Can Eating Kale and Other Leafy Greens Make Your Child Smarter?

Modern Farmer – Dan Nosowitz

“Lutein is a vitamin closely related to beta-carotene and vitamin A. In plants, Lutein controls light during the photosynthesis process. It’s found in high concentrations in leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, and dandelion greens. (Interestingly, nasturtium flowers have a bonkers high level of lutein, too, and they’re also very pretty in salads.) It’s sometimes sold as a supplement in the vitamin aisle, where it’s mostly marketed as a vision booster, since it’s known to help prevent macular degeneration, cataracts, and other eye-related problems. But a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggests that lutein might serve a different purpose, too.” (more)

Comprehensive program improves measures of childhood obesity at community health center

Medical X-Press – Staff Writer

“A comprehensive program to reduce or prevent childhood obesity in low-income communities led to significant improvements in obesity-related measures among children cared for at a Massachusetts community health center. The report of a study led by a MassGeneral Hospital for Children physician is one of three in the July issue of Obesity describing implementation of the Mass. Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) )at community health centers, in public schools and in WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Program) offices in two Massachusetts cities.” (more)

Teenagers are as sedentary as 60-year-olds by age 19

The Washington Post – Ariana Eunjung Cha

“The adolescent years are when people’s bodies are supposed to start the ascent to their physical peak. Teenagers are growing like beanstalks. Their hormones are raging. They’re eager for new experiences. By all accounts, this should be among the most active periods in a person’s lifetime. Except it turns out it’s not. In an eye-opening study involving 12,529 Americans ages 6 to 85, researchers mapped how physical activity changes over a lifetime. The participants, part of the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, wore accelerometers, devices that measure movement, for seven consecutive days. For the purposes of the analysis, researchers counted all types of movement, not just exercise.” (more)

9 out of 10 teens don’t get enough exercise

CBS News – Staff Writer

“Over 90 percent of U.S. high school students don’t get enough exercise to stay fit and healthy, and the pattern persists after they graduate, a new study finds. The researchers followed students at 44 high schools for four years, and found that only 9 percent met current exercise recommendations throughout that time. For the most part, those habits held steady after high school — though college students were more active than non-students. There was also some variation among college kids, the study found: Those who lived on campus exercised more than those who lived at home.” (more)

How to communicate to your kids about nutrition

Health 24 – Staff Writer

“Most parents will agree that they just want their kids to eat healthy, nutrition foods. Even if you manage to navigate the barrage of junk food advertising aimed at children, most kids are fussy eaters and it can be an exhausting exercise negotiating with them to eat their vegetables every night after a long day of work. The good news is that you’re not alone. And the earlier you start implementing healthy eating habits, the less of a battle you should have on your hands when they’re older.” (more)