USA Today, Liz Szabo, November 30, 2010
Almost every child care book offers the same advice about a baby’s first meal.
When infants are ready for solid food, experts say, start them first on rice cereal, available in a box, mixed with breast milk or formula. Babies have launched their eating careers this way for 60 years, says Alan Greene, a pediatrician at Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children Hospital.
In the 1950s, Greene says, baby food companies trumpeted the benefits of white rice cereal, telling mothers that it was easier for babies to …

CSPI, November 9, 2010
The controversial practice of using toys to market unhealthy fast-food meals to children was dealt another blow today by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. By a vote of 8 to 3, the board gave final approval to a measure sponsored by Supervisor Eric Mar that requires meals sold with toys not to exceed ceilings for calories, fat, sugar, and sodium, and to contain a half a cup of fruit and at least three-quarters of a cup of vegetables.
“That’s good news for San Francisco’s parents and children,” …

The Province, November 12, 2010
Overweight children may be more stressed than those of normal weight, a new report suggests.
Among 1,136 kids and teens ages 8-17 surveyed online in August, those of above-normal weight reported more health problems in the previous month. Such problems, experts say, signal stress. Among them:
■ Sleep problems, 48 per cent (compared with 33 per cent of normal-weight kids).
■ Headaches, 43 per cent (vs. 28 per cent).
■ Anger and fighting, 22 per cent (vs. 13 per cent).
“There are some good data out there that show connections between …

The Atlantic, By Kelly Brownell, Professor of Public Health at Yale University, November , 2010
Food companies have been in a headlong rush to prevent government from enacting policies that would affect sales of items such as sugar-sweetened beverages and fast food. One of their tactics is for the companies to issue pledges to protect children, saying in so many words, “You can trust us to police ourselves so government can back down.”
The marketing of junk food has been the focus of many such pledges. In the U.S., the pledges are …

USA Today, November 10, 2010
Obesity is proving to be a heavy burden for the nation’s kids and teens.
Experts have known for years that hauling around extra pounds takes a huge toll on children’s health. It puts them at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and other health problems.
A study in 2005 found that children today may lead shorter lives by two to five years than their parents because of obesity.
About a third of children and adolescents in the United States weigh too much. With so many …

The New York Times, Lesley Alderman, November 5, 2010
THE lunch menu at my son’s elementary school — Public School 29 in Brooklyn — looked very tempting recently: vegetarian chili, sofrito brown rice, confetti corn salad, pico de gallo, salad bar, milk. Making the menu even more appealing was the price: $1.50.
When a school lunch is nutritious and tasty, it’s one of the best health bargains around. Lunches provided through the National School Lunch Program, which is subsidized by the federal government, cost parents about $1.25 to $2, typically less …

Reuters, Julie Steenhuysen, November 1, 2010
Despite efforts to limit their availability, public elementary school students in the United States have more outlets to buy unhealthy beverages at school, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
Over a three-year period ending in 2009, more students could buy sweetened beverages like sodas, higher-fat milk and sports beverages from vending machines and school stores, they said. Such drinks are a major source of calories, and removing them from schools could help curb the nation’s obesity epidemic.
“Elementary school students are still surrounded by a variety of unhealthy …

ABC, Kim CArollo, Oct 1, 2010
If there were ever a reason to cut back on kids’ consumption of cake, cookies, pizza and soda, nutrition experts say a new study highlights just how unhealthy young people’s diets really are.
Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that nearly 40 percent of calories consumed by children ages 2 to 18 were empty calories, the unhealthiest kind of calories.
Obesity Rates Rise in Some States, Fatty Food Abounds Everywhere McDonald’s to …

San Fransisco Chronicle, Stacy Finz, September 23, 2010
Science classes in Berkeley are taught weekly in campus gardens. English, history and math courses are held regularly in the kitchen. The cafeterias have been rid of processed food, and everything is made from scratch.
The experiment started five years ago to teach a generation reared on junk food about good nutrition, where their food comes from and the environment.
The naysayers laughed, “Only in Berkeley.” Even the less skeptical wondered if kids could be weaned off Pop-Tarts with the lure of Brussels sprouts.
Now, the …

Boston Globe, Stephen Smith,  September 9, 2010
More than one-third of Massachusetts students evaluated during the 2008-2009 school year were overweight or obese, according to a report released yesterday that revealed stark differences in how the obesity epidemic has touched cities and towns.
The study, which reflects weight and height measurements for about 110,000 students, for the first time provides data on separate school districts and underscores the role of poverty and affluence in determining weight.
Lawrence, one of the state’s poorest cities, had the highest rate of students with excessive weight, about …