Childhood Diabetes Continues Climb Among Black Children

Seattle Medium – Sabrina Shanghie

Diabetes, which can cause kidney failure, heart disease and amputations of legs and toes and even death, is a condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food people eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for their bodies to use for energy. In diabetics, the pancreas can’t make enough of the hormone insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. (more)

Childhood Obesity: Why our kids still struggle; 7 things parents can do to help

WRAL – Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Working with a local school system, Dr. Sarah C Armstrong, an associate professor of pediatrics at Duke Health, had attempted to remove chocolate milk from the cafeteria. “It’s delicious and great for dessert,” Armstrong said. “But it’s not being used that way.” Instead, kids were drinking it daily, getting much needed calcium, but also filling their bodies with more sugar than they needed. A cup of chocolate milk has 24 grams of sugar. A cup of white milk has 13 grams. Armstrong tried to make the change, getting school lunch workers, doctors and even some kids on board. (more)

12 Green Vegetable Recipes Your Kids Will Actually Want to Eat

Pop Sugar – Katharine Stahl

As a mom of one amazing eater (my daughter recently ordered salmon and steamed broccoli at a friend’s birthday dinner, providing me with one of my proudest parenting moments) and one decidedly awful one, I’m always trying to find dishes that will appeal to them both. Seriously, she loves broccoli and peas, and it’s a freaking miracle if he eats even one. So if you also have a child who’s wary of vegetables, especially those that are the scariest shade of green, the following 12 kid-friendly recipes are here to help. From entrée dishes that sneak in a veggie to fun green drinks, these dishes prove that while it may not be easy being green, it can be more fun to eat that way. (more)

Bribery won’t stop fussy eaters: Study proves offering children rewards to clear their plate does not work

The Daily Mail – Victoria Allen

Faced with a fussy child who refuses to eat their greens, bribery can be extremely tempting. But the bad news for parents is that offering their little darling a reward for clearing their plate will not really work. Whether it is sprouts or spinach your child hates, putting it in front of them again and again seems to be the best strategy. Offering them a reward at the same time has little added benefit, Belgian researchers found. (more)

America’s kids are obese and it’s getting worse

NBC News – Maggie Fox

Obesity is worsening in American kids, researchers reported Monday. And the most severe obesity is hitting more and more very small children — those under the age of 5, they found. Experts blame a society that continues to push junk food despite the overwhelming evidence about its dangers, and the lack of access to exercise. (more)