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Americans Don’t Eat Enough Fruits and Veggies

January 30th, 2018 by

By Susan Blumenthal, M.D. and Rachel Greene B.A. The New Year provides Americans with a time to make resolutions about maintaining a healthy weight and consuming more nutritious foods. It’s all the more important to do in 2018 because a recent report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that most Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines ... more >

Federal Nutrition Assistance Program Participation May Save Money on Healthcare Expenditures

November 22nd, 2017 by

By Rachel Greene, B.A. and Susan Blumenthal, M.D. Thanksgiving is a festive time with family, friends, and food; yet, in 2016, 41.2 million Americans were food insecure and over 6.5 million children lived in low-income households without reliable access to adequate nutrition. Food insecurity can also co-occur with obesity; a twelve state study found that 32% of food insecure Americans had a greater likelihood of being obese ... more >

U.S. Hits Record High Obesity Rates

October 27th, 2017 by

By Rachel Gardner, B.A. and Susan Blumenthal, M.D. Obesity rates in the United States are at an all-time high. In 2015-2016, 40% of American adults and 19% of American children were obese according to the results of the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released earlier this month. This means that more Americans than ever before in history are seriously overweight with a body mass index (BMI) equal to ... more >

Overweight is Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

October 16th, 2017 by

By Rachel Gardner, B.A. and Susan Blumenthal, M.D. As many as forty percent of all cancers in the United States (630,000 cases) are linked to excess weight according to a recent report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Overweight has been linked to 13 separate types of malignant tumors, including of the esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, breast (post-menopausal), uterus, ovaries, ... more >

Food Insecurity Declines, But 1 In 7 Americans Still Hungry

November 7th, 2016 by

By Susan Blumenthal, M.D. and Mariana Zindel The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its annual report on the food security status of American households. The report showed that food insecurity rates decreased in 2015 to 12.7 percent from 14.0 percent in 2014, but they were still higher than pre-recession rates. The USDA defines food insecurityas households that are “uncertain of having, or [are] unable ... more >

Unpacking Packaged Foods: Understanding The New Nutrition Labels

August 1st, 2016 by

Background On May 20, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new federal guidelines for nutrition labeling, announced by First Lady Michelle Obama at the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit. The new content requirements for the labels marked the first significant update since this nutrition information wasrequired by law in 1990. The updated labels were enacted as part of the Federal government’s response to ... more >

Keeping Hunger Away While School’s Out: The Importance of Summer Food Programs for Kids

July 20th, 2016 by

Many children enthusiastically associate summer vacation with the end of classes and homework for the year, but for some of the 22 million children who depend on schools for free or reduced-priced meals, an essential ingredient of their life is noticeably absent: a steady source of food and nutrition. Children obtain 50% of their calories from food eaten at school. However, during summer vacation, with ... more >

Whole Grains: An Important Ingredient for Health and Longevity

June 29th, 2016 by

A recent study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who consume more whole grains have lower mortality rates. As compared to refined grains which are stripped of nutrients through the milling process, whole grains contain the whole grain kernel. The kernel, that contains bran and fiber, helps maintain steady blood glucose levels. Fiber also helps lower cholesterol, prevents blood clots, ... more >

Mobile Solutions to Improve Nutrition in Food Deserts

June 15th, 2016 by

The term ‘food desert’ refers to areas where residents lack adequate access to affordable and nutritious food products and beverages due to distance and/or lack of access to transportation in communities. In order to increase access to healthy food choices for SNAP recipients, there has been a recent trend in utilizing mobile programs. These mobile programs innovate the way in which SNAP recipients can access ... more >

Food Marketing: A Double-Edged Sword for Combatting Obesity in America

June 10th, 2016 by

A recent study published in Pediatrics entitled Popular Music Endorsements in Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing reveals disturbing trends in food marketing using celebrities that have important implications for addressing childhood obesity and food insecurity in America. Using a U.S. advertising industry database to examine all celebrity food product endorsements between 2000 and 2014, the authors of the study identified 65 music celebrities including Beyoncé ... more >

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