For a quarter, you can keep a child from going blind due to Vitamin A deficiency.
Over the course of four years, when children are most vulnerable, the total expense for Vitamin Angels is $1.00, whichs covers the cost of two high dose vitamin A and anti-parasitic supplements given each year to a child from the ages of 2 to 5.
Operation 20/20
Vitamin Angels is committed to eradicating childhood blindness due to Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) on the planet by the year 2020. Operation 20/20 is the first major step in this global campaign, which launched in 2007 18 countries.
Vitamin Angels
Vitamin Angels is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing vital nutrition in the form of supplements, to developing countries, communities and individuals in need. Vitamin Angels has set its sights on the issue of childhood blindness, with plans to eliminate childhood blindness by the year 2020 through the systematic distribution of vitamin A to at-risk children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently revised recommendations for Vitamin D based in new information indicating that children need twice as much Vitamin D as originally thought.
In the new clinical report, “Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents,” published in the November issue of Pediatrics, it is recommended that all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life. The previous recommendation, issued in 2003, called for 200 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life.
The New Recommendations include:
Breastfed and partially breastfed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life.
All non-breastfed infants, as well as older children, who are consuming less than one quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk, should receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day.
Adolescents who do not obtain 400 IU of vitamin D per day through foods should receive a supplement containing that amount.
Children with increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications, may need higher doses of vitamin D.
Preventing Rickets and Osteomalacia
Sufficient amounts of Vitamin D helps prevent rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, a disease characterized by a failure of bone tissue to properly mineralize, resulting in soft bones and skeletal deformities. Rickets continues to be reported in the United States in infants and adolescents. The greatest risk for rickets is in exclusively breastfed infants, particularly among African American infants, who are not supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D a day.
In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, resulting in weak muscles and bones.
Vitamin D from the Sun
For many people, eating vitamin D-fortified foods and being exposed to sunlight are needed to maintaining a healthy vitamin D status.
Given enough sun exposure the body is able to make Vitamin D. However, the AAP advises keeping infants out of direct sunlight and having them wear protective clothing and sunscreen to protect against skin cancer.
This extensive use of sunscreens and placement of children in daycare programs, where they often have less outdoor activity and sun exposure has also contributed to less Vitamin D.
The general recommendations for sun exposure are three 15 minute intervals a week. It is difficult to determine a safe amount of sunlight exposure to synthesize vitamin D in a given individual.
Good Food Sources for Vitamin D
Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. The fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Vitamin D is also being added to Orange Juice.
Vitamin D Fortified Milk – Four cups daily to meet the requirement.
Cereals (fortified)
Oily fish – tuna, mackerel and sardines
Beef Liver
Cheese
Egg Yolks
Sources:
American Medical Association. October 14, 2008. New guidelines suggest children should get twice the daily dosage of vitamin D previously recommended. AMA Morning Rounds.
This week’s release of the report by Consumer Reports may have parents wondering what cereals they should be feeding their child/children. One way is to see what cereals are recommended by the WIC program.
WIC is a federally-funded health and nutrition program for women, infants, and children. WIC helps families by providing checks for buying healthy supplemental foods from WIC-authorized vendors, nutrition education, and help finding healthcare and other community services.
What makes a cereal a WIC Approved Cereal?
WIC-approved cereals are ones that are low in sugar and have a lot of nutrients, vitamins and minerals in them. Two of the vitamins included in many of the cereals:
Iron
Folic Acid
List of WIC Approved Cereals in California for Children
All of these cereal are low in sugar and high in nutrients like iron and folic acid. Any cereal specified on the food instrument Box or bags – 12 oz. package or larger except for brand Instant Oatmeal which may be an 11.8 or 12 oz. box General Mills
Cheerios (plain)
Kix (plain)
Kellogg’s
Corn Flakes (plain)
Frosted or Unfrosted Mini- Wheats (Big Bite or Bite Size)
B&G Foods
Cream of Wheat (1 minute, 2-1/2 Minute, 10 minute)
Post
Honey Bunches of Oats (Honey Roast)
Quaker
Life (plain)
Crunchy Corn Bran Store Brands (See list of authorized labels)
Crisp(y) Rice
Instant Oatmeal (Regular unflavored, in 11.8 oz or 12 oz. box of individual serving packets)
Cereals that Can not be Bought on WIC Programs
Brands or labels not specifically listed on WIC Authorized Food List and California Shopping Guide WIC Authorized Foods
Individual serving packets, except for store brand Instant Oatmeal – Packages smaller than 12 oz., except for store brand Instant Oatmeal
Honey (except for Honey Bunches of Oats, Honey Roast), frosted, cinnamon, or fruit flavored
Cereals with chocolate, fruit, nuts, marshmallows, or yogurt clusters/pieces
Tyra addresses rather effectively the unflattering bathing suit photos that were plastered across every tabloid and gossip website in 2007, claiming that she had gained 40 lbs.
In calculating Tyra’s BMI, at 5′10″ and 161 lbs, she ends up right in the healthy range with a BMI of 23.1
You can read an interview with her at People Magazine online.
Calculating BMI (Body Mass Index)
BMI Formula BMI = [ Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ] x 703
BMI = ( kg/m² ) (weight in pounds * 703 )
height in inches²
Metric BMI Formula
BMI = [ Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters ) x ( Height in Meters ) ]
BMI = ( kg/m² ) weight in kilograms
height in meters²
On September 29, 2008 the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine released results from a study that had been conducted finding that “Dietary Supplements Glucosamine and/or Chondroitin Fare No Better than Placebo in Slowing Structural Damage of Knee Osteoarthritis.”
I thought that these findings are pretty interesting and timely considering that just last week my husband had been in to see the doctor, who recommended that he take Glucosamine for an old knee injury.
I had been advising him not to waste money on buying the supplements until we looked at what the research had to say about using the supplements.
In this new study rsearchers from the Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) team reported that the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, together or alone, appeared to fare no better than placebo in slowing loss of cartilage in osteoarthritis of the knee. Nine GAIT centers recruited patients for the study. Their results were published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
The study which was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health confirms other findings showing the supplements have few or no effects.
My husband’s injury has been primary a ligament injury/ligament strain, rather than a joint problem, so wouldn’t have been a candidate for using the supplements to start with.
On September 30, 2008 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1420 into law. With this law passing, California will be the first state in the nation to require calories to be posted on menus and menu boards.
The bill was sponsored by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the American Cancer Society.
The law written by Senator Alex Padilla requires restaurant chains with 20 or more locations statewide to post calorie information on menus and indoor menu boards for consumers.
Carol Jackson, the California Division Chair of the Board of the American Cancer Society had this to say about the passage of the bill “We are so excited that the Governor signed menu labeling this year. It is a trendsetting bill that will set the standard for the nation by increasing the visibility and importance of healthy eating.”
With the passage of this bills all Californians will soon be benefit from having reliable, accessible nutrition information at the point of sale that will help them make more informed, healthier choices. Making sure that people can make choices about what they are eating when dining out is becoming increasingly important as more people are eating a greater number of their meals outside of the home each week.
SB 1420 was modeled closely on an ordinance implemented in New York City that affects large chain restaurants. Restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks, Quizno’s, Applebee’s, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, TGI Friday’s are now posting calorie information on menu boards in New York City.
This bill has been two years in the making. I think this is a great move to improve the health of Californians. Kudos to the Governor for promoting health and nutrition.
According to The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, eight foods account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. The eight foods most likely to cause a food allergic reaction:
Milk
Egg
Peanut
Tree nuts (walnut, cashew, etc.)
Fish
Shellfish
Soy
Wheat
In adults, the foods that most often trigger allergic reactions include
* Fish and shellfish, such as shrimp, lobster and crab
* Peanuts
* Tree nuts, such as walnuts
* Eggs
Problem foods for children are eggs, milk (especially in infants and young children) and peanuts.
Food Allergy
Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body’s immune system. Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death. Tree nuts and peanuts are the leading causes of deadly allergic reactions called anaphylaxis.
Food Intolerance
Sometimes a reaction to food is not an allergy. It is often a reaction called food intolerance. Food intolerances are may look and feel a bit like a mild food allergy, but these symptoms are not caused by the immune system.
he Food and Drug Administration is finally looking at ways to force food makers to use a standard label system for allergens. They have agreed to host a public hearing in order to decide what the best course of action would be.
At issue is the statement “May Contain Traces of Nuts.” Many believe this statement is too ambiguous to prevent deadly reactions. Instead labels should list what they certainly contain. Clearer labels would be helpful for the 12 million Americans living with food allergies.
Under the current system food companies are required by the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) to place labels on packaged foods containing most common food allergens, such as milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans, or any other ingredient that contains protein derived from one of these foods or food groups.
One popular choice would be for the FDA to have a standard number of descriptions that are clear and concise and require manufacturers to cite statistics to correctly define what “trace amount” means like “one part per million.”
According to The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network there are more than 12 million Americans currently living with food allergies. In addition there are around 30,000 emergency room visits every year triggered by allergic reactions.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently revised recommendations for Vitamin D based in new information indicating that children need twice as much Vitamin D as originally thought.
For many people, eating vitamin D-fortified foods and being exposed to sunlight are needed to maintaining a healthy vitamin D status.
On September 29, 2008 the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine released results from 
On September 30, 2008 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1420 into law. With this law passing, California will be the first state in the nation to require calories to be posted on menus and menu boards.
