Medical News Today – Yella Hewings-Martin PhD
Whether it’s your own child or you are experiencing the joys of a picky eater as a mere bystander during the holiday season, you are likely not alone. Up to half of 2-year-olds may be rejecting the lovingly prepared dinner that you are feasting on. (more)
Time – Jamie Ducharme
The vast majority of Americans are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, according to a new report from the CDC. The most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults consume 1.5 to two cups of fruit per day, and two to three cups of vegetables per day. According to the CDC’s data, however, just 12.2% of American adults are meeting the standard for fruit, and 9.3% are meeting the standard for vegetables. On average, the report adds, Americans are eating fruit once per day and vegetables 1.7 times per day. (more)
Coach 9 – Sam Downing
Running around on the playground will boost a kid’s performance in the classroom, according to Spanish researchers who believe they’ve uncovered a connection between children’s physical fitness and their school grades. An investigation led by a University of Granada team suggests a link between a child’s aerobic capacity (their cardiovascular fitness) and motor ability (their speed and agility) and a greater volume of grey matter in brain regions associated with learning and organisation. (more)
Medical X-Press – Staff Writer
“Experts have been saying for decades that Canadians are in the midst of an inactivity crisis. A new report released this week looks at the lives of babies and toddlers and concludes that they are far too sedentary and get too much screen time. The report, by a number of experts including researchers at Ottawa’s Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and ParticipAction, includes new guidelines that advocate for three hours of physical activity a day for infants and children up to age four, with at least one of those hours committed to “energetic play.” (more)
Web MD – Siobhan Harris
“I actually couldn’t believe it when I got a letter telling me my 10 year old daughter was very overweight,” says mum Terri. “It made me cry to be honest. I didn’t tell her as I knew it would upset her too, and I didn’t want to give her a complex. I’d never thought of her as overweight just at that puppy fat stage, which I just thought she’d grow out of,” adds Terri. Children in Reception (aged 4 or 5) and Year 6 (aged 10 or 11) are weighed and measured at school as part of the National Child Measurement Programme. You can opt your child out of it if you’d prefer. (more)