Caffeine use among children is increasing. Sodas as well as energy drinks are a major source of caffeine for kids. A recent study shows 29% of 7th and 8th graders can’t judge what has caffeine and what doesn’t. Between 30% and 50% of teens and young adults reported using energy drinks. Energy drinks account for up to 58% of a person’s beverage budget for those on government assistance. For Latinos, there are 22% more ads for energy drinks on Spanish radio as compared to English radio. This targeting to Latinos could increase future energy drink use in the Latino community. Why is this a problem? The American Academy of Pediatrics says caffeine might have health risks for kids. Sodas, energy drinks, or other caffeinated drinks often have large amounts of ...
A new study could tell why kids who are unhealthy weights respond to food differently than kids who are healthy weights. According to a study published in the Endocrine Society, the brain signals of children who are considered "obese" or fall under the unhealthy weight zone respond differently to pictures of foods than brain signals of kids who are at healthy weights, or are considered "lean". Trying to understand why kids with unhealthy weights still fell hungry after eating a meal, researchers from the study worked with Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington and used BASIC fMRI technology to understand brain signals that cause overeating. The trail included 54 obese kids and 22 lean kids ages 9 to 11, with the proportion of boy and girls the ...
Although the recent menu labeling bill was pushed back for implementation until 2018 across restaurants, recent research reveals that removing and labeling unhealthy ingredients like trans fats can make a healthy difference for consumers. A study from JAMA Cardiology studied urban counties in New York State that restricted the use of trans fats in public eateries like restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, park concessions and senior meal programs. The study concluded, after three years that there were there fewer hospital admissions for cardiovascular events in counties with a ban on trans fats. Since July 2003, the FDA approved labeling trans fats for consumers awareness on the dangerous ingredient that is often found in fast foods, baked goods, chips and can lead to higher ...
With obesity rates rising for the Pacific Island Nations, islands like remote pacific island nation Vanuatu is planning to outlaw imported food throughout all the 12 inhabited islands. The plan is to keep government functions and tourist establishments free from junk food, and instead offer up healthy organic local foods like coconut, lobsters and more. Public health experts who study the island nations welcomed the ban according to the New York Times, that explains how millions of people are dealing with rising rates of type two diabetes, and it would be untenable to send patients abroad for dialysis treatment or kidney transplants. The World bank reported in 2014, that four Pacific island nations were dealing with female obesity rates of at least 50%. More than half of the ...
Success for Northgate Gonzalez markets in Southern California all comes down to its healthy marketing tactics. Since their Viva la Salud, they have been working in their stores to create healthy marketing and a comprehensive wellness program to entice shoppers to choose fresh fruits and vegetables and healthier products. Back in 2016, LA parents saw that more needed to be done in all grocery stores around California, where checkout lanes tempted parents and kids alike with unhealthy foods like sodas, chips, and candies. Parents worked with groups including Choose Health LA Kids, Los Angeles County Department of Health, First 5 LA, the Interagency Retail Alliance (IRA) which includes Choose Health LA Kids-Choose Health LA Kids—The Children’s Clinic, AltaMed, Public Health ...
Many foods are marketed as "healthy" to consumers, but what about the amount of sugar that is in each product? Antonio R. Estrada, a photographer, CrossFit enthusiast and sports nutritionist is aiming to show consumers products marketed as healthy, in their true light, portraying the amount of sugar contained in many products that people consume on a daily basis. Estrada explains that his idea is simple, to show consumers the amounts of sugar in products in the same way that industries show their products, with great lighting, packaging and visual effects. By putting the amount of sugar next to each product, consumers visualize the amount of sugar in an easy to see format. He hopes that through this artistic way of portraying these products, consumers will share his photos (with ...
Fast-food is usually considered unhealthy, as it contains added salts, fats and sugars in most menu items, but how does the packaging of fast-food harm you? A new study funded by the National Science Foundation and the Silent Sprint institute showed how chemicals used in an array of fast food packaging can be dangerous to consumers. Health risks like cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, low birth weight and decreased fertility are associated with a chemical used in fast food packaging called PFASs (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) also known as PFCs, which are highly fluorinated chemicals. “These chemicals have been linked with numerous health problems, so it’s concerning that people are potentially exposed to them in food,” said Laurel Schaider, an ...
Telling reporters and gaining attention from Good Morning America, Michigan mom, and healthy food advocate, Jane Kramer has started a petition towards healthier checkouts for retailers. The mom explained in her online petition, that stores should do more to combat the obesity epidemic, by providing shoppers with healthier foods at checkouts instead of encouraging impulse buys of junk food that are often sold with tabloids as well. Kramer is asking a specific retailer in Michigan, Meijer, that has over 220 stores across the state, to provide children's books along with healthier snack options at checkout lanes. More than 1,195 supporters have signed her petition to help create healthier checkout aisles where kids are often faced with soda, candy, and chips. As Kramers hopes, kids ...
Many Latino preschool kids deal with heavy advertisements of unhealthy food marketing and consume more sugary beverages and junk foods than their peers. Now a new study highlights the importance of healthier food marketing to kids of preschool age. The study reported on in Pediatrics found that food advertisement exposure may actually encourage more eating among the young, and depending on which foods are offered, could be adding to a risk for unhealthy weights. Sixty children ages two to five were given a healthy snack then asked to watch a 14-minute TV ad, half watching an ad about food, the other half watching an ad featuring a department store. They were then given an option after seeing the ads to consume more snack foods, where the kids who saw the food ad ate 30 more ...
