Eat Healthy
Building Healthier Communities
When we think about childhood obesity, most of us think of kids playing video games or eating sugary, unhealthy food. Less obvious — but not less important — is the impact a child’s neighborhood has on his or her health – and whether it offers them the opportunities they need to walk, run, and play. Indeed, children in neighborhoods that lack sidewalks, parks, playgrounds, and community centers have up to 45 percent higher odds of becoming obese or overweight.
Rachael Ray's Top Picks for National School Lunch Week
Last week was National School Lunch Week, an opportunity to recognize the talent and dedication of all the food service professionals, educators, chefs and parents who help ensure America's students have the healthy food they need to grow and succeed. Continuing the commitment to healthy lunch, our friends at Rachael Ray's Yum-o! Organization sent over some of their favorite lunchtime recipes.
Enthusiastic for Salad
It was an unusual chant for a schoolyard: “Salad! Salad! Salad!” But that’s what I heard from the students at Fremont Elementary in Long Beach, California as they cheered the opening of the school’s – and region’s – very first school salad bar.
Moving Outside in Mississippi!
Families in Natchez, Mississippi know how to get moving outside, and make the most of the special places in their community. The Mississippi River Connections Collaboration, which includes the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, recently hosted “Let’s Move Outside Southwest Mississippi,” a daylong celebration of healthy, outdoor recreation. Hundreds of people from Adams and surrounding counties came to Natchez – a city of roughly 20,000 people along the Mississippi River – to participate in multiple activities and explore the area’s famous historical sites.
Ending National School Lunch Week on a Sweet Note
Although National School Lunch Week officially ended yesterday, here’s one more recipe from Epicurious.com for a healthy and simple dessert. And don’t forget about the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition – you have through December 30th to submit your recipe into the competition.
A Colorful Salad is a Great Addition to Lunchtime
National School Lunch Week is a great time to remember the important role that healthy meals play in our daily lives. Parents, teachers, kids, schools and communities – there’s a way for everyone to take action and get engaged with Let’s Move!
National School Lunch Week Continues with Turkey Quesadillas
The National School Lunch Program provides nutritious meals to millions of American children and helps educate kids on making healthy choices early in life.
Opening Near You! New Food Markets and The Healthy Food Financing Initiative
A key part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) will help revitalize neighborhoods by eliminating “food deserts,” locations with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, within seven years. Food desert communities are typically served by inexpensive restaurants and convenience stores that offer little or no fresh food. A study by the U.S.
Farmers Markets: An Investment in Fresh Food
An integral part of the Let’s Move! initiative is gaining a critical boost when it comes to solving the challenge of childhood obesity and improving the health and nutrition of all Americans. Today, USDA is proud to announce new investments that will help connect farms with families at the local level by providing grants to local farmers markets, producers, and farmers. Farmers markets across the country help families make the right choice when it comes to fresh produce and foods by bringing their harvest right to our communities.
On Today’s Lunch Menu: Pita Sandwiches
We’re continuing our celebration of National School Lunch Week with another easy and delicious recipe. If you have a favorite lunch recipe, join the conversation on the Let’s Move! Facebook page and enter the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition.
