TGIF! Here is another installment of 5 interesting nutrition related articles I read this week. I invite your opinions and feedback.
1 in 3 new working Moms gives up breastfeeding within 7 weeks after returning to work
I was personally troubled by the results of this recent survey which brings to light the challenges faced by new working Moms in trying to breastfeed their babies. The situation is worse in the service and retail sector and among younger Moms where the dropout rate is more than half. Lack of private pumping environment and difficulty in scheduling a time for pumping were cited as the two top factors. I can’t believe that it is a matter of resources for most companies. After all, how difficult could it be to find a room and provide some privacy. It is really a matter of attitude and organizational priority about providing a supportive workplace. I would love to hear your comments if you have faced this problem at work or if your company has done something creative to solve this problem.
Regional differences in prices affecting affordability of healthy foods in Canada
Hard to believe, but true; in some parts of Canada, apples may cost 5 times more, and lean ground beef 3 times more than some other parts. In this post about a recent poll, I was amazed to learn that 47% of Canadians go without fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products, whole grain products, lean meat or fish because they are too expensive and 68% of Canadians identified price as extremely or very important when choosing what goes into their grocery cart. I think the situation is similar in the United States, although I am not sure if the difference in prices is so large. I find it difficult to believe that there is such a large gap in supply and demand of common foods in different parts of the same country. The author of the post (follow her on Twitter @phdinparenting) wonders if government should regulate the price of basic nutritious food. What do you think?
Yes there is choice, but should you really encourage your child to choose the “competitive foods” at school?
If you have a child in middle or high school, chances are he is getting nearly 200 calories from junk food (low nutrient energy dense if you want to get technical!) at the school vending machine. In another thought provoking post, Dr Ayala discusses the results of a recent study, which makes you wonder how we can accept to have our kids be put into this lose-lose situation! The subsidized school lunch is of low nutrition quality in the first place, and then the so called “competitive foods” do not offer anything better either. Seems like the only choice for the nutrition-minded parents is to pack their child’s lunch each day! I wonder if at least some of the kids would choose healthy alternatives if they were made available to them through vending machines.
Dannon will stop using milk from hormone treated cows
First it was General Mills, and now Dannon has annonced that their products will no longer be made from milk from rBST-treated cows according to this report. rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin) hormone was approved by the FDA in 1993 for use in cows to sustain milk production at high levels. However, there has been rising opposition to its use by various consumer groups. As a result, the use of this hormone has been very controversial even though it is considered safe since it does not pass through the milk to humans. Still, concerns about the health of cows and extensive use of antibiotics seem to be valid. I wonder if this means they will increase the price of their popular yogurts. There is already a higher price organic option available to consumers, so that would not be really fair.
March is national nutrition month
The theme of this year’s National Nutrition Month® is “Eat Right“. This campaign is organized by the American Dietetic Association to improve the awareness of nutrition and healthy lifestyle. As if not to be left behind (joking! :)), the Dietitians of Canada have their own campaign and their theme is Stay Active. Eat Like a Champion. I am very impressed by both of these initiatives and hope that their message will bring a new focus and attention to the value of good nutrition. If you are a registered dietitian, I would love to hear your plans for this month. If you have a tip or advice for the readers of this blog, please leave a comment. I wish you good luck for your programs this month.
Have a great weekend everybody!
Image source: LaRuth on Flickr
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