Local School
Wellness Resources
On June 30, 2004, Congress passed Section
204 of Public Law 108-265, of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization
Act of 2004. This law requires local education agencies to develop a
policy that addresses the growing problem of childhood obesity by the
beginning of School Year 2006-2007. The TEAM Nutrition website serves
as a resource for schools as they develop policies and implementation
strategies to improve school health environments. Access this site at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/wellness_policyrequirements.html
Nutrition and
the School Food Environment
The February 2005 issue of the Journal
of the American Dietetic Association has several pertinent articles
regarding children's food choices in the school environment.
Eating vegetables
related to healthy body weight in children
In a study of 8- to 10-year-old African-American girls, researchers
at the Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at the Baylor College
of Medicine found that eating more vegetables was associated with a
healthy body weight.
"The strongest
link between diet and healthy body weight in our study of young African-American
girls was the number of servings of vegetables consumed each day,"
said Dr. Karen Cullen, a CNRC behavioral scientist. "The more vegetables,
other than French fries, a girl reported eating, the more likely she
was to be at a healthier weight."
Cullen also found
that the girls who ate more meals and snacks took in more calories each
day, and that those who snacked more often drank more sweetened beverages
such as soft drinks, fruit drinks and sweet tea. She also found that
parents who used low-fat cooking techniques, such as removing the skin
from chicken, choosing lower-fat foods and baking rather than frying
foods, had daughters with fat intakes closer to recommended levels.
Source: Cullen
KW. Baranowski T. Klesges LM. Watson K. Sherwood NE. Story M. Zakeri
I. Leachman-Slawson D. Pratt C. Anthropometric, parental, and psychosocial
correlates of dietary intake of African-American girls. Obesity Research.
12 Suppl:20S-31S, 2004 Sep.
Resource for
Feeding Infants
Although Feeding Infants: A Guide for Use in the Child Nutrition
Programs is technically designed for USDA child care centers and
day care homes, parents and other caregivers will also find a wealth
of information in this resource. The guide includes information on topics
such as infant development, nutrition for infants, breastfeeding and
formula feeding, preventing tooth decay, feeding solid foods, drinking
from a cup, choking prevention and sanitary food preparation and safe
food handling. Access at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/TN/Resources/feeding_infants.html
Recommended
Site: 5 A Day kids page
This site provides materials that encourage children to eat a “rainbow
of colors” from the fruit and vegetable groups. Download free coloring
pages and activity sheets with fun games, recipes, word puzzles and
helpful food tips.
http://www.5aday.org/html/kids/kids_home.php
