Blog Posts by MomsRising

What makes it more likely that an overweight or obese 5th grader won't remain obese by the 8th grade? Location, location, location!

A recent study in the Archive of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine by Bridging the Gap shows that an overweight or obese 5th grader who lives in a state with strong laws that restrict the sale of unhealthy snacks and beverages in schools is less likely to remain so by the 8th grade than their peers in states without these laws.

Researchers observed children and teens for three years, and found that students in schools with strong snack food and beverage laws gained less weight, as they got older.

So what makes a strong snack food and beverage law? It's simple: A state law that requires schools to only sell snacks that meet specific nutrition standards. Weak policies, on the other hand, are those that only recommend schools make changes and don't have specific nutritional guidelines. And the results prove which guidelines are working: Kids

By Barbara Kowalcyk

My family loves to grill, and now that we live in temperate North Carolina, we're grilling more than ever. Everything seems to taste better - even vegetables, my son Christopher says - when touched by our backyard grill. I've grilled peaches and slices of pineapple this year for a healthy dessert.

But, even when I put on my backyard chef's toque, I never take off my food safety hat. Food safety never gets a weekend off.

So, here are some hints to make your cook-out tasty - and as safe as possible.

First of all, always use a digital, tip-sensitive meat thermometer to make sure that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are cooked thoroughly - color is not an indicator of doneness. I know there are a lot of dial thermometers out there but they require calibration and are not particularly reliable. A good digital thermometer can be hard to find but is definitely worth the investment! Also, print out our Safe Cooking Temperature Chart as a quick reference for

BPA and Babies Don't Mix!

By Claire Moshenberg

Moms made waves this summer for kids' health! Your hard work helped push the FDA to remove BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups. Help us keep up the MOMentum by demanding that the FDA also ban BPA from infant formula packaging!

Why ban it from infant formula packaging? We know Bisphenol-A (BPA) is dangerous: More than 200 scientific studies show that BPA exposure is associated with a variety of health issues, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, birth defects, diabetes, and obesity. [1] Infants, whose brains and organs are constantly developing, are particularly at risk.

Together, we finally got the FDA to announce that BPA could no longer be used in baby bottles and sippy cups. Let's keep up the MOMentum and use our mom power to also get BPA out of infant formula packaging!

Here's what's happening right now: U.S. Rep. Edward Markey filed a citizen petition asking the FDA to ban the use of BPA in infant formula packaging. We need moms

Breastfeeding. By now, we all know that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports it due to his recent policy to make breastfeeding a priority in New York City hospitals. We also know that with his support, he ignited a firestorm of controversy that made headlines across the nation.

What could possibly be so controversial about breastfeeding?

On this show, we discover the answer to this question and so much more. But first, I'd like to share some data to ground us in our conversation. So hold on to your hats for some awesome stats! Over 80 percent of women in the United States have children by the time they're 44 years old. Of those women, 75 percent start out breastfeeding, but only 13 percent end up nursing exclusively when their babies are 6 months old as doctors pretty much universally recommend.

That is a tremendous gap.

During this show, we go beyond the hyped-up tabloid style controversies about breastfeeding and we delve deep to uncover the real deal

By Claire Moshenberg

Fireworks. Barbeques. Antibiotics?

When it comes to summer traditions, one of these things is not like the others. Unfortunately, antibiotics can crash your summer barbeque depending on the kind of meat you purchase. Antibiotics have become so rampant in meat that we're starting to see a trend of increasing antibiotic resistance, one that shows no sign of slowing down. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association all have highlighted the link between non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics in food animal production and the crisis of antibiotic resistance in humans.

So what's a meat buyer to do during the ultimate grilling season? By learning how to decode those mysterious supermarket labels, you can make sure you're purchasing antibiotic free meat.

AbxLabels (1)-1

USDA Organic: If you see meat or poultry at the grocery store that's labeled USDA

Meat Without Drugs

By Sarah Francis

Imagine for a moment if antibiotics didn't work.

Unimaginable, right? Unfortunately, it's starting to happen--and it's even highlighted in today's Washington Post.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately two million people acquire bacterial infections in U.S. hospitals each year. [2] About 70 percent of those infections are resistant to at least one antibiotic. [3] The trends toward increasing antibiotic resistance show no sign of slowing down. [4]

Why are infections in people becoming resistant to antibiotics? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association all have highlighted the link between non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics in food animal production and the crisis of antibiotic resistance in humans.

The Food and Drug Administration, a government agency in charge of safeguarding the public health, has done

Today 1 in 3 children is overweight or obese.















By Monifa Bandele

Today 1 in 3 children is overweight or obese, but a report released by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation this week indicates that we could take a significant step toward preventing the epidemic by setting national standards for the snacks and beverages sold in schools.

The Health Impact Assessment on National Standards for Snack and a la carte foods and beverages sold in schools explored what the potential health and financial consequences would be when the United States Department of Agriculture (UDSA) sets nutrition standards for all of the foods sold outside of school meals. It found that raising the bar for what schools were allowed to sell would positively impact children's health and potentially reduce their risk of chronic disease. In addition, the changes would be unlikely to hurt school district budgets as an analysis of districts that have implemented healthy standards to date indicates that most maintained or even grew

Get ready for your Labor Day bbq.

By Claire Moshenberg

Traditional canned barbeque fare and potentially hazardous grilled meat can make barbeques feel like a toxic minefield. Luckily, there are plenty of easy ways to keep all of your favorite foods while protecting your health. Try these top five tips for throwing a nontoxic barbeque this 4th of July!

Marinate Your Meat: The process of grilling meat creates compounds called HCAs, which have been linked to breast, prostate, and colon tumor growth. One of the easiest, and tastiest, ways you can reduce HCAs in your grilled meats is to soak meats in a marinade before throwing them on the grill. Choose vinegar or lemon based marinades: Their acidity prevents HCAs from sticking to the meat. Steer clear of sugary marinades that encourage charring; these should only be used in the last few minutes of grilling. And remember to marinate your food in a closed container in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

Wash everything thoroughly: The surface of fruits and