Food Day 2011, What is a Serving Size?

"Food Day is October 24 and will continue to be in the years to come. Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life, parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. We will work with people around the country to create thousands of events in homes, schools, churches, farmers markets, city halls, and state capitals."

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) are the Honorary Co-Chairs for Food Day 2011, and the day is sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the nonprofit watchdog group that has led successful fights for food labeling, better nutrition, and safer food since 1971. Like CSPI, Food Day will be people-powered and does not accept funding from government or corporations—though restaurants, supermarkets, and others are certainly encouraged to observe Food Day in their own ways.

Become a Food Label Detective
An Educated Consumer has the
Tools to Make Wise Decisions

6 FOOD DAY PRINCIPLES

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods.
2. Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness.
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger.
4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms. 
5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids. 
6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers.

A special thank you to Marcela Lucena, Erik Bustillo, and the Florida International University, Student Dietetic Association for helping spread the word about Food Day.

October 18, World Menopause Day How to Avoid Menopausal Weight Gain

Every woman will go through the “change of life,” around 50 years of age plus or minus. This is the time of her last period (or menstruation). Symptoms of menopause vary with every woman. Common symptoms include hot flashes; night sweats; sleep irregularity; mood changes; and possible weight gain around the middle. Some women go through menopause without symptoms.

Due to a decrease in hormone levels and the aging process, many women find themselves gaining weight in their forties and fifties. There is a loss of muscle, which decreases the metabolism; and a gain of fat, mainly in the belly area. Lifestyle factors will play an important role in how you handle menopause. Menopausal women tend to be less active and eat more calories than they need.

Nutrition, Eating and
Wellness Guidelines for Menopause

1. Maintain a healthy weight; it will decrease your risk of heart disease and other problems. 
2. Meet your calcium and vitamin D needs. This is important to maintain healthy bones and prevent bone loss that may occur after menopause. Good food sources of calcium include dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese; fortified soy and rice beverages; fortified juices; and canned fish with bones. Good food sources of vitamin D include milk, fortified soy and rice beverages, fortified juices, and fatty fish. 
3. Be physically active every day. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight, keep bones strong and energy levels up, and decrease the risk of heart disease and other age-related complications.
4. Some women will try soy and flax in food to help relieve the side effects of menopause. Currently, studies have not proven that soy and flax help.
5. Wear lightweight and layered clothes. Body temperature fluctuates from hot to cold.
6. Keep a cold glass of water by your side. Due to hot flashes and excessive sweating, it is important to stay hydrated.
7. Relax.
8. Take time to laugh.

How to Avoid Menopausal Weight Gain

You don't have to gain weight as a result of menopause.
Elizabeth Somer, RD explains how to avoid weight gain after menopause.

The Menopause Blues

I Will Not Age

Is It Hot In Here, Or Is It Me?

Resources and References

The International Menopause Society (IMS), in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has designated October 18 as World Menopause Day. To celebrate World Menopause Day, IMS is launching a new campaign to create awareness of understanding weight gain at menopause and the implications it can have on the future health of women in the post-menopausal period. 

For women aged 55–65 years, weight gain is one of their major health concerns and many are not aware of the health implications of excessive weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, which is associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and also impacts adversely on health-related quality of life and sexual function.
An educational toolkit of materials have been developed to support local country initiatives throughout the month of October to raise awareness of this potential health issue and many have been translated into key languages to ensure the campaign has a truly international perspective.

The IMS hopes that national societies will take the opportunity of World Menopause Day to highlight the increasing importance of menopausal health issues, by contacting the women of their country to encourage them to talk to their doctors about menopause and its long-term effects.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Eating Right during Menopause

World Food Day October 16, 2011

World Food Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in November 1979. FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on October 16th, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

“FOOD PRICES – FROM CRISIS TO STABILITY” has been chosen as the 2011 World Food Day theme to shed some light on this trend and what can be done to mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable.

WORLD FOOD DAY 2011

On World Food Day 2011, let us look seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and do what needs to be done to reduce their impact on the weakest members of global society.

The objectives of World Food Day are to:

*Encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;

*Encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;

*Encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;

*Heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;

*Promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and

*Strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development.


To learn more about World Food Day, visit the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

October 3, 2011, Child Health Day

Child Health Day

On the first Monday of October, maternal and child health professionals across America remind us that nothing is more important then the health of our children. Under a Joint Resolution of Congress, the President of the United States proclaimed National Child Health Day every year since 1928.

Originally held in May, this is a poster from 1939.

This is the 83rd annual celebration of Child Health Day. The US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reminds us of maternal and child health programs that help children lead healthy lives every day.

This year’s theme is "Helping Children Lead Healthy Lives."

For Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs), Child Health Day has particular significance. F2F HICs provide information, training, technical assistance, and peer support to families of children with special health care needs, representing over 8.8 million families or 1 in 5 households in the U.S. As families are their children’s primary care givers, F2F HICs play an important role in helping families find health care financing, coordinate care, navigate community-based services, communicate with their child’s providers, and find support from a parent of a child with similar issues. Learn more about F2F HICs in this short video below or connect with the F2F HIC in your state.

On Child Health Day the president invites "all agencies and organizations interested in child welfare to unite on Child Health Day in observing exercises that will make the people of the United States aware of the fundamental necessity of a year-round program to protect and develop the health of the children of the United States."

Child Health and Nutrition
Resources

Organizations, Associations, and Programs
	American Dietetic Association is your source for trustworthy, science-based food and nutrition information. The worlds largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, ADA is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
	Kids Eat Right your source for scientifically-based health and nutrition information you can trust to help your child grow healthy. As a parent or caretaker you need reliable resources and you can find them here, backed by the expertise of nutrition professionals.
	Home Food Safety Tips The American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods public awareness campaign, Home Food Safety, is dedicated to providing home food safety statistics, information about foodborne illness and safe food handling information and tips. Safe Lunch Guide
	Choose MyPlate. The website features practical information and tips to help Americans build healthier diets.
	Let’s Move is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices. Providing healthier foods in our schools. Ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. And, helping children become more physically active.
	Choose MyPlate: Vegetarian Diet. Healthy Eating Tips for Vegetarians (pdf) Vegetarian diets can meet all the recommendations for nutrients. The key is to consume a variety of foods and the right amount of foods to meet your calorie needs. Nutrients that vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12
	Vegetarian Resource Group Vegetarian Kids, Teens, and Family
	Action for Healthy Kids, believe there are ways to reduce and prevent childhood obesity and undernourishment. Learn how Action for Healthy Kids is working with schools, families and communities to help our kids learn to be healthier and be ready to learn.
	Healthy Children The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its member pediatricians dedicate their efforts and resources to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Healthy Children - Nutrition Food Allergies in Children
	Team Nutrition 10 Tips Nutrition Education Series Menu Planner for Healthy School Meals Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Materials. Campaign launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to encourage and teach children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active every day. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ is about making America's children healthier. It's about practical suggestions that will help you motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be active. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Campaign messages and materials are fun for children and informative for caregivers. Building Blocks for Fun and Healthy Meals Fact Sheets For Healthier School Meals
	We Can The We Can! GO, SLOW, and WHOA Foods fact sheet (pdf) can be posted on the refrigerator or used when grocery shopping. The We Can! Parent Tips - Snack (pdf) 100 Calories or Less tip sheet can help consumers choose vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk for healthier snacks.
	Fruits and Veggies More Matters Gearing Up for Back to School
	National Dairy Council® (NDC) Child Nutrition Fuel Up To Play 60 sponsored by National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school program that encourages the availability and consumption of nutrient-rich foods, along with at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
	The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
	The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides cash assistance to States to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions. The program is administered at the Federal level by FNS. State education agencies administer the SBP at the State level, and local school food authorities operate it in schools.

October 2, 2011 Intergeneration Day

Generations United is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening connections between young and old through policies, programs and education. 

In 2010 Generated United held a photo contest. Here are the winners of  "Because We're Stronger Together". The photos represent multi-generations from all over the world.

Sharing Old Traditions and
Creating New Traditions

Generations of Cooking

Cooking With Kids: Tutti-Frutti Salad

Inspired by the reality of Childhood eating disorders and the lack of time families spend in the kitchen together, "Cooking With Kids" television segments were designed to motivate parents and children to cook healthy, nutritious meals together. Narrated by Michelle Weinbender, RD.

How to Get Your Kids Involved
in the Cooking Process

Circle of Life

From the Disney's Lion King, the "Circle of Life."
Written by Tim Rice and Elton John.