More experts are weighing in on sugar consumption, and for good reason in light of the obesity epidemic. Today, the average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, which is 355 calories. Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the number-one source of added sugars in the American diet.

According to study published October 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, five-year-old girls that consume two or more 8-ounce servings of sweetened beverages a day were more likely to be overweight as teenagers than girls who consumed lower intakes of sweetened beverages. The authors did not find an association between milk and fruit juices and future weight status. It is important to remember that this is only one study, and previous studies have not always shown this same association. Since 1970, calorie consumption is up 24 percent from all foods, not just foods with added sugar.

Most health professionals will agree that high-nutrient foods should be included in the diet over high-sugar, low-nutrient choices. Foods with added sugars from under-consumed food groups such as whole grains (e.g., sweetened oatmeal) and milk and milk products (e.g., chocolate milk) are still a good nutritional value.

This handout can help your clients sort out their beverage choices: Put Your Beverage to the Test.
 
Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager

October 15, 2009 was Walk-to-School Day. Mariposa Elementary students in Mariposa, CA, celebrated their 4th Annual Walk-to-School Day event coordinated by one of my co-workers at Dairy Council—Alyssa McClelland, Territory Manager for Fresno County. Since several elementary school teachers in the North Bay area asked me for ideas regarding Walk-to-School Day, I interviewed Alyssa in order to share her experience in planning and running a fun, healthy and successful Walk-to-School Day event.    

NM: What are some of the basic components needed to run a successful Walk-to-School Day event? How did you do it?

AM: Building both community and school support is very important to ensure a successful event. For the Mariposa event, we met at a local grocery store's parking lot and the children walked together from the parking lot to school. The grocery store generously supplied the walkers apples and water bottles. For our event, we also enlisted the help of the the California Highway Patrol in Mariposa County to provide an escort while the students “walk to school.” In Mariposa there are no sidewalks or paths for the students to follow on their way to school, so this provided a safe way for students to get to school. 

NM: Is there a nutrition-education component to the event that day or celebrated that week? 

AM: Yes! In fact, all the teachers at Mariposa Elementary use Dairy Council of California's nutrition-education curriculum and love it. The school offered an extended breakfast that morning and I also decided to give a smoothie party as an incentive for the top two classes that participated in the Walk-to-School Day event. The students really enjoyed that!

NM: What is the feedback you have heard from teachers and parents about the event?

AM: They loved it! They thought it was a great way to build awareness about overall health. This year our County Hospital was at the event, providing information to all those participating.  

NM: Last question—what is your favorite nutrition lesson from our curriculum?

AM: My favorite lesson is “Lunch at the Mall," from our middle school program, Exercise Your Options.

NM: Thank you, Alyssa. What you have done for the students at Mariposa Elementary is wonderful and something they will always remember, I’m sure. 

For more information on how your regional Dairy Council Territory Manager can help support wellness at your school, please contact us by phone, 877.324.7901, email or comment on this blog. Happy walking!

Nicolina Mulcahy

Territory Manager

The 2009 School Wellness Conference, held in Anaheim, California on October 6 and 7, was organized by the California School Boards Association, the California Department of Education and the California Department of Public Health. The conference was well attended, especially given the budget limitations throughout the state. Attendees included educators, health care professionals, politicians and community representatives from California as well as other states. Session highlights included the direct relationship of critical health issues to academic achievement, a coordinated school-health approach to successful learning and the importance of school and community collaboration in order to foster healthy students.

As a sponsor for this event, Dairy Council of California recognizes the value of combating childhood obesity and supports districts with their local wellness-policy efforts. Dairy Council of California was actively involved in the pre-conference event, Finding Common Ground: Collaborating to Prevent Childhood Obesity, which addressed strategies for overcoming key barriers to collaborating about nutrition and physical activity, shared use of indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and safe routes to school. We also had the opportunity to host an in-depth session highlighting our new Teacher Training Module. The new module was very favorably received by the conference attendees and is available on this website.

It was fun and rewarding to hear appreciative comments and enthusiasm from so many teachers who currently use our programs and came to visit us at our booth. We also received inquires from new contacts that would like to place orders, ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school and our parent education programs. Many districts expressed interest in partnering with us to work on their Wellness Policy Councils. Overall, this was a successful conference for learning, sharing and building relationships.

The School Wellness Conference was held October 6 and 7 in Anaheim, CA. Dr. John Ratey, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, was a featured speaker. He explained how brain-derived neurotophic factor, or BDNF, promotes the growth of new brain cells, allowing the brain to grow and learn better.

What increases BDNF levels in the brain? Exercise, of course. The average adult sits in front of some sort of screen 9.5 hours per day and children are spending 5.5 hours a day, leaving limited time for physical activity. Emerging research shows that physical activity sparks biological changes that encourage brain cells to bind to one another. For the brain to learn, these connections must be made. The more neuroscientists discover about this process, the clearer it becomes that exercise creates an environment in which the brain is ready, willing and able to learn. 

Naperville Central High School in Chicago implemented a program called Zero Hour PE. The objective of the program was to determine whether working out before school gives students a boost in reading ability and increased skills in additional subjects. Students were taught how to monitor and maintain their own health and fitness. Results indicate that learning was enhanced when preceded by exercise. Students involved in the program demonstrated a 17 percent improvement in reading and comprehension.

The benefits of physical activity are extremely valuable for both children and adults. Our bodies are designed to be active, which leads to optimum brain development. The handout, Child's Play: The Foundation of Good Health, is written for teachers, school administrators and parents. It describes the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and includes actionable ideas to include more physical activity at school.

Thank you for reading this blog—now it’s time to get moving!

Sarah Mathot, M.S., R.D.

Schools Supervisor, Southern California

The California Teacher Association Region 2 conference was held in Reno, Nevada, October 9th– 11th. Dairy Council of California was pleased to have had an exhibit table at the conference and had a chance to interact with teachers. We exhibited Friday evening and all day Saturday. There were over 700 attendees from 31 counties across California. We spoke with teachers from as far south as Kern County to as far north as Siskiyou County. It was a busy and productive conference for Dairy Council of California, where we received orders from elementary, middle and high school teachers. The most gratifying part of the conference was hearing so much positive feedback about our programs from teachers who already use them. Many took the time to come over and thank us for our excellent free resources. We look forward to attending this conference every year.

We will also be at the following upcoming conferences: The California Science Teachers Association (CSTA), the Association of Christian Schools International–North (ASCI–North) and the Association of Christian Schools International–South (ACSI–South). If you are attending any of these conferences, please stop by our booth and say hi.

In September, our Mobile Dairy Classroom Instructor Efrain Valenzuela taught over 34,000 elementary school children about cows and how they make milk at the 2009 Los Angeles County Fair, held at the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona. The fair was open Wednesdays through Fridays, September 9 to October 2, to school children from LA County and surrounding school districts. Efrain delivered the lesson in the existing milking parlor at the fairgrounds. In addition to learning where milk comes from, Efrain added information, vocabulary and other agricultural facts to the lesson. It was a fun and exciting way for students to learn how milk is produced and processed and how calcium can help build strong bones. Efrain has a degree from Cal Poly Pomona in Animal Science. He is the Manager of Dairy Council of California Mobile Dairy Classroom Instructors and has been working for Dairy Council of California since 1998.

Efrain also recently participated in Choco Milk’s first annual milking challenge. Two Dancing with the Stars celebrities competed in a cow-milking contest to determine who could yield the most milk. Efrain was the master of ceremonies. See the results in this milking contest video.

Check out our video snapshots page and watch the video segment of Efrain explaining the history of the Mobile Dairy Classroom.

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager

The Personal Nutrition Planner is a quick, nutritional-assessment tool that provides food and calorie recommendations based on your age, gender and activity level. You will learn your current Body Mass Index (BMI) and total calorie expenditure, as well as the number of servings needed from each food group.

You can also find out how the various nutrients in foods benefit your health. The Personal Nutrition Planner is integrated with the Meals Matter Pantry to help you shop for healthy foods at the grocery store.

The uniqueness of the Personal Nutrition Planner is in the goal-planning section. The goal planner helps you develop a food and activity plan based on a personal health goal. The plan is saved on the Meals Matter “My Home” page. You can then return to your plan and revise your action steps as needed. You can also opt for four follow-up emails that provide helpful tips for achieving a healthy lifestyle.  

The tool was developed by registered dietitians, is free of charge and only takes minutes to complete. Try the Personal Nutrition Planner today and develop a plan to improve your health!

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager

The month of October celebrates National Bone and Joint Decade Week and National Osteoporosis Day. While osteoporosis is often considered an older person’s disease, it can strike at any age. In the United States today, 10 million individuals are estimated to have osteoporosis and almost 34 million are estimated to have suboptimal bone mass, placing them at a high risk for developing the disease in the future. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to help your patients or clients build healthy bones and prevent this disabling disease. Encouraging consumption of calcium-rich foods such as low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese and promoting regular weight-bearing physical activity are key steps in ensuring optimal bone mass. Our program booklet, The Calcium Connection—Healthy Bodies From One Generation to Another, helps women of all ages understand the unique role calcium plays in overall health, as well as how to achieve adequate intake of this important nutrient. This nutrition education resource, printed in both English and Spanish, is available to health professionals and educators within California free of charge. Those outside of California can order for a nominal fee. Go to our program description page to learn more about the program details and ordering information.

In addition to using this print program with your clients, this online Calcium Quiz can help your clients monitor their intake over time. This online tool takes only a few minutes to complete and research has shown that it yields results as reliable as a three-day food record. More information is available from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association regarding the Calcium Quiz effectiveness. Our online Calcium Quiz has suggestions for eating more calcium-rich foods, and suggests easy ways to help your clients include them in their diet. They can decide which ideas they can incorporate into their diet on a regular basis to increase their calcium intake to the recommended levels.
 
Preventing osteoporosis starts early in life, yet no matter the age, everyone can take steps to building healthier bones. We hope our resources and tools help you reinforce this message with your clients during the month of October and for the rest of the year!
 
Ashley Rosales, R.D.
Project Manager

I had the privilege of attending the Nutrition Agenda 2009 and Beyond conference held at Tufts University Friedman School on September 11 and 12. It featured both insightful presentations and a chance for dialogue and networking with other health professionals. The series of presentations that I found most interesting was on the topic of front-of-package nutrition labeling. With a rise in obesity and its health consequences, there is a need for consumers to choose a nutritious diet and manage their weight. Multiple food manufacturers, supermarket chains, trade associations and health organizations have developed independent nutrition-symbol systems based on different nutrient-scoring or profiling criteria to direct consumers to 'healthier' choices with a front-of-package label. At the conference, representatives from each of these systems described their programs: NuVal, Smart Choices, Guiding Stars and the Nutrient Rich Index. All of these systems are based on a different set of assumptions and criteria. Front-of-package labels are most helpful when making a food choice between two similar products, such as deciding between two brands of cereal. However, not all foods are participating in a front-of-package labeling program, making these types of choices difficult.

There was general agreement that the inconsistency of the programs and the lack of universal application are confusing for consumers. It is hoped that in the future the FDA will develop and require a universal front-of-package label that incorporates what has been learned from these preliminary systems.

While these labels can provide useful information when selecting between two different foods within a food group, they do not substitute for nutrition education. In fact, they can make the need for nutrition education greater. For instance, consumers need to be aware that large portions of a “better for you” food may lead to excess calorie consumption and could even cause weight gain. Consumers need to think about their total diet when selecting foods, being sure to select foods from all of the food groups while managing their own personal health risks and cultural preferences.

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager

 In world history, salt was a sought-after commodity. Salt served as currency and established trade routes. Today, sodium intakes are linked to high blood pressure, and the committee that is currently working on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines is considering lowering the sodium recommendation for the general population. According to recent national studies, the average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams per day of sodium. This amount exceeds by over 1,000 milligrams the amount recommended in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. If the 2010 Guidelines lower the sodium recommendations, the gap between current recommendations and consumption will widen.

Anyone can develop high blood pressure. Risk factors include obesity, physical inactivity, high salt and sodium intake, low potassium intake, excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes. Making lifestyle changes to address these risk factors generally improves blood-pressure levels.

Dietary patterns are related to overall health. Many studies have found that eating a low-fiber, high-fat diet and drinking excess alcohol increase the risk of developing disease. In contrast, eating a diet that is rich in low-fat dairy products, fruit and vegetables can promote health. Studies have shown that a diet with 3 servings of low-fat milk or milk products and high amounts of fruits and vegetables (8 – 9 servings per day) can lower blood pressure as much as some blood-pressure-lowering drugs. It is important to note that in a large clinical trial, a diet with fruits and vegetables alone (without the low-fat dairy foods) lowered blood pressure by half as much as the diet including the dairy foods.

This eating pattern was later coined the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan. While originally developed to study the effects of an eating pattern on the prevention and treatment of hypertension, DASH is one example of a balanced eating plan that promotes overall health. The handout DASH Study: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension explains the eating plan in more detail. The website DASH Diet Eating Plan provides more specifics on how to implement the eating plan.

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager