Better Nutrition = Better Health

 

Last September, the federal government launched a National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health with the goal of “ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases — while reducing related health disparities.”

The national strategy consists of five pillars:

• Improving food access and affordability

• Integrating nutrition and health

• Empowering all consumers to make and have access to healthy choices

• Supporting physical activity for all

• Enhancing nutrition and food security research

 

Approximately 10% of American households experienced food insecurity in 2021. Melissa Jenco says food insecurity and hunger “can take a devastating toll on children’s physical, mental and behavioral health.”

“Healthy nutrition in childhood sets the foundation for lifelong health,” [AAP President Dr. Moira] Szilagyi said. “Pediatricians play a vital role in identifying nutrition insecurity in their patients, and this important work will help ensure that families in need can be connected to federal and community resources that support strong nutrition and their overall health.”

 

That’s where the AAP’s initiative to integrate nutrition and health comes in:

By 2030, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the anti-hunger nonprofit Share Our Strength commit to offering training to all 67,000 AAP member pediatricians on both screening for nutrition insecurity and referring patients to federal and community nutrition resources. AAP will also evaluate its training by tracking its members’ comfort discussing food insecurity, members’ screening rates for nutrition insecurity, and the outcomes of pediatrician referrals.

 

In line with five pillars mentioned above is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement earlier this month of new rules regarding meals served in schools. Ximena Bustillo says the rules are aimed at increasing nutritional value and decreasing the risk of diet-related diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension:

On the table for the new school meal standards are:

• Limiting added sugars in certain high-sugar products and, later, across the weekly menu;

• Allowing flavored milk in certain circumstances and with reasonable limits on added sugars;

• Incrementally reducing weekly sodium limits over many school years;

• Emphasizing products that are primarily whole grain, with the option for occasional non-whole grain products;

• Encourage domestically produced foods

 

School breakfasts and lunches have been getting healthier in recent years, but apparently not healthy enough:

USDA last year released a report that showed added sugars in school meals far exceed the Dietary Guidelines for Americans standard that no more than 10% of calories from meals should come from added sugars. 92% of school breakfasts and 69% of school lunches were found to have exceeded the limit.

 

Find more information from the USDA about the new school nutrition standards, which will be phased in over four years beginning in 2025, here.

Read about the USDA’s “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025” on The PediaBlog here.

 

source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/02/15/better-nutrition-better-health/