Posts by tag
Kids in the Kitchen
What does Kids in the Kitchen have to do with Halloween?
Not much. KITK programs typically take place in the spring. Halloween, well, you know. KITK focuses on helping children make healthy choices about food and nutrition. Halloween, well, you know.…
Do we really need a national Food Day?
Well, we have one now. October 24 is the first annual Food Day in the United States. Sponsored by an advocacy group called Center for Science in the Public Interest,…
Ready for National Junk Food Day?
It’s real…but it’s also a joke. July 21 is now designated as the day when we are encouraged to eat all the junk food we want—cheeseburgers with bacon, nachos with…
Happy 6th Birthday, KITK!
Because March is National Nutrition Month in the U.S. and Canada, let’s take a moment to sing Happy Birthday to The Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen program. Now in…
It’s Summer – Do You Know What Your Kids Are Eating?
It’s ironic that National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month and National Hunger Awareness Month are both celebrated in June. It’s also ironic that, in America, we feel compelled to warn…
Happy Mother’s Day from 1 California Legislator & 17 Junior Leagues!
With all of the Mother’s Day flowers and greeting cards, there’s one problem faced by new mothers that’s easy to forget – perinatal depression.
Perinatal depression is a critical health issue for many new mothers. In fact, national studies estimate 1 in 5 women suffer from postpartum depression and related disorders – 80% of whom go undiagnosed and untreated because they are uninsured, underinsured, or lack access to comprehensive health care. There may be as many as 800,000 new cases in the United States each year.
Want Some Green Goblin Veggies With That Pita Pocket Paradise?
With National Nutrition Month upon us in the United States and Canada, maybe it’s time to spend less time talking about childhood obesity rates and more time talking about how…
Are Corn Pops and Cocoa Pebbles Really a Public Health Menace?
With about a third of children in the U.S. considered overweight or obese, researchers increasingly point to the way kid’s cereal is marketed to our children – through TV advertising and even online game sites – as a key part of the problem. But the bigger problem may well be the fact that what kids don’t know about their food may actually hurt them.
Note to the Obamas – Time to Plan Your Garden?
If Michelle and Barack Obama are anything like most gardeners, they may use the downtime of the winter months to plan this year’s garden. In the spirit of non-partisanship — and to help them manage their obviously valuable time — we want to take this opportunity to offer a few planting tips…
Childhood Obesity: Lessons from Mexico
As Americans, we tend to focus on “our own problems.” Fair enough. But many of the problems we struggle with – as individuals, as parents and as a country – are shared by other countries. Take Mexico, for example. Rising affluence, the proliferation of fast food and more working parents have lead to a rise in childhood obesity there as well. And maybe there’s something there for all of us to learn.
One big lesson? The cure starts at home.