HSC's staff experts discuss news stories and new developments every week at the HSC Blog. Stop by and leave a question or comment. And while you're there, enter your email address for automatic delivery on days when a new blog entry has been posted. Here's a look at some of our recent posts:
HSC Envisions The Road to a Healthier Future| by Rochelle Davis
I recently picked up my 25-year-old niece, Julia, from O’Hare airport. Julia has been in Spain for the last 10 months teaching English as a second language. Julia had spent the month of June walking El Camino, a famous Christian pilgrimage walk through Spain. Of course, I was interested in how she ate while on the walk. . . . Read more
To the Garden!| by Mark Bishop
For months, Henry's favorite video was this little YouTube gem, To the Garden, (WARNING - If you don't have kids, you will find yourself throwing a brick at your computer after watching this video) so we were excited this summer to start planting our garden with Henry. It's starting to pay off . . . Read more
Fighting Childhood Obesity & Malnutrition | by Rochelle Davis
The federal food program began more than 60 years ago to address the fact that so many children were underweight and malnourished. The crisis facing us today is both the same and different: now children are overweight and malnourished. In a recent article, Dr. Cyril O. Enwonwu does an excellent job of explaining this contradiction of our modern age. Take a 14-year-old African-American boy living in Baltimore. . . Now take a 14-year-old boy from Nigeria . . . . Read more
How Universal Meals Could Revolutionize School Food
| by Jean Saunders
Currently, 10 percent of the federal reimbursement for school lunches goes toward administration and oversight of the program. If this amount is reduced – by, say, increasing efficiency and reducing the amount of paperwork - school food directors could spend more of that money on higher quality, nutritious food. Fortunately, several bills have been introduced to address this very issue. . . . Read more
Summer Recipe & Cookbook Review: Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson| by Lindsay Muscato
For healthy, delicious recipes, Heidi Swanson is my go-to favorite. Her printed compilation of winning dishes is Super Natural Cooking, and her regularly updated blog is 101 Cookbooks. Heidi began the blog in order to dust off all the cookbooks she'd accumulated. Over time, she has developed her own style and expert voice, plus she includes lush photography of each dish. For a summertime Kool-Aid alternative, try this refreshing drink, especially at a picnic where pink-stained mouths and fingers are already part of the routine. . . . Read more
Nutrition Facts on Restaurant Menus Could Help Kids Make Healthy Choices | by Jean Saunders
A new bill in the Senate would make tallying up nutrition info for your restaurant meal even more straightforward than calculating the tip. A national menu labeling provision would require restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets to post calories on menus. HSC believes that the menu labeling requirements would help to make nutrition education in schools more actionable: students would be better able to make informed food choices when they purchase food away from school. . . . Read more
Congratulations to Chuck Ainsworth at PortionPac: Connecting School Food & Green Cleaning | by Lindsay Muscato
It's especially exciting when our initiatives here at HSC intersect. Recently the School Nutrition Association (SNA) recognized Chuck Ainsworth of PortionPac, a sponsor of our Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, for his work in improving school food service -- and bringing green cleaning to school kitchens and cafeterias. . . . Read more
Report Gives U.S. Low Marks for High Obesity Rates | by Jean Saunders
Washington lawmakers may be taking a break from their work in reforming our nation’s health care system, but a new report focuses on another vital component of national health: obesity trends. In addition to sharing alarming statistics on obesity in both adults and children, the report provides recommendations for further action: I was especially interested to see that the report points out the importance of the school environment in addressing childhood obesity. . . . Read more
Floor Mats Help Schools Go Green, from the Ground Up | by Cynthia San Miguel
The Andersen Company, a manufacturer of eco-friendly floor mats, is a green team supporter of HSC’s Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools. (Mats, especially at building entrances, can play an important role in school green cleaning programs by trapping dirt before it even enters the building.) The company uses recycled rubber and post consumer fabrics in its Eco-Premier line and established the Green MATters committee, which finds eco-friendly ways to conduct business . . . . Read more |
