Posts Tagged ‘food allergies’

Food News Wrap: July 1

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

As we head into the holiday weekend, we’re thinking all about healthy summer eats for kids. Some of the most troubling things we’ve read this week have come out of the Childhood Obesity Conference, including the fact that the average teen sees five fast food ads per day, and the average preschooler sees more than 1000 fast food ads per year (via Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Rudd Center on Food Policy and Obesity). Time to step awayyyy from the TV.

Speaking of TV time, the American Academy of Pediatrics has released a policy statement calling for a ban on junk food advertising in kids’ programming. The AAP says that  kids’ media use may be linked to their weight, partly because sedentary activity can displace other activities that burn more calories; and because the ads for junk food and fast food increase kids’ desire for those foods. But industry associations including the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative and the Grocery Manufacturers Association say that they have made strides to reduce direct food marketing to children – and claim that the AAP statement was based on outdated research.

In the meantime, PreventObesity.net and other groups are leading an effort to call on the FTC to finalize and implement proposed guidelines on marketing food to kids. If you want to contact the FTC to urge them to move the proposal forward, they’ve made it easy for you to do it here.

Here’s another whopper in the news: CBS News posted a story about a study showing that kids who eat candy are less likely to be obese than kids who don’t. So many questions, so many questions…Until we get to page 10 of the study, where (as an astute reader points out) the study was funded in part by the National Confectioners Association. Things that make you go hmmm…

OK – so what can kids eat this summer without guilt? Nutritionist Connie Evers gives us some ideas on The Truth on Health to make it easier for your kids to stay healthy. Example: When you go out, pack plenty of water, fruit, nuts and/or trail mix to take the hungry edge off so you’re not tempted to go in search of the nearest vending machine.

Looking for inspiration for a great summer snack? How about snacking on summer’s sweetest veggie treat, sweet corn? According to Fooducate, it’s a great source of thiamin, folate, fiber, vitamin C, phosphorous, manganese, and cancer-fighting phytochemicals. Tip: Our kids love it when it’s fresh cooked, but they also love it served cold the next day. Need an even sweeter treat? Try this “miraculous” chocolate/banana ice cream, with just three ingredients (cocoa powder, milk, and banana) from The Scramble on PBS Parents.

Got peanut allergies? Summer baseball fans will be glad to know that there’s a growing effort to create peanut-free sections in baseball stadiums. According to Reuters, at least half of the big-league teams will offer at least one nut-controlled game this season.

And last but not least, for your amusement we present these Patriotic Food Fails from Zagat. (Just say “no” to Rush Limbaugh Sweet Tea and Obama Sushi.) Hang on until this weekend, when we’re going to be giving you a much better patriotic treat option (of course with no food coloring).

Happy Friday to all!

Posted Under: Childhood Obesity, Government Regulations, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on June 30th, 2011

Friday Food News Feed: Oct. 29

Friday, October 29th, 2010

In case you’ve been trapped under an enormous pumpkin for a few weeks, you probably know that there’s a little holiday coming up called Halloween. And kids eat a lot of not-so-good foods on Halloween. And kids’ nutrition writers are working overtime to come up with all sorts of ways to make the holidays healthier, or else come up with strategies for moderation. So yeah, there’s a lot of Halloween food news this week. Where to start…

If you’d like to kick off the weekend with an orange meal, you’ll have to try this Orangest of Orange Pumpkin Curry from Cute and Delicious. It features pumpkin, sweet potatoes, orange cauliflower, and curry powder (and it’s vegan too!). Sounds yummy – will your kids eat it too?

If you’re looking for gluten-free treats, Red Tricycle Moms has a nice list. Also for your consideration, MSNBC features some organic Halloween treats. And if you’re wondering if any of these taste any good, Huffington Post did a kids’ taste test of organic Halloween candy (surprise ending: no candy was left untouched).

If you want to get your Halloween party into high gear without food dyes or food colorings, Jolly Tomato has a roundup of brightly colored party foods that you can make with natural ingredients. Hint: Think brightly colored fruits and vegetables.

On the other hand, if you’re curious about just how much candy other kids eat, you may be interested in this Kids Talk About: Halloween Candy article from KidsHealth. Curiously, half of the 1,200 kids interviewed said they had no limits on how much candy they could eat, yet just 20 percent said they eat ALL of their candy.

And last, if you are overly worried about candy on Sunday, maybe it’s time to relax. The New York Times has a story about Dr. Samira Kawash, the “Candy Professor,” who tries to inject a little reality into parental worries about candy. After all, she says, why worry about the sugar in candy if you’re feeding your kids chocolate-chip energy bars and Gatorade? Food for thought.

Happy Friday to all!

Posted Under: Just For Fun, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on October 29th, 2010

Friday Food News Feed: October 8

Friday, October 8th, 2010

All sorts of interesting news bites crossed our desk this week. Let’s jump right in:

Kids’ Energy Sources: A new report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that the top sources of energy for kids ages 2 to 18 were grain desserts, pizza, and soda. Researchers expressed concern about the “flow of empty calories” into the food supply.

Water Intake: Kids are not drinking nearly as much water as they should, according to a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shared by Dr. Sue Hubbard, a.k.a. The Kid’s Doctor. Too many children are getting much of their water from sweetened beverages rather than plain old H2O, the researchers found.

Happy Meals: The debate is back, this time with the city of San Francisco being next in line to consider banning toys in these McDonald’s meals. A Board of Supervisors committee has approved the ban; it comes before the full board October 19, but Mayor Gavin Newsom has threatened to veto it.

Food Waste: More than 25 percent of available food is thrown away every year, according to the USDA. Slashfood reports that a group of University of Texas researchers calculated this waste to be equal to 360 million barrels of oil, or enough energy to power the U.S. for a week. Waste not…

Broccoli Sales: A series of wacky TV ads in Canada “promoting” broccoli (they were actually ads promoting the benefit of TV advertising) resulted in an 8 percent jump in sales of broccoli. The power of television, indeed.

Whole Wheat Breads: Confused about whole wheat, whole grain, or white whole wheat breads? So are we. This helpful explanation from food guru Marion Nestle in the San Fransciso Chronicle might clear things up.

Snack Packaging: Lisa Cain, a.k.a. Snack Girl, interviews the author of a study on how kids preferred snacks packaged with popular characters on them; and then gives suggestions for packaging your own healthy snacks (via Fooducate).

Food Allergies: Eat, Drink and Be reports that more than 30 percent of food-allergic children are reported to have been bullied, teased or harassed because of their food allergy, according to a new study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Food allergies affect an estimated  3 million children.

Gluten-Free Definition: October is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, and activists are pressing the FDA to define exactly what “gluten-free” means. The current, non-specific definition only calls for gluten-free labeling to be “truthful and not misleading.”

Nutritious Halloween?: Yes, it’s possible. MyOptumHealth has some great ideas for healthy black and orange foods, and nutritious Halloween snacks; Nourish Interactive also offers a nice list of recipes that feature “the colors of the season.” Carrots and raisins, anyone?

And last, it appears that spaghetti tacos are taking over the world, or at least the world of 6 to 13-year-olds, according to the New York Times. It’s an iCarly thing, and apparently you have to taste it to believe it, because it sure sounds weird to us. But hey, as long as your kids are mixing it up, it’s a good thing, right?

Happy Friday!

Posted Under: Childhood Obesity, Government Regulations, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on October 8th, 2010
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