Researchers suggest alternative to banning junk food

(NaturalNews) Federal and state governments have been toying with ideas about banning junk food in schools, but a recent study out of Cornell University has a better idea: move the junk food and put healthy food in its place. Not only does moving junk food to obscure locations discourage children from buying it, but placing healthy food in convenient and attractive locations -- often in place of junk food -- actually makes children want to eat it more.

"It's not nutrition until someone eats it," explained Chris Wallace, Food Service Director at the Corning, New York School District. "You need to have foods that kids will eat, or they won't eat -- or they'll eat worse." And part of getting students to eat better is simply presenting healthy food in attractive and more convenient ways.

Presented at the School Nutrition Association's New York conference, a series of studies on over 11,000 middle and high school students revealed that when healthy foods like apples are placed in attractive bowls in easily-accessible spots, many children opt for one rather than a dessert. And making changes like this costs virtually nothing, which means that food service directors everywhere can very easily implement them.

Among their findings, researchers found that:
-Reducing bowl sizes from 18 to 14 ounces cut average serving sizes of cereal by 24 percent.
-"Healthy express" checkout lines for children not purchasing desserts and chips doubled sales of healthy sandwiches.
-Putting ice cream in freezers with opaque rather than clear tops significantly reduced overall consumption of ice cream.
-Asking children if they wanted a salad increased sales by 30 percent.
-Simply moving chocolate milk behind plain milk led to students buying more plain milk.

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Sesame Street promotes incorrect nutritional advice (Opinion)

(NaturalNews) Apparently, Sesame Street will be hosting new characters called "The Superfoods" Muppets. It is being sponsored by the pharmaceutical company, Merck. "The Superfoods" are broccoli, a banana, a whole wheat bun and cheese. This is an effort to teach children about better choices in eating and to help fight obesity. Although this list includes foods that have some nutritional value, do they qualify as superfoods? Are they the best foods for most children? What might the "superfoods" characters be named if healthy pre-modern cultures around the world were to name them?

Superfoods generally are considered the superstars of nutritionally healing foods, or supplements, amongst the "healthy foodie" groups. Foods/supplements that meet this criteria: Spirulina, Bee Pollen, Butter (raw, grass fed on rapidly growing green grass), High-Vitamin Butter Oil, Cod Liver Oil, Colostrum, Glandular and Organ Extracts, Evening Primrose and Noni Juice are some of the most highly esteemed.

These items, and those like them, will not likely ever be found as a "superfoods" character on Sesame Street. This may be because they are not known by the general public; but more importantly, pharmaceutical companies, like Merck, have no interest in them. Many superfoods, from nature, leave no room for patents and profits for these companies.

A banana, although enzyme efficient when very ripe, is healthy, but not quite a superfood; whole wheat, if not properly soaked, can cause digestive problems, and many children have sensitivities to it; and, lastly, cheese, unless from pastured animals and unpasteurized, is another highly allergenic food to many children.

Pre-modern cultures, that were not exposed to modern foods, ate many "sacred" foods that helped them "make healthy babies". Many of these foods were full of vitamins and minerals, enzymes and probiotics. Their drinks were mostly fermented, for a probiotic benefit, and their milk was served raw, for all the live enzymes. They used grass fed butter, the color of an orange (today`s consumer believes butter comes only in pale yellow), in abundance and ingested fish eggs, shellfish and organ meats to produce glowingly healthy humans.

Their "Superfoods" Muppets might have had names that followed their dietary principles: Liver, Kefir, Egg Yolk and Butter! A far cry from the names of today`s version. Their version would most certainly deserve the title "superfood", however.

Traditional people's knowledge of healthy foods was passed down from generation to generation. Most of the foods touted as health food today are backed by an industry that wants people to eat them. Wheat and soy are both traded in the stock market as commodities, and the dairy industry is heavily lobbied.

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One in seven Americans now on food stamp

(NaturalNews) A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that about one in seven Americans receives food stamps. Although the percentage of food stamp users seems to have increased in February of this year, 14.3 percent of the population still needs assistance in order to put dinner on the table. While a recovering economy might be the reason for this increase, the USDA's research does not take into account seasonal changes that might affect the rise or fall of food stamp user statistics.

Not only does this astonishing report point to increased reliance on state and federal assistance, but it also confirms that problems surrounding the nutritional content and availability of healthy foods for food stamp recipients remain unsolved. For many struggling individuals and families, healthy food options are the most expensive options. Buying a variety of vegetables in order to make a casserole, for example, costs considerably more than frozen lasagna. Families are forced to buy processed, packaged foods in order to stretch a dollar. Additionally, the program does not cover nutritional supplements that are necessary for children - and adults - who aren't getting daily recommended values of nutrients and vitamins from the unhealthy foods they must subsist on.

A 2009 study in the Economics and Human Biology journal also revealed a discouraging link between obesity and food stamps. Researchers who followed Food stamp users for 14 years found that the average food stamp user had a Body Mass Index (BMI) that averaged about 1.15 points higher than those who were not on food stamps. Even more concerning was that participants' BMIs increased more quickly while on food stamps and continued to rise the longer they stayed in the program.

Considering government statistics that show most food stamp users receive about $100 a month for groceries, it's not difficult to understand why people in the program are faced with two options: buy healthy foods or starve.

In New York City, mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to fight the obesity and diabetes epidemics by banning food stamp users from buying soft drinks or other "sugar-sweetened beverages." According to Bloomberg, "This initiative will give New York families more money to spend on foods and drinks that provide real nourishment." While his intentions are clearly good, Bloomberg's plan of banning unhealthy foods doesn't solve the underlying issue at hand: food stamp users are caught in a system that make it impossible for them to stay healthy.

Until the food industry scale is tipped in favor of fresh, locally-grown, unpackaged and unprocessed foods, the cheaper options will always be the unhealthiest options - they are most cost effective to make and produce. With one in seven Americans now requiring support just to eat, however, it's clear that fewer and fewer individuals have the option to be picky when it comes to their food choices. It's time to stand up for the consumer's right to eat healthy - regardless of income.

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Chocolate as a Health Food?

Nothing beats a good piece of chocolate. It’s rich, smooth, creamy and makes us feel good, until the guilt sets in. Chocolate’s mood-enhancing qualities are an obvious reason why it is so strongly associated with Valentine’s Day, as a gift for lovers and loved ones.

Chocolate's Dark Secret

There’s no getting around the fact that chocolate is a high fat food. But there is growing evidence that, in small quantities, some kinds of chocolate may actually be good for you. Dark chocolate is naturally rich in flavonoids (or more specifically, flavanols, a sub-class of these antioxidants). These compounds are thought to lower blood pressure and help protect against heart disease—among other things. Recent studies conducted both in the U.S. and Europe seem to support chocolate’s beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, encouraging chocolate manufacturers, such as Mars, to develop proprietary methods of processing cocoa beans aimed specifically at preserving flavonoid content. Traditional roasting and fermentation methods are thought to destroy up to three-quarters of these compounds. Mars uses its Cocoapro trademark on some of its products, indicating the use of this method, and Swiss premium chocolate company Barry Callebaut uses Acticoa.

What about the Fat?

It’s still hard to think of chocolate as a health food. Part of the allure is the guilty pleasure of eating it. But before we raid the candy store, it’s worth remembering that chocolate is not a low calorie food. A serving size of Dove dark chocolate (40 grams) contains 210 calories and 13 grams of fat, 8 of which are saturated, although some of this saturated fat is in the form of stearic acid, which is converted by the liver into a "healthier" monounsaturated fat.

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder, which is low fat, would surely be a healthier way to get both our chocolate fix and our dose of flavanols. Alkalizing cocoa (or Dutch processing) produces a milder flavor and darker color but destroys most of the flavonoids. Since flavanol-rich cocoa is naturally bitter, Mars has worked hard to make it palatable. First, it sold a flavanol-rich series of snack bars and small chocolate bars. These bars were shown in one small study to actively lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol in those with elevated cholesterol levels, bolstering Mars' claim that its flavanol-rich snack bars were heart healthy. More recently, Mars Botanicals launched CirkuHealth, a cocoa-extract supplement that can be added to drinks and cereals, and Barry Callebaut offers a high-flavanol cocoa powder, which gives chocoholics a healthier, low-fat alternative to high-fat chocolate bars. Still, when the urge to eat chocolate strikes, it's fine to allow ourselves an occasional ounce of flavanol-rich dark chocolate. It'll make us feel good, and it may even do some good.

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Healthy Foods to Eat

There are several fad diets that will lead to successful weight loss if you follow them exactly as they are designed. That doesn't mean every food that fits into a diet is a healthy food, but it does mean you have to change your eating patterns to fit the diet's rules.
Rather than worry about following a fad diet, think about your health and your lifestyle instead. Start by learning which foods are good for you.

Healthy Foods to Eat

The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, so eat more green, orange and yellow vegetables. Steam them to retain the most nutritional value and be careful with sauces, they may be high in calories and fats that aren't good for you.

Any pasta or baked goods should be made from whole grains. Avoid sugary snacks and pastries as well. An apple is good for you, an apple pie really isn't.
Shop for lean meats and don't forget the fish. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in ocean fish are often deficient in our diets, so serve seafood two or three times per week. Baked fish and chicken are healthier than fried, and lean meats like bison or venison may be healthier than higher fat beef.
Processed lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages have a lot of saturated fat and nitrates in them you don't want in your body. If you love these meats, you can find healthier versions sold at health food stores.
Remember to eat a variety of foods to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy.
Stick to water, milk and 100% fruit and vegetable juices as your main beverages and limit sugary soft drinks. If you get tired of plain water, add a slice of lemon or lime to add a touch of flavor. For kids, try some fruit juice jazzed up with carbonated water.

 

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