School Nutrition

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regularly eating cereal for breakfast is tied to healthy weight for kids, according to a new study that endorses making breakfast cereal accessible to low-income kids to help fight childhood obesity.

One in every four American children lives in a food insecure household where breakfast isn't a sure thing, lead author Dr. Lana Frantzen told Reuters Health.

Read more: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_135743.html

The Wheat Foods Council (WFC) is taking National Geographic to task for numerous inaccuracies about wheat, wheat breeding and celiac disease in an article entitled “Gut Reactions” appearing in the April 2013 issue. In a letter to editor Chris Johns on behalf of the WFC, Dr. Brett Carver, Wheat Genetics Chair at Oklahoma State University and chair of the US National Wheat Improvement Committee, characterized the article as “a very one-sided, inadequate coverage of an extremely complicated issue.”
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“The onion and its satin wrappings is among the most beautiful of vegetables and is the only one that represents the essence of things. It can be said to have a soul.” -- Charles Dudley Warner, ‘My Summer in a Garden’ (1871)

Onions may or may not have a soul, but they do provide substantial health benefits. Part of the Allium family of vegetables, onions, along with garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions and chives, have shown they help reduce cancer risks, contribute to heart health, aid digestion, protect brain tissue, and strengthen bones.Read more

USDA issued a new “Smart Snacks” proposal on February 1, 2013, to improve the nutritional quality of food in America’s schools and encourage healthier eating habits.  The proposal establishes standards for snack foods sold outside of the federally regulated school meal programs.Read more

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now, a recently released study offers yet another reason: Children who start their day with a cereal breakfast—even if that cereal is presweetened—tend to have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) and less chance of being overweight or obese than children who eat other breakfasts or who skip the meal entirely.

The study was published in peer-reviewed healthcare journal Infant, Child & Adolescent Nutrition (ICAN).Read more

Americans love food demons and our newest one is wheat. The top-selling diet book of the moment is Wheat Belly, in which a Wisconsin-based cardiologist blames the humble grain for everything from dandruff to dementia. Author Dr. William Davis advises never letting the stuff cross your mouth; the inclusion of healthy whole grains at the top of the USDA’s food pyramid is “among the biggest health blunders ever made in the history of nutritional advice,” he writes.Read more

Folic acid, a B vitamin, is a big deal and this week is National Folic Acid Awareness Week.  Not only can folic acid and folate containing foods help prevent devastating birth defects but they may also help protect against heart disease, and colon, cervical and breast cancers.  Preliminary research also indicates a connection between adequate folic acid intake and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as Parkinson’s disease.
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