Updating Nutrition Labels

It was only 20 years ago that we began seeing uniform nutrition labels on processed food products telling us how many calories, how much fat and sugar, and what nutrients are in the food we eat.

But many health groups believe it's time to update nutrition labels. I agree that it's time to give consumers information in a way that is useful and helps people make healthy choices. In this week's Time, the Center for Science in the Public Interest suggested a few updates for the Nutrition Facts label.

One suggestion was to make "unhealthy" content like sugar and fat stand out using different colored text. I think that this could be misleading, given that not all fat is bad for you and it could lead to making less healthy choices. However, I love the idea of having the calorie count (per serving and per package) displayed clearly on the packaging. This is particularly important for beverages and "snack" foods -- like those $.99 chips or peanuts that are usually 2.5-3 servings and many more calories that people probably realize!

I would make it easier to read nutrition labels by changing words such as "sodium" to "salt". Hopefully innovators will see this as an opportunity to create a change in a space that will affect millions of peoples' food choices over the next few decades and will get involved.

How would you change the nutrition label?

Remember the Food Pyramid?

Every five years the US federal government reviews the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Remember the days of the "Food Pyramid" and then the recent 2005 edition of the "My Pyramid"? Well, if you missed my past post on the topic you should see the Harvard School of Public Health rendition - the Healthy Eating Pyramid - which has a much simpler and scientific food guide for health!

Marion Nestle noted author and public health professor said in a blog post in the Daily Green today that the new recommendations acknowledge

"The need to change the food environment to help individuals meet the Dietary Guidelines."

This is a huge step in the right direction. No longer are our food addictions being looked at simply from the perspective on the individual, but as rooted firmly in the policies and norms of the communities we live in. Our environment impacts our choices, and our food choices affect our health.

There will be an opportunity for public comment on the new guidelines early this summer.

Allentown High School Student Wins Top Public Health Honors!

Two girls from *near* my hometown in Pennsylvania won top honors from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the YES Competition for high school students.

According to the news release,

"Shoshanna Goldin, a 17-year-old student at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, won for her research project entitled, Energy Epidemic: Teen Perception and Consumption of Energy Drinks."

Not only is she interested in public health, but also the epidemic of obesity. Overconsumption of energy (i.e. calories) is what leads to obesity, right?!

Way to go Shoshanna!

Caution: Camel Orbs are NOT Kid Friendly

Photo from the HSPH website

Candy or tobacco? Do you think your child could tell the difference?

Harvard School of Public Health professor, Gregory Connolly, recently published an article in Pediatrics on the dangers of this Camel Orbs, a dissolvable nicotine tablet, widely available in the US.

(Click here for the news release)

Note: I looked up the Colbert Report segment that references Camel Orbs and embedded it below. I think Stephen Colbert is hilarious. Thanks, Kelsey for your comments!

 

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Cheating Death - Tobacco Mints, Breast Milk & Hallucinogens
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Breastfeeding Saves Money, Saves Lives

Most parents enter labor expecting to breastfeed. Many are confronted with numerous challenges (some from the start, others as they go back to work) to continue breastfeeding throughout infancy.

A CNN news report highlights the challenges and public health importance of promoting and supporting new mothers in breastfeeding their baby throughout the first 6 months of their child's life.

This challenge makes me wonder how much of the problem is one of

• Biology - Moms physically aren't able to breastfeed their kids.
• Education - Moms don't know to breastfeed - exclusively - until their child reaches 6 months.
• Awareness - Moms don't know about the benefits/risk of breastfeeding - or not - on their child's health.
• Social - Relationships (partners, family members) and social norms interfere with moms' decision or ability to breastfeed.
• Structural/Political - Policies and structural factors like break time at work inhibit moms from being able to breastfeed or pump throughout the day.

As a quick aside: the new health care reform law makes it mandatory for employers to provide breaks to female workers who are lactating (i.e. breastfeeding). I expect that will begin to address some of the structural barriers mentioned above!

World Health Day 2010

Today, April 7, 2010 marks World Health Day.

I've been thinking a lot about my own health habits. It's easy to get complacent when it comes to our health. We expect that our bodies will just keep on functioning like they always have. Usually reality hits us when it's too late.

It's Public Health Week!

This week is National Public Health Week 2010 - and there are many ways you can get involved to promote a Healthier America. You can view a video and get tips on how your individual actions and easy changes can have a HUGE impact on our nation's health! To find out more visit: http://generationpublichealth.org.

Here are some of my favorite tips:

• Go for a run! (or bike ride)
• Get proper sleep and find time to relax.
• Wear a seat belt every time you ride in a car!
• Buy locally grown produce (almost available here in New England...)
• Recycle
• Advocate for policies and programs (health, transportation, agricultural or other) that will improve the health of your community!

Top Picks in 2010 Health Care Reform: Bill Passed!

I can't believe we've passed national, comprehensive health care reform! A first for public health. With all that I learned from the esteemed Bob Blendon in Political Strategies, I knew it would be a long shot. Presidential diplomacy likely played a strong hand in back deal negotiations, as well as the organizing and activity of pro-reform groups in putting pressure on key (read: moderate) legislators!

Here's what pumps me up about national health care reform:

1. Millions of uninsured (an estimated 32 million, to be exact) will now be covered! This means greater continuity of care and hopefully less late, untreatable conditions get prevented and treated early!
2. National menu labeling for chain restaurants! Calorie counts will be visible at point-of-purchase for most chain restaurant menu items across the United States (and the National Restaurant Association sings its praises in the Wall Street Journal blog...miracles do happen!).

There are tons of hurdles yet to be overcome when it comes to implementation and the elephant in the room is cost controls on skyrocketing premiums. I've heard it said that legislators want to "Tackle coverage first, then deal with cost." Whether that approach helps or hurts the health of Americans will be closely monitored, I'm certain!

From Cigarettes to Snus: Tobacco Advertising Returns!

I had read about the tobacco industries attempts to shift its marketing from cigarettes to a "spitless" tobacco (or what it is calling Snus), but it didn't really sink in until I was reading Entertainment Weekly.

Sitting on the T on my way up to Cambridge I saw this ad. My first thought while reading it was "That's interesting...Camel is promoting quitting smoking?" It's fascinating how quickly I recognized it as a smoking ad...

Embrace Life PSA (Video)

How often do you wear your seatbelt? If you live in California, chances are you wear your seatbelt every day (a 2007 survey found that 92% of Californians wear their seatbelt). Having lived in California, I am pretty sure that people wear seatbelts because chances are you will get pulled over if you (or someone else in your car) is not wearing a seatbelt. I know that all too well.

But if you live elsewhere in the country, you might not wear your seatbelt. Or maybe you wear it occassionally. In North and South Dakota only 58% of residents wear a seatbelt.

Yet, how do you communicate the importance of seatbelt safety? Everyone knows they should wear their seatbelt. But many just don't...it's too uncomfortable, it's a hassle, i'm only driving a short distance...it won't happen to me.

People make excuses.

Well, take the time to watch this *short* 90 second PSA from Essex, UK. It might make you think differently next time you get into the car.

Jamie Oliver (Naked Chef) Takes on Child Obesity at Ted

Jamie Oliver gives a Ted Prize speech on childhood obesity at the Ted Conference in southern California. He believes that the food reality in America is awful and that action must be taken.  Oliver is a food ambassador that commands attention, even of our nations tech leaders!

This is not a research presentation; it's a passionate, moving talk on the realities of death and the TRUE costs of a poor food culture.

Pap Test PSA: Video

Saw this PSA from the Michigan Department of Community Health (on BroganBlog) and thought it was a pretty clever 30 second ad. Why do I think it works:

1. Good use of humor. (Come on, you laughed a little, right?)
2. Simple, clear message. 
3. Songs just get stuck in your head.
4. Links to birthday so you don't just think about getting tested once, but once a year.

What do you think about this PSA? Was there anything missing?

Slimming Down School Milk: Did it have an impact?

Schools are getting smart and thinking more about where kids are getting their calories from in school. With childhood obesity continuing to rise (even though adult obesity seems to have slowed down), the implementation of sound school wellness policies is imperative to curbing unhealthy habit forming behaviors in kids' lives.

There is not a ton of data on how school nutrition policies have impacted student health or changed children's consumption of certain foods. (Though if you're interested, I've done a ton of research in this area on sugar-sweetened beverages). But now we have data on one common policy: switching school cafeterias over to serving kids lower-fat milk (1% or fat-free).

Update: MA School Nutrition Bill

It took a little investigating (and some decoding) to figure it out: the School Nutrition Bill passed the House!

Thanks for calling and/or writing your Legislators. It does make a difference. I know there was a lot of movement on the ground Thursday morning among advocates for school wellness and nutrition policy even though I couldn't join them.

You can access the legislative history of the newly numbered bill (HB 4441) at the Massachusetts website. Each Amendment was adopted in turn, with a few hiccups (i.e. "referred to House Rules" and "Rules Suspended") along the way.

Need a little more information about what took place yesterday?? ...

Contact Your MA Legislator for School Nutrition!

Tomorrow may be a historic day for school nutrition in Massachusetts!

This Thursday, the Massachusetts House plans to vote on House Bill 4438 (previously HB 2092), also known as the School Nutrition Bill. This would be a milestone in Massachusetts school nutrition history, as no previous bill has set standards for the types and quality of food sold in school besides the VERY minimal federal regulations.

If you want our schools to be healthier places for our kids, then contact your legislator by TOMORROW!

You can find out more about the School Nutrition Bill and the Local Farm Products Bill (HB 2017), which will *hopefully* also be incorporated in the final document, at the Massachusetts Public Health Association website.

To find out who your State Representative is and how to contact them click here.

This is what I wrote to my Representative...

Fav Five Public Health Headlines

From Haiti to Brooklyn, this week's Fav Five highlights promising strategies to improve kids' health, the  fate of national health care reform, and the public health and medical response to the Haiti disaster.

Health Care Reform Revisited: Brown Defeats Coakley

In yesterday's Senate race Scott Brown (Rep) soundly defeated Martha Coakley (Dem) by 5 percentage points, according to today's headlines in the Boston Globe. While Coakley proved she is knowledgeable and articulate during the debates it seems that voters' took issue with health care reform and probably a number of other issues related to the economy, taxes, and national security.

What I think this election came down to was Massachusetts' voters deciding to mark their ballot for the candidate that best represented their own interests. A likely case for voters in every region of America.

But when it comes to heath care reform, MA is in an interesting predicament.

Altering Our Salt Obsession: A New York City Initiative

Salt is a hot topic in health right now. For more than a decade Americans have been consuming nearly twice the recommended amount of salt in their foods, mostly due to eating out more and the increased consumption of heavily processed, heavily salted foods.

Nutritionists and doctors have been concerned about individuals' excess consumption of salt (or sodium), particularly among those with high blood pressure. The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends a maximum of 2,300 mg of sodium/day (only about 1 tsp of salt), and even less for those with high-blood pressure. But many Americans consume closer to 3 tsp of salt each day.

Eating too much salt has been shown to raise blood pressure and increase a person's risk of suffering from heart disease or stroke. That's why if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor has likely advised you to cut back on your salt intake and switch to low- or no-sodium products so that you can add your own salt to taste.

This week public health professionals and politicians stirred interest in salt -- particularly the abundant use of salt and salt-laden products by restaurants, especially fast food restaurants. The New York Times reported on January 11 of Mayor Bloomberg's plan to support the reduction of salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25% over the next 5 years.

Top 3 Public Health News of 2009

This year public health undeniably became a part of our national consciousness. In order to ring in the New Year and reflect on the past year at Veritas Health, I've highlighted below what I believe to be the top three issues in public health of 2009. For those interested, the headlines link to my previous posts on the topic.

It's a Water Problem

After spending 3 months thinking and writing about sugar-sweetened beverages, obesity, and school food environments I am a little concerned about the effects of the New York Times' Toxic Waters series and peoples' consumption of water (a great alternative to all those sugary drinks).

The series is exposing the many problems with our nations' water supply (including the dangers hidden in some tap water).