by Jennifer Lance on January 13, 2010 · 4 comments
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maveric2003
Parents can request hormone-free milk at school
Parents send their children to school to help them develop socially and intellectually; however, their health may be compromised by the food served to them daily in the lunchroom. School milk is no exception. Food & Water Watch has successfully campaigned for over a year to give schools a choice to buy hormone-free or organic milk, but does your school know they don’t have to serve rBGH milk? As a parent, did you know you have the right to request hormone-free milk be served to your child?
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jermudgeon
No matter the weather, take a weekly family walk.
The British have a family tradition that is dying: the family walk. According to the Telegraph:
Instead, researchers from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Science at Loughborough University found that families are increasingly likely to convene for sedentary activities such as mealtimes and watching television.
A family walk is such a simple idea that can promote the health of every member. From the dog to grandma, going for a promenade in the neighborhood or park is wonderful way to spend quality time together.
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radiant guy
Winter pregnancy increases risk of MS due to lack of vitamin D sunlight absorption.
Sunlight is important for our health. In these days when people are afraid of skin cancer and smother on sunscreen, Vitamin D absorption has been reduced. Vitamin D is also vital to infant development, and new research suggests that mothers who are pregnant during winter months have an increased risk of delivering babies with neurological issues. Of particular concern is the increase in babies with multiple sclerosis (MS) born in April.
According to research published in the European Journal of Neurology, lack of vitamin D in pregnancy “predisposes” individuals to MS. The Telegraph reports:
Vitamin D, which is largely gained through sunlight and food, is known to regulate a gene that can predispose individuals to MS. If the gene is passed on to the unborn child, without being regulated by a sufficient amount of vitamin D, it could “hard wire” them to develop the disease in later life…
Professor George Ebers, from Oxford University’s department of clinical neurology at the John Radcliffe Hospital, said: “The difference [in developing MS in Scotland] between being born in April versus November is an astounding 50per cent. This is real, there’s no doubt of a seasonal link. There are different theories, but I think the April excess of births could be linked to a sunlight deficiency.
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by Jennifer Lance on December 30, 2009 · 1 comment
by Jennifer Lance on December 28, 2009 · 7 comments
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Keith Bacongco
Background TV negatively affects adult-children interactions
There were times in my childhood after my parents’ divorce that the television seemed to always be on to fill the empty space. It’s not that uncommon in many homes for the TV to be on when no one is actually watching it. This background TV noise has previously been shown to interrupt play and negatively affect children’s attention and focus, but a new study has found it also reduces “both the quantity and the quality of interactions between parents and children”.
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by Jennifer Lance on December 22, 2009 · 6 comments
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Monica R.
Practical food education begins at an early age.
I’ve long advocated for gardening with kids, not only to connect children closer with nature but to improve their diet. Food for Life Partnership, “a network of schools and communities across England committed to transforming food culture,” agrees. The Telegraph reports:
Emma Noble, director of the Food for Life Partnership, said: “It is possible to transform school food culture and to increase school meal take-up at the same time when young people’s views are listened to and school meal changes are supported by practical food education like learning to cook, growing food and visiting farms to learn where food actually comes from.”
Every school should have a garden; every child should be involved in growing food. Food for Life Partnership works with 1500 schools across England to “change their school dinners with freshly prepared local, seasonal and organic ingredients.” The group is getting amazing results, with participation in school meals growing from 30 to 400 children at one of the partner schools “bucking” the national trend of “surprisingly low” involvement in healthy school meals.
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We hope your transition to 2010 was filled with safety, love, health, and jubilance. It’s been an exciting year for 
