del.icio.us Friday: Carrots Are The New French Fries At School Cafeterias

Welcome to del.icio.us Friday, your once-a-week health news update. You can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

This week, a heartening story about school cafeterias around the nation making an excellent a turn for the better caught my eye.

The education section of CNN carries a story, “Carrots in, fries out in school cafeterias“, which tells of how more and more cafeterias are making healthful choices available to school children and, more interestingly, how it’s now considered hip to refuse junkfood!

This story is especially relevant in the current context of childhood obesity (another story of the week, “Obesity may complicate surgery in children” shows how early these problems can surface).

The school cafeteria looks radically different from those of his parents’ generation, and it appears many kids aren’t turning their noses up at the new offerings. In fact, according to a survey of food service directors, french fries are decreasing in popularity and interest in carrots is skyrocketing.

Here are the top health stories for this week:

1. Obesity may complicate surgery in children: A new study suggests that nearly one-third of children undergoing surgery are overweight or obese, placing them at increased risk of experiencing complications associated with the surgery.
2. Kids walk to battle obesity: If you come across fifth-graders in Mesa next month, odds are good they’ll be walking, running or doing whatever they can to bump up the count on their new pedometers.
3. Trans fat fight: Heart of the matter: Do you know how many grams of trans fats you were just consuming? No? That’s a shame.
4. Crisco Latest to Reduce Trans Fats: Crisco is getting a new formula after 95 years in America’s pantries that nearly eliminates artery-clogging trans fats.
5. No Trans Fat Does Not Mean No Worry: Experts warn that despite the crackdown on trans fat, consumers must still be careful about what they eat. The problem with removing trans fat, they point out, is that saturated animal fats may be taking their place.
6. From 500 pounds to a new and rewarding life: I was 34 and had always struggled with my weight, but for 15 years, I had allowed it to get out of control. I ate as if it were my hobby. I was unable to do the simplest physical activity. I made excuses to avoid having to go out in public, for fear of be
7. Trans fat labeling can be misleading: As it stands right now, food manufacturers are allowed to list zero grams of trans fat on the Nutrition Facts panel if the product contains less than 0.5 gram in each serving. But I think that’s very misleading.
8. UK schools “must tell parents” if children are obese: Primary schools should inform parents if their children are overweight or obese, an influential group of MPs said on Thursday.
9. Can fruit help you lose weight?: Add strawberries and grapefruit to your watermelon, and watch the scale inch to the left.
10. Pedometers for ‘deprived’ pupils: Children who attend primary schools in deprived areas of England are to be given pedometers in an attempt to encourage them to be more active.
11. Fibre ‘lowers breast cancer risk’: Pre-menopausal women who eat large amounts of fibre could halve their breast cancer risk, a UK study has suggested.
12. High School Football Players Too Fat?: High school football players may not be just big and strong; a lot of them are overweight or obese, an Iowa study shows.
13. 8 Reasons You Could Be Sabotaging Your Diet: It turns out that sneaky hidden sources may be keeping your hunger on overdrive.
14. To Get Anywhere, First Pick a Destination: “The basic issues are: What do you want to get out of it? Why do you want to exercise?”
15. Why We Eat When The Heat Is On: “It’s an ongoing battle for me. . . . Food not only placates, but it also allows me to procrastinate.”
16. Calling the Flock To God, Away From the Fridge: Saving souls is serious business for Annandale pastor Steve Reynolds. So is losing weight.
17. Carrots in, fries out in school cafeterias: “I eat carrots or apples every day,” said 10-year-old Alan Espino. He said he didn’t notice that the bun holding his all-beef hot dog was whole wheat.
18. Good Heart Health Habits Should Start in Childhood: If more parents instilled heart-healthy habits from the time their children were toddlers, they could greatly reduce their kids’ risk of future problems.

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Have a good weekend!

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