Is it possible that the West-coast population is eating less than us East-coasters and Midwesterners? According to a new study, that may be the case; especially when it comes to California teens.

The new study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that California teens are eating less at school. And although the margin may be small – about 158 calories – nutrition experts say this could make a big difference in the long run, especially since they also seem to be eating less added sugar and fat than students from others states.

The 14 other states included in the study reportedly have less strict nutrition standards, which may potentially be the reason their students are consuming more calories during the school day. But what isn’t clear is why California students also seem to be eating fewer calories at night when they arrive home from school.

Authors of the study say California’s nutrition laws are what’s likely contributing to the surprising results, since the state limits the amount of unhealthy snack foods and sodas schools can sell to students – including the content of vending machines.
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When it comes to motherhood, everyone has an opinion on how it should be done. So it was no surprise when 26-year-old model Jamie Grumet caused a near-cosmic stir when she posed on the cover of Time Magazine, breastfeeding her nearly 4-year-old son.

Grumet’s approach to motherhood is attachment parenting, which is a concept developed by Dr. William Sears, 72, as outlined in his 1992 book, “The Baby Book.”

Sears, raised by a single mother himself, believes that moms should be in near constant contact with their child, wearing their baby if possible, letting them sleep in the same bed with them, and tending to their every want and need.

Of the many benefits of this practice, Sears argues that attachment parenting produces children who are physically, emotionally and psychologically healthy, stating that children who are a product of this kind of parenting rarely – and possibly even never – turn out to be bullies or have other developmental issues.

One of the other prongs of attachment parenting is breastfeeding until the mother  – and child – feel the time is right to stop, which explains why Grumet still breastfeeds her almost 4-year-old son.

Grumet, who told The Today Show that she knew full well what she was getting into by posing so provocatively on the Time Magazine cover, says she was breast fed herself until she was six years old, and believes 100% in the concepts of attachment parenting.
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The National Letter Carrier Food Drive is the largest single-day food drive in the U.S., and it’s taking place on doorsteps across the country this Saturday, May 12.

This marks the food drive’s 20th anniversary of helping millions of American families in need with the help of thousands of local letter carriers.

The National Association of Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger President, Fredrick Rolando, says the need in 2012 is particularly staggering.

“Sixteen percent of all Americans are at risk of hunger – uncertain where their next meal may be coming from. That includes 1 in 5 children under the age of 18, plus 4 million seniors who are forced everyday to choose between paying a utility bill and buying food,” he said.

Rolando reported that last year, despite many obstacles, letter carriers were able to collect more than 70 million pounds of food, raising the total amount of donations picked up over the history of the food drive to more than 1.1 billion pounds.
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Bake sales used to be the highlight of any school function, with mountains of cupcakes and muffins, and bundt cakes galore, tempting the taste buds of kindergartners and teachers alike. But that may be changing soon, as schools are beginning to make bake sale restrictions in light of America’s ever-expanding waistline.

The public school system in Maryland’s Montgomery County, for instance, is no longer allowing its districts to hold bake sales, even if the fundraisers are for a good cause. This is because selling sweets has been outlawed during the school day, and the new ban is taken rather seriously, according to Marla Caplon of Montgomery County’s food and nutrition services, who says officials ‘make the rounds’ daily to ensure no one’s breaking the rules.

“If a bake sale is going on, it’s reported to administration and it’s taken care of,” she says. “You can’t sell Girl Scout cookies, candy, cakes, any of that stuff.”
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It’s a well known fact that we have a serious obesity epidemic on our hands in the U.S., with now more than 70 million adults and 12 million children and adolescents considered obese. But a new, multi-pronged initiative launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called The Weight of the Nation, wants to do something about it.

The movement, which is not only being carried out through its own website, book and medical conference, will now seek to reach Americans through their TV screens. A new HBO series called “The Weight of the Nation: Confronting America’s Obesity Epidemic,” will air in four, separate segments starting May 14. It’s a public health announcement of sorts, warning America of the dangers of its future as an obese nation, and what we must do in order to stop it from happening.

Their motto states “To win, we have to lose,” and they’re working to put a plan in place to slow the rise in the number of Americans suffering chronic, debilitating and deadly diseases tied to weight.
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