already gotten one renovation—a kid’s version. The child-friendly version of the pyramid, targeted to kids ages 6 to 11, debuted in September, complete with a computer game, tips for parents, and a pyramid poster. Some people seem none-too-thrilled with this latest scheme, saying a detailed plan for how to eat will not necessarily change the way kids will eat. Have you see kids interacting with the pyramid? If so, write and tell us your impressions about the kids’ impressions. We’d love to hear what you think!
ABOUT CREATING HEALTHY KIDS
* Subscribe by using the box at the upper left and you'll get entries direct to your e-mail.
* The RSS feed at the left is another way to stay in touch. Read all about it by clicking on the phrase "What does this mean?”
Love this blog? We have three more. Check them out at Stonyfield Farm blogs.
We’ve all heard about childhood obesity being at epidemic levels. A new report confirms that the proportion of children who are overweight has tripled in the past 35 years, to some 16 percent of school-age children and teens. But here’s another disquieting thought. Researchers are picking up on a trend that seems to indicate the very youngest children are overweight by the time they enter school! Around the world, they say, some 22 million children under age 5 are already overweight. An article in Science News includes this quote: “Pediatric obesity has developed into ‘the most serious and prevalent nutritional disorder in the United States,’ noted the University of Michigan's Albert P. Rocchini in the New England Journal of Medicine 2 years ago.” That news bodes ill for future rates of Type 2 diabetes. Included in new research is the fact that 40 percent of New York preschoolers in the Women, Infants, Children program (WIC) were overweight, and their weight gain happened about the time they turned 2 and were sharing meals with their family. One researcher has concluded that parental modeling is the best preventive measure for children to undertake a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise. Read the full, fascinating report here.
ABOUT CREATING HEALTHY KIDS
* Subscribe by using the box at the upper left and you'll get entries direct to your e-mail.
* The RSS feed at the left is another way to stay in touch. Read all about it by clicking on the phrase "What does this mean?”
**Is there a baby in the house? Check out Baby Babble and Toddler Talk, to vent and join the conversation. Open 24/7, same as you.
Children who are overweight tend to have more broken bones and joint problems during childhood than other children, according to this story in the Miami Herald. Dr. Susan Yanovski, director of the obesity and eating disorders program at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said, “…kids …who are overweight are already having problems with their mobility, fractures, and joint pain."
Overweight kids had more fractures and more bone and hip joint abnormalities that can lead to permanent problems, according to the study. Among the overweight children in the study (average age of 12), 13 percent had had at least one broken bone during their lives, while only 4 percent of normal-weight children had bone fractures. A similar percentage experienced muscle, bone or joint pain, especially knee pain, and restricted movement. The fractures and the pain can lead to poor mobility, which, of course, can lead to the child not getting enough exercise and gaining further weight. Typical problems among overweight children include Blount's disease, a growth disorder of the shin bone that causes the lower legs to bow inward, and SCFE, or slipped capital femoral epiphysis, which is caused by improper growth in the hip.
ABOUT CREATING HEALTHY KIDS
**Ever wonder about life on the farm? Visit The Bovine Bugle. It's more real than reality tv.
**Is there a baby in the house? Check out Baby Babble and Toddler Talk, to vent and join the conversation. Open 24/7, same as you.
School officials, teachers and students came up with a bright idea for promoting fitness at their school in the first week in October at Cochran Elementary School in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. They staged a 1-mile walk and invited the community and parents to join them. You could even say this was a Walk for Walking—in the tradition of all the fund-raising/awareness walks out there. The event was actually part of the National Walk to School Day, which seems to us like a great idea. We tip our lids to the students of Cochran Elementary!
ABOUT CREATING HEALTHY KIDS
* Subscribe by using the box at the upper left and you'll get entries direct to your e-mail.
* The RSS feed at the left is another way to stay in touch. Read all about it by clicking on the phrase "What does this mean?”
**Ever wonder about life on the farm? Visit The Bovine Bugle. It's more real than reality tv.
