kidsandfamilies

AASDN is pleased to announce a partnership with the USDA / Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. As a community partner, AASDN is committed to establishing programs that promote physical fitness and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The recommendations contained in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans traditionally have been intended for healthy Americans ages 2 years and older. However, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 was released at a time of rising concern about the health of the American population. Its recommendations accommodate the reality that a large percentage of Americans are overweight or obese and/or at risk of various chronic diseases. Therefore, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 is intended for Americans ages 2 years and older, including those who are at increased risk of chronic disease.

Poor diet and physical inactivity are the most important factors contributing to an epidemic of overweight and obesity in this country. The most recent data indicate that 72 percent of men and 64 percent of women are overweight or obese, with about one-third of adults being obese.

Even in the absence of overweight, poor diet and physical inactivity are associated with major causes of morbidity and mortality. These include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer. Some racial and ethnic population groups are disproportionately affected by the high rates of overweight, obesity, and associated chronic diseases. These diet and health associations make a focus on improved nutrition and physical activity choices ever more urgent. These associations also provide important opportunities to reduce health disparities through dietary and physical activity changes.

To further our commitment as a USDA/CNPP partner AASDN has developed several programs aimed at disseminating information contained in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. AASDN also supports programs developed by organizations committed to promoting physical fitness and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

AASDN has established a Kindergarten through 6th grade nutrition curriculum - Healthy Kids and Families. The mission of the Healthy Kids and Families Nutrition program is to empower children, families, and communities, through nutrition education and support, to obtain and maintain a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

This curriculum is free of charge to all educators, parents and individuals committed to implementing a nutrition program that promotes the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children (SMI), in place since the mid 1990’s, aims to align school meals with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans by increasing levels of whole grains, fresh fruit, and fresh vegetables and reducing levels of fat, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar in school meals.

School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual's calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories. School lunches must meet Federal nutrition requirements, but decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities.

In November 2007, USDA released its latest School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study III, reviewing how well school meals meet the SMI nutrition standards. Comparing nutrients served in school lunches with SMI standards, SNDA III found, among other things:

Perhaps most disturbing was the finding that, “there were no significant changes in the proportion of schools serving lunches that met SMI standards for most targeted nutrients between SY 1998-1999 (SNDA-II) and SY 2004-2005 (SNDA-III), particularly among elementary schools.”6 These findings, that most school meals do not meet SMI standards and are not improving in nutritional quality, plainly call for the examination of the main sources of foods served in the school meal programs, particularly the federal commodity food program, which is the largest single source of food for schools.

Below are links to sites with more details and assistance in helping children eat healthier school lunches.

The American Academy of Sports Dietitians and Nutritionists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining high professional standards for the dissemination of accurate, scientific/wellness related nutrition information by qualified professionals. In furtherance of this mission, AASDN is striving to become the leader is nutrition curriculum for elementary, middle grade and high school students.

AASDN is seeking qualified professionals with a background in developing nutrition curriculum to join us and improve our present curriculum as well as develop new curriculum for middle grade and high school students. If you are interested in joining our team please contact us at 800.682.4933 or email us at aasdn.org@comcast.net.