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National Grilled Cheese Month. Warm, toasty and oozing with flavor, it’s no surprise that Americans pick this sandwich as one of their favorite foods. Cheese adds a savory touch, while providing a healthy boost of calcium, protein and phosphorus. Celebrate this culinary classic all month long by experimenting with the hundreds of domestic varieties of cheese available today.
 

NUTRITION NEWS YOU CAN USE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                  
December 2, 2009
                      

 LOCAL STUDENTS EARN TRIP TO TRAIN WITH NFL PROS

St. Louis Rams and St. Louis Dairy Council Help Tackle Childhood Obesity with Fuel Up to Play 60

St. Louis, Missouri  [December 2, 2009] – This fall, the St. Louis Rams, National Dairy Council, and St. Louis Dairy Council partnered to launch Fuel Up to Play 60, an initiative aimed at tackling childhood obesity by giving youth a voice in changing the school health environment. As a reward for their efforts toward building healthier student bodies, local students recently reported to Rams training camp.

102 students from five schools in Missouri and Illinois were selected to attend the 2009 Fuel Up to Play 60 MVP Blitz, held December 1st at the St. Louis Rams Russell Training Center, the team’s practice facility located in Earth City, Missouri. The students, from North Jefferson Intermediate, Cedar Hill Intermediate, and Windsor Middle School in Missouri and Parkside Junior High and Bloomington Junior High School in Illinois, took to the field with St. Louis Rams players Oshiomogho Atowge and James Butler. The three-hour event also included physical fitness challenges, information on healthy eating, interactive stations from Dairy Fully Fueled program, and the chance to celebrate the school’s success in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is a free, youth-led program that empowers children and teens to take charge of their health. Students work with school leaders to create opportunities for 60 minutes of daily physical activity and to make more healthy foods available at school, like low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Students from the five schools attending the clinic took part in the pilot phase of the program during the 2008-09 school year.

“We’re excited that Fuel Up to Play 60 is giving kids an opportunity to take control of their own health and make their school environments healthier by eating right, getting daily physical activity and encouraging their friends to do the same,” says Bridget Sheehan, registered dietitian with St. Louis Dairy Council. “Fuel Up to Play 60 makes adopting healthy habits fun and exciting while helping youth make a difference in their schools.”

To learn more about Fuel Up to Play 60 program, visit: www.fueluptoplay60.com


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EXTRA! EXTRA! Positive School Milk Experience Increases Consumption

A new study published in the Journal of Child Nutrition & Management tested the effect of enhancing milk to be more appealing and attractive to students. The purpose of the study was to determine if these changes would improve milk consumption among elementary and secondary school children. Led by Karen Rafferty, RD, LMNT, Senior Research Dietitian for Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University, it revealed that children’s milk consumption increased by an astonishing 35 percent in elementary and 39 percent in secondary test schools. Enhancements included offering ice-cold, low-fat and fat-free white and flavored milk in plastic, re-sealable containers, as compared to control schools that did not make these enhancements. The study also found that participation in the National School Lunch Program in secondary schools increased when these improvements were implemented.

A key factor influencing this study’s outcome was the availability of flavored milk options. Flavored milk provides a unique package of nine essential nutrients for growing children and teens – the same nutrients contained in white milk – including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and vitamins A, D and B12. Additionally, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that milk’s nutrients play an important role in bone development and maintenance and overall nutrient adequacy throughout childhood and adulthood.

The research, conducted by School Nutrition Association and National Dairy Council (NDC), further supports NDC’s goal to improve childhood nutrition through partnerships with other leaders in the field and creation of innovative products.

Incidence of Lactose Intolerance Significantly Lower than Previously Believed

New research shows that the national prevalence of self-reported lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, according to a study in the latest issue of Nutrition Today. The study, which uses data from a national sample of three ethnic groups, reveals that the overall prevalence rate of self-reported lactose intolerance is 12 percent – with 7.72 percent of European Americans, 10.05 percent of Hispanic Americans and 19.5 percent of African Americans who consider themselves lactose intolerant.

These new findings indicate that previous estimates of self-reported lactose intolerance incidence – based on the incidence of lactose maldigestion – may be overestimated by wide margins. Previous studies have found lactose maldigestion, or low lactase activity in the gut, occurs in approximately 15 percent of European Americans, 50 percent of Mexican Americans and 80 percent of African Americans. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages people with lactose intolerance to try lower-lactose dairy food options to ensure they get the essential nutrients found in dairy foods.


Dairy-Rich Diet Helps Buckle the Belt
A new, multi-center trial adds to the growing body of evidence supporting dairy’s positive role in maintaining a healthy weight. In a 12-week placebo-controlled trial, 106 otherwise healthy, overweight and mildly obese adults aged 18-35, who at baseline had low calcium intake (<800 mg/day), were randomized into three dietary groups, all reducing their regular caloric intake by 500 calories each day: 1) “Low Calcium” control diet, consuming 500 mg calcium; 0-1 dairy serving; 2) “High Calcium,” 1,400 mg of calcium provided by 900 mg calcium supplement and ~500 mg from diet; 0-1 dairy serving; and 3) “High Dairy,” 1,400 mg calcium provided by three servings of milk, cheese and/or yogurt in addition to dietary calcium from other foods.

Weight loss in the “High Dairy” diet group was similar to that in the “Low Calcium” and the “High Calcium” diet groups, but those who complied with the “High Dairy” diet had twice as much fat loss as those in the other groups, and also demonstrated significantly greater fat loss in the torso and decreases in waist circumference.

Sip on a “Skinny” Treat Anytime

Stay warm this holiday season with a delicious and nutritious Skinny Hazelnut Café au Lait. This tasty and easy-to-make beverage offers 30 percent of the recommended Daily Value of calcium and 8 grams of dairy protein per serving, as well as other nutrients. It also can be made with lactose-free milk, and it’s a great treat to serve at a holiday party for friends and family. Get recipe ideas for other beverages, snacks and meals for all seasons!

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NEW STUDIES REINFORCE IMPORTANCE OF DIET CHOICES IN TACKLING CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Fuel Up to Play 60 program acts on science to give students the tools to eat healthier and get active

 

Rosemont, Ill – December 1, 2009 – Two new studies show how important forming healthy food and beverage habits can be in children and adolescents. This science adds to a growing body of evidence that has helped shape a new nutrition and physical activity program from the National Football League and National Dairy Council (NDC) called Fuel Up to Play 60.
One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that what 5-year-old girls drink can predict their weight status for the remainder of childhood and into adolescence. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that those who drank more sweetened beverages, such as soda and sports drinks, at the age of 5 were more likely to be overweight over the following 10 years. Additionally, the nutrient-rich beverages displaced the sodas and sports drinks – girls who drank more milk and 100% fruit juice drank fewer nutritionally empty sweetened beverages.
“This study shows why it’s so important to lay the early groundwork for creating healthy eating habits using nutrient-rich foods, because it can have a significant longer-term impact,” says Leann Birch, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Human Development and one of the study’s authors. “These findings show just how much everyday choices – like picking milk or fruit juice over a soda – can matter, especially for children.”
Another study, in the current issue of Public Health Nutrition, reinforces recent reports that suggest low consumption of nutrient-rich foods – specifically low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains – can contribute to obesity among young adults.
Several schools are acting on the obesity crisis among youth as well as this growing body of science by taking steps to improve their health and wellness environment. Many are using Fuel Up to Play 60, which aims to reach 36.6 million students in an expected 60,000 schools in the 2009-2010 school year. Fuel Up to Play 60 acts on the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which call for increased access to nutrient-rich foods from the “food groups to encourage” (low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The program works in two ways to help students make their schools a healthier place:
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It empowers student leaders to work with adults and peers in their school and community to improve the school wellness environment by selecting and implementing new healthy eating and physical activity projects that fit the needs of their school.
 
·          Students also sign up and take the pledge to improve themselves and their school on the Fuel Up to Play 60 Web site, where they can track healthy eating and 60 minutes of physical activity daily to earn points toward winning games and other great prizes in a national competition.
“We have lots of choices when we eat at school, but by picking healthier foods we are actually building healthier futures for ourselves,” says Nikki Adeli, a Philadelphia seventh grader and Fuel Up to Play 60 student leader. “Through this program, I’ve learned that every little bit counts, whether it is picking up an apple for a snack or walking to the grocery store. Being healthy and staying active are easy choices that everyone can make all the time." 
In addition to improving access to nutritious foods, Fuel Up to Play 60 uses the physical fitness expertise of the NFL to help students work with their teachers and administrators to improve their school’s physical activity levels. This is of critical importance, since a national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 62 percent of children aged 9-13 years do not participate in any organized physical activity during their non-school hours and almost 23 percent do not engage in any free-time physical activity.
“We have a huge issue with children’s health in our country right now, and as a health teacher and parent I know it’s going to take small, everyday changes to make a big difference,” says Ric Davies, a health teacher and Fuel Up to Play 60 program advisor in Springdale, Arkansas. “In the short time that our school has been involved in Fuel Up to Play 60, the students already have made so many changes, like starting a Walking Club and adding healthier foods to the lunch line. I think they’re establishing some lifetime habits.”


Schools and students can sign up now and join the competition at
www.fueluptoplay60.com.

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For more information on these studies or to schedule an interview on the many health benefits of dairy foods, please locate your St. Louis Dairy Council nutrition educator on the CONTACT US page.

 
 
 

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

THREE CHEESE VEGGIE AND BEEF CALZONE

 

For a new twist on the traditional grilled cheese combinations, try this month’s featured recipe. It’s loaded with three varieties of cheese, plenty of vegetables and mouthwatering flavor.
-click here for recipe
 

NUTRITION UPDATES:
Public Service Announcements

Nutrition Updates air on radio stations throughout St. Louis Dairy Council's 151-county service area. Tune in and catch the latest nutrition tips.


- click for downloads

 

 

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