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We trust the schools when our children step into the building and when they buy lunch that they will be getting a healthy and safe meal. The federally assisted meal program, The National School Lunch program (NSLP), was started in 1946 by President Harry Truman. The USDA states that they provide nutritionally balanced and low cost or free to children everyday. But like every large organization, they need us as parents and as citizens to ensure they are doing what is best for our children. Here are some difficulties the NSLP has had and what you can do to make a difference in your child’s school to ensure the best quality food and drinks. (continue reading…)

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From Sustainable Table

During irradiation food is exposed to high doses of radiation in the form of gamma rays, X-rays or electron beams. Irradiation can kill nearly all bacteria in food, both good and bad, but has no effect on the infectious agent that causes mad cow disease, or on viruses (1), such as those that cause hepatitis or foot and mouth disease.

What foods are irradiated?

Foods currently approved for irradiation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration include meat and poultry, eggs, fruits and vegetables, juices, herbs, spices and flour. (continue reading…)

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The “nature vs. nurture” debate is old and well known. Are a person’s problems due to how they’re made, or how they’re raised?

A recent German study suggests that nurture can make nature. Everyone knows that children raised in difficult environments often have problems later in life. People have long been studying abused and neglected children to see how they fare in adulthood, and it’s not hard to see how this kind of a start could lead to depression and other psychiatric difficulty later in life. So far, though, there hasn’t been a direct link or any kind of understanding of how this works on a molecular basis.

Now there’s evidence of a possible direct cause and effect. Trauma and stress early in life, the study suggests, change genetic makeup and cause behavioral problems such as depression later in life. (continue reading…)

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Most people know about the placebo effect: if you take a pill thinking that it will help you it just might, even though it might contain no medically active ingredients whatsoever. Maybe your headache goes away, or your digestive problems clear up, because no one told you you’re taking sugar pills. This is in fact an important factor in testing new medications; you need to be able to discern any improvement due to the medication from the therapeutic effect caused by people just thinking they’re receiving a medication.

What might surprise you, and what many people don’t think about, is that the flip side of this is also true. Thinking you’ve taken something bad for you, or being told there’s something wrong with you even though there isn’t, can harm you. Just as you can make yourself healthy by believing you’re being treated, you can damage your health by the sheer power of your own belief. (continue reading…)

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Heart disease kills more women in the US than any other single cause. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for one out of every four deaths among women nationwide, according to the National Institute of Health. Women experience heart disease differently from men. While chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women, women more often exhibit the less common signs of a heart attack like heartburn, weakness and coughing. Heart attacks are also fatal more often in women than in men.

Understanding the risk factors for heart disease and making lifestyle changes can reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease and increase your chances of a full recovery if heart disease or a heart attack does strike. While the contributing factors for heart disease are complex, actions to reduce the risk factors are the same: maintain a healthy weight, be active and eat a healthy diet, with lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and little saturated or trans fat. (continue reading…)

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You want only the best for your family to keep them happy, safe and healthy. So, you might be surprised to learn that certain chemicals in plastic products we use everyday can pose major health risks, especially for babies and children. Get the inside scoop on phthalates, find out what research suggests about them and learn how you can minimize your family’s risks.

What Are Phthalates and Where Are They Found?

These chemicals are mixed into polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic to make it stronger and sturdier (1). Phthalates have been in use since the 1950s. Without phthalates, certain plastics would weaken, crack or break (2).
(continue reading…)

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According to the Centers for Disease Control, 9.1 % of children in the United states, or 6.7 million, have asthma. It is a condition which profoundly affects quality of life and in many cases is life-threatening. For many children, coughing, wheezing and a scary tightness in the chest is a common occurrence, staved off only with careful attention and an inhaler.

A recent study by a research team at the Washington University School of Medicine suggests that there may be a way to identify early on which children are at risk for developing asthma. In addition, the team may have found out how to prevent these children from suffering from the disease at all. What’s the key? A connection between Eczema and Asthma. (continue reading…)