Jun 8, 2017
CBS News – Amy Norton
“Children with serious behavioral disorders might fare better at school if they get some exercise during the day, a new study suggests. The researchers focused on children and teenagers with conditions that included autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression. They looked at whether structured exercise during the school day — in the form of stationary “cybercycles” — could help ease students’ behavioral issues in the classroom. Over a period of seven weeks, the study found it did.”(more)
Jun 7, 2017
Veg News – Laurie Marbas, M.D.
“Before I was a doctor, I was a mom to three little children. I started medical school when my kids were 5, 3, and 10 months old, which—perhaps not coincidentally—is the same year I began seeing white hairs on my head. In order for survival (mine, not theirs), we had a few house rules: 1. Eat what you get, or you will have to wait to eat at the next meal. 2. You dirty a dish, you wash it. 3. “I’m your mom, not your short-order cook.” We had varying degrees of success with following these rules, but these guidelines made our transition to a plant-based diet much easier (which happened when my children were 18, 16, and 13). You see, when your kids are raised to understand that whatever’s on their plates is what they eat, it doesn’t take long before they learn that being picky and whiny is the equivalent of going to bed hungry. Thanks to these rules, my children have learned how to eat—and enjoy—a variety of foods. Combine being a mom with my profession as a doctor, and you learn a thing or two about getting young people to eat their vegetables. So, if you need strategies to get your kids to eat healthier food, try these helpful hints.”(more)
Jun 7, 2017
Medical X-Press – Staff Writer
“Being overweight or obese from as early as three years of age is associated with measures of cardiovascular risk in early midlife, according to new findings from the world-renowned Dunedin Study. The Study has closely tracked nearly every aspect of the health and development of more than 1,000 people born in Dunedin in 1972-73 until the present day. This latest research from the internationally lauded longitudinal study appears in the International Journal of Obesity.”(more)
Jun 6, 2017
The Globe and Mail – Dave McGinn
“The American Heart Association, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Canada and the Childhood Obesity Foundation, among others, have all joined the World Health Organization in calling on parents to reduce their children’s sugar consumption. “The evidence is extremely clear that excess sugar is harmful to you,” says Dr. Tom Warshawski, chair of the Vancouver-based Childhood Obesity Foundation. “Bottom line, almost everyone is eating unhealthy levels of sugar.” According to data from the most recent Canadian Community Health Survey, kids consume 33 teaspoons of sugar a day, far above the World Health Organization’s recommendation that sugars ideally make up 5 per cent but no more than 10 per cent of a person’s daily calories. The health consequences are troubling, to say the least, including an increased likelihood of everything from high blood pressure or heart disease to type-2 diabetes, sleep apnea and depression, as well as bone and joint problems. Obesity rates for children in Canada between the ages of 2 and 17 have tripled in the last 30 years, according to Statistics Canada.”(more)
Jun 6, 2017
The Asbury Park Press – DR. JAMES PROODIAN
“But going outside to play isn’t just about exercising the body. It’s about exercising the brain and learning the kind of social interaction that seems to have been replaced by texting and instant messaging. Kids need to learn how to share, take turns, win, lose and compromise. They need to learn how to solve problems. They need to learn how to fail and succeed. They need to pretend and use their imaginations. Do your kids claim to be bored? Let them figure out how to “unbore” themselves!”(more)
