A huge improvement over the baffling MyPyramid icon that it replaces, MyPlate is as
easy as pie to understand; its designers smartly saved the fine print
about how to actually fill the wedge-shaped spots on the plate for the
Web site, ChooseMyPlate.gov. MyPlate, like the Food Pyramids before
it, is meant to convey the key messages of the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans in a simple, consumer-friendly fashion.
Ask a group
of school kids about "mystery meat" and they may have no
idea what you're talking about, not if they're on the feeding end of
national and local efforts to transform school lunch programs. A
genuine movement is afoot at schools to create better, more nutritional
meals for kids using produce from local farmers, and in many cases,
from gardens the students help create and maintain themselves.
Beef
jerky, Rice
Krispie treats and four varieties of Mazzio's pizza are a few of the
à la carte choices in the lunchroom at Jenks High School outside
Tulsa, Okla., where football is king and the players have royal
appetites. But those items, plus the one-pint cartons of whole
chocolate milk beloved by many players — average weight on the
offensive line is 250 lb. — could be gone now that the federal
government has issued new restrictions on fat and sodium offered during
the school day.
The President &
First Lady on the
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
A
comprehensive survey of overall health county-by-county in the U.S.
confirms a few things we already know to be true: being poor is bad for
your health. So is having low education, not having a job and having
less access to grocery stores and farmer's markets for fresh food.
This question, though commonly
voiced by athletic parents (I hear it all the time), has received
surprisingly little scientific scrutiny. Injury patterns and other
issues in youth football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer have
been extensively studied, but not in youth running. Two new studies,
however, have looked squarely at what happens when young people run.
Unfortunately they seem to have produced, on first reading,
incompatible results. Peter
Cade/Getty Images
Ways
to
Enhance
Children’s
Activity
&
Nutrition is a new public education out- reach
program
designed to help children 8–13 years old stay at a healthy weight
through improving food choices, increasing physical activity, and
reducing screen time.
By Meredith Melnick
New York Times food columnist Mark
Bittman
recently
examined the nutritional merits of McDonald's
Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, an apparently "healthy" breakfast item that
actually contains more sugar than a Snickers bar and only
10 fewer calories than an Egg McMuffin. Yikes. But while it's easy to
supersize our scorn for McDonald's, it's worth noting that Mickey D's
isn't playing the only shell game in town.
Many other fast-food joints offer
healthy-sounding options that aren't exactly health food. What follows
are a few examples of health-washing: items that appear wholesome but
don't quite deliver on the nutrition front. The problems with the meals
may vary, but the takeaway is the same: always scope out the nutrition
information on a fast-food restaurant's website before you show up and
order. You may be surprised by what you learn.
Better
Nutrition
and Fitness
Obesity is becoming a national epidemic in the United States, and it is
no longer just the adults that fall victim. The incidence of obesity in
children is also on the rise, which may affect the
ability of students to learn effectively. The USDA
recommends that schools adopt a wellness policy that encourages healthy
eating and physical fitness for their students. The components of this
policy might include:
Promotion of wellness by setting goals for nutrition
education and physical fitness
Nutrition guidelines that should be followed during
the school day
A measuring rod to track implementation of the
wellness policy
Community involvement in the development and
implementation of the wellness policy
Taken
a cue from Project
Appleseed, parents can become an important tool in the creation and
maintenance of a wellness policy that stresses healthy lunches. They
can persuade schools to stop making junk foods available to students by
the removal of soda and snack vending machines. They can work to
educate schools about the importance of organic fare and help them find
affordable local sources. Parents can also teach their children at home
about the importance of healthy eating,
so
the
kids
will
be
more
likely
to
make
good
food
choices
during the
school day.
Parents Advocating
Challenging Education PACE
501 (c)(3) Tax Exempt Organization
Copyright 2010 PACE /
Project Appleseed, the National Campaign for Public School Improvement,
a 501 (c) (3) Nonprofit Missouri Corporation. Parents Advocating
Challenging Education, Project Appleseed, The National Campaign for
Public School Improvement, Leave No Parent Behind, Leave No Dollar
Behind, The Parental Involvement Pledge, Family Involvement Pledge, The
Parental Involvement Report Card, National Parental Involvement Day,
Public School Volunteer Week, Organized Parental Involvement, are
trademarks of the National Campaign for Public School Improvement. All
Rights Reserved.
In-Your-Face
Fitness: 
