Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Posted by Ed Bruske | March 22nd, 2010

By Ed Bruske
Contributing Editor

Re-tooled language in “Healthy Schools” legislation scheduled for a public hearing before the D.C. Council this week would require city schools to provide parents each year with a measurement of the body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio of every child, as well as an estimate of the amount of exercise each child engages in. It also calls on city schools to consider extending the school day in order for children to have more time for physical activity, and would offer grants to schools that commit to making students more active.

Schools would also be required to send parents information in English and Spanish explaining how to interpret unhealthy body mass and waist-to-hip information and what steps can be taken to address weight problems.

Drafters of the legislation last week backed away from strict nutrition standards recommended by the Institute of Medicine that would require increased portion sizes of vegetables served in school meals, saying schools cannot guarantee the quality of vegetables offered  in cafeterias or that students won’t throw them in the trash.

Instead, the legislation embraces requirements set forth in the U.S. Department of Agriculture “HealthierUS School Challenge,” which establishes several different levels of stringency in school food nutrition.

 The “Healthy Schools” bill would require all D.C. public schools to adopt the “gold” level of the USDA program, meaning school cafeterias would need to offer 1/4-cup servings of  dark green or orange vegetables three or more days per week, and cooked dry beans or peas once per week.  Schools would also be required to offer a different fruit, either fresh, frozen, canned, dried or 100 percent juice, every day of the week, but 100 percent fruit juice could be counted as fruit only once per week. At least one serving of whole-grain food would be offered each day.

The new bill also drops an attempt to create detailed nutrition standards for foods served outside the reqular food line in school cafeterias–so-called “competitive” foods–as well as those sold in vending machines and in school stores. Again, the “HealthierUS School Challenge” standards would apply. Total fat in those foods could be no more than 35 percent of calories, trans fat must be less than .5 grams per serving, saturated fat less than 10 percent and sugar no more than 35 percent by weight.

The only beverages allowed would be low-fat or skim milk, 100 percent fruit juice with no sweeteners and water, meaning no sugary sodas, sports drinks or ice teas. The standards would not apply to foods and beverages offered at official after-school events.

Posted by Emily Roberts | March 19th, 2010

At the Perry Family Health Center we are celebrating National Nutrition Month on Thursday, March 25 from 5-6pm with a class entitled, “Nutrition from the Ground Up: Eat Right!” where we will promote incorporating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables into one’s diet.

We are having food donated for the class by the very generous folks at Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-Op, making this a community-wide effort to increase healthy lifestyles and therefore life expectancy. When the donation was secured, the buzz around the clinic resulted in someone suggesting that we invite Michelle Obama, champion of the new Let’s Move campaign to combat childhood obesity and increase access to healthy, affordable food.

Posted by Xi Wang | February 19th, 2010

With shovels and forks, local food justice advocates will descend on the Historical Society of Washington tomorrow for Rooting DC, the District’s own urban agriculture forum. Workshops are organized around four themes–production, distribution, preparation and preservation–in order to explore how food finds its way from the field to our forks.

For the first time in it’s 3-year history, Rooting DC will feature cooking demonstrations.  Steve Seuser, who planned and coordinated the demonstrations, says that presenters will share how to prepare cooked, raw, and fermented foods, as well as canning basics. In particular, the demonstrations will feature recipes that are fast and affordable for families, as well as processes for gardeners who grow a lot and aren’t sure what to do with the overabundance.

Tracye McQuirter, a nutritionist with the UDC Center for Nutrition, Diet, and Health, will present during Workshop Session 2. We talked with Tracye about the importance of eating hea

Posted by Rhea Kennedy | February 10th, 2010

On Tuesday, sixth grader Tammy Nguyen brought down the White House with some choice words. Leading up to a much-anticipated announcement in the State Dining Room, Nguyen described how she helped grow a rainbow of vegetables in a kitchen garden on the “first lawn.”

“My friends and I have learned a lot about change, about eating healthy food, and making the right choices,” the former Bancroft Elementary School student explained. “My classmates and I plan to keep that color on the plate–and I don’t mean M&Ms,” she said.

Nguyen then introduced First Lady Michelle Obama, who summoned all hands on deck to bring the Bancroft students’ experience to every American child in the interest of better health. She outlined a detailed initiative, called Let’s Move, to curb the startling rate of childhood obesity (about one in three children is overweight or obese, she said), and save the nation’s kids from preventable diseases. Such an initiative can also create jobs and help fish the budget out of a deficit. That can only happen, Obama said, if many sectors work together and the action starts immediately.

“Instead of just talking bout this problem, instead of just worrying and wringing our hands about it, let’s do something about it,” said the first lady. “Let’s act…. let’s move.”

A new Task Force on Childhood Obesity will propel the initiative.

Posted by Xi Wang | January 15th, 2010

Food access is a topic that is gaining attention both nationally and locally.  A few stories this past week have converged on the topics of food access and children. The momentum for school gardens and for students to have a better understanding of their relationship to food is building–especially in the nation’s capital.  The installment [...]

Posted by Lauren Biel | January 11th, 2010

In the January 6th edition of themail, Gary Imhoff wrote about ‘bad bills’ that pass from idea to law because of the arrogance and greed of politicians. Incredibly, he singled out the recently-introduced “Healthy Schools Act” as an example thereof. Yesterday, I submitted the following response to Imhoff:

DCPS student enjoying a salad from school garden

I am on the Advisory Board of the DC Farm to School Network, manage the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers’ Market, and am the parent of a future DC Public School student. I will also disclose that I operate under the assumption that getting healthy, local fruits and vegetables to District of Columbia schoolchildren is a worthy cause for its impacts on child health and well-being, environmental sustainability, and economic development.

First of all, I’d like to clarify that the farm-to-school section of the bill is not about “identifying any foods served in schools that students may actually like, and replacing them with more servings of carrot and celery sticks,” as Imoff claims (with tongue only “minimally” in cheek).

Posted by Ed Bruske | December 16th, 2009

By Ed Bruske Contributing Editor Over the last week, I’ve been writing in detail about the main features of the landmark “Healthy Schools” bill [PDF] introduced by Councilmember Mary Cheh and Council Chairman Vincent Gray. The bill contains numerous policy upgrades designed to vault the District of Columbia into the front ranks of school districts embracing [...]

Posted by Sharon Gruber | December 14th, 2009

I have a view on fresh produce that might not shock you: Everyone should be able to buy it.

But for many low-income folks, that option doesn’t exist. The cost is simply too high. As Bread for the City’s nutrition consultant, many of my patients tell me that money is the leading reason they don’t make healthier choices.

Why not level the playing field a bit more? What about subsidizing produce like broccoli, watermelon, and garlic? Or what about bulk government purchasing of these foods, an approach many farmers prefer?