By Kelsey Murray

There’s been a lot of news recently about schools offering free breakfasts and lunches to students who are from low-income families. Now, 200 schools in California are also starting to offer free dinners to students who participate in after-school programs.

In 2010, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. This act made it possible for after-school programs to receive funding to provide dinner for free or at a reduced price. Under the act, schools must have an educational component to their after-school programs, such as tutoring services of health and nutrition classes. Also, in order to receive funding, at least 50 percent of the students who participate in these programs must qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Gary Petill is the director of Food Nutrition Services at San Diego Unified. Currently, his school district is serving dinner to around 1,650 students, but he expects that number to rise to more than 2,000 by next month and more than 13,000 students by next year.
Read Full Post >

California has been the trend setting state for decades. Hollywood, California alone is responsible for most of the trends set around the world. Aside from the glitz and glam influences, California may be the top health trendsetter, too.

California was first to do many things. They were first to require smog checks, pass anti-tobacco laws, even to require bike helmets. They were pioneers in 1998 when they banned smoking in workplaces, bars and restaurants. The state passes many laws on a yearly basis, and many are positive for public health.

“There have been progressive legislation in tobacco, environment and obesity prevention,” said Mark Horton, a lecturer at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health. “In some respect, the rest of the country looks to California as a laboratory for moving forward with those various types of initiatives.”

While some are excited about the 151,002 health and safety laws the state currently has, others feel the government is barging into their lives. “It never ends,” said Laer Pearce, who works in public affairs in Orange County. “Every year, several hundred bills come through and dozens of them tell us how to live our lives.”

Read Full Post >

When we hear the word Sonoma, what comes to mind are miles and miles of lush green fields of grape vineyards, groves of olive and orange trees and some of the nation’s most premiere restaurants specializing in that unique and healthy California cuisine.

Five years ago, Dr. Connie Guttersen wrote The Sonoma Diet, a breakthrough plan that used the bounty of the Sonoma Valley as the cornerstone for this healthy and fresh eating weight loss plan. Now, Dr. Guttersen has updated her bestselling program to bring you a plan that reflects the latest findings in nutritional science, as well as the culinary jewels born from the Golden State’s rich soil and farmland.

The New Sonoma Diet is packed with practical information, decadent recipes and go-to lists and tips for making healthy eating as simple and as straightforward as picking a Valencia orange from a Sonoma Valley orange tree and noshing away. By following the plan for just 10 days, you are practically guaranteed a trimmer and healthier you. The secret to the plan is eating the right foods in the right portions.

Read Full Post >

In an official report released last week  by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it appears that most Americans still aren’t eating enough vegetables, and their consumption of fruits is dropping, as well.

The study, conducted via telephone, surveyed hundreds of thousands of adult Americans. In it, the CDC found that just under 1/3 of Americans ate fruit, or drank fruit juice, at least twice a day. An earlier report released in 2000 showed a figure of 34%. Just over 1/4 of those surveyed admit to eating vegetables at least three times a day. This figure remained the same.

When the study was broken down by state, no one state met either the fruit or vegetable recommendation.  California ate the most fruit and Tennessee was best with vegetables. Oklahoma was at the bottom for fruit consumption and South Dakota had the lowest vegetable consumption.
Read Full Post >

There’s been a minor setback in my Mt. Whitney conquering plans. We didn’t win the lottery. See, you pick dates that are best for you, then you are entered into a lottery. From there, it’s up to chance.

This isn’t to say we have no chance to climb Whitney this Summer. We just need to go for a second round of date options.

It would be a letdown if we don’t make it, but I still plan on a challenging hike, which means I will still document my progress here at Diets in Review. If Whitney doesn’t work out, we’ll probably stick to California, or possibly Oregon.

I just got back from San Francisco, where I visited for five days. It’s an exciting town. One that I fulfilled several indulgences, one of which was actually exercise. I probably walked more than 10 miles, and when you picture what the streets of San Francisco are like (hint: not flat), I probably countered not doing any strength training, and eating out every day. It felt really good that I encountered almost no physical pain after my extensive walking. Before I started working out again, I would have been sore all over.

So, I have no plans on looking at the scale in the next few days. And the fact that I’m battling a nasty cold doesn’t help me get back into the swing of things. I made a decision to discontinue my physical therapy for my back injury, mainly because I’ve pretty much memorized the routine I was given.

Once I get over this cold, I’ll hit the gym and man the fitness ball to get my core strength back in gear. And the good news is that I’ve met a couple potential hiking buddies, which I needed badly. I’ll need to pack up a backpack and lug around 20+ pounds to get a better sense of what kind of shape I’ll need to be in.

Next week this time, I’ll give you a weight update, and hopefully an update on our climb plans. I fear it will not be good news (the weight part), but I’ll do my best to prove myself wrong.