| Dear Dr. Susan,
April 4th was the 40th anniversary of the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. I vividly remember a teacher
coming into my classroom to announce that Dr. King had been shot. It's
interesting to note another significant event of that time; one month
earlier in March of '68, Ben F. Feingold MD,
then chief of the Department of Allergy at the Kaiser Medical Center,
presented a paper, "Recognition of Food Additives as a Cause of
Symptoms of Allergy," before the 24th Annual Congress of the American
College of Allergists. Feingold published his book "Why Your Child is Hyperactive" in 1975. Here we are forty years later, dealing with more allergies and behavioral challenges than ever before.
Asthma,
allergies, behavior and brain development are all connected to the
quality of the food we eat. Rather than count calories and fat grams,
we must take a long hard look at the ingredients in food products, and
their potential to cause harm to our children. 
This month, our teleconference will feature pediatric neurologist Maya Shetreat-Klein MD. She'll talk about how the food children eat can cause (and treat!) ADD, autism and learning disabilities.
At
Better School Food, we continually work to provide you with practical
and effective information to help you in advocating for a higher
quality food environment wherever kids meet and eat--at preschools,
childcare centers, K-12 schools, after school programs and summer
camps. Check out our book picks, video clips and other links in
this newsletter including a recent appearance by the Two Angry Moms on the Rachael Ray show. Please spread the word and pass our newsletter on to friends and colleagues to help us grow! Consider becoming a member to support BSF.
Enjoy Springtime!
Dr. Susan Rubin, Founder Better School Food
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Food Allergies & Schoolchildren
By Cheryl Sternman Rule
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Parents
of food allergic children face special challenges when their kids go
off to school. They must not only teach their children what is
and isn't safe to eat, but also make a concerted effort to share this
information with a broad spectrum of school officials.
The
number of children suffering from food allergies continues to climb
steadily; recent estimates top 2 million. (More than 12 million
Americans suffer from food allergies.) As these numbers swell,
parents are finding more resources to help them manage their children's
allergies while on school grounds.
The nonprofit Food Allergy
and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) lies at the center of this resource
hub. According to FAAN, eight foods are responsible for 90
percent of all allergic reactions. These foods include peanuts,
tree nuts, soy, dairy, wheat, fish, shellfish, and eggs. Any
food, however, can cause an allergic reaction, and the severity can be
as mild as a few hives or as serious as full-blown anaphylaxis or even
death.
Fortunately,
FAAN has developed the School Food Allergy Program (SFAP) to show how
parents, students, and members of the school community can work in
concert to provide a safe, healthy environment for food allergic
children. This program has already been distributed to more than
20,000 schools across the country.
FAAN encourages parents to
work with school officials to design an individualized plan of action
for their child. Such action plans encourage discussion around
materials used for classroom lessons, food served for birthday
celebrations and on field trips, and parental involvement in making the
school cafeteria a safe place for their child to eat.
FAAN says
food service staff must be especially vigilant about hidden
ingredients, cross-contact between foods, and allergens that may be
left on cafeteria tables both before and after meals are served.
Parents should inform cafeteria staff of foods to avoid and ensure that
staff is knowledgeable about reading labels; designating a safe,
allergy-free zone for meal preparation; cleaning procedures which
effectively remove allergens from eating surfaces; and, how to identify
and treat allergic reactions if they occur.
Together, parents
and schools can work together create a successful-and safe-food
environment in the classroom, in the cafeteria and beyond.
For more information, visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org.
| Cheryl Sternman Ruleis
a freelance food and nutrition writer in San Jose, Calif. Her
most recent article about food allergies appeared in EatingWell
magazine (www.eatingwell.com), where she is a contributing editor.
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Community Spotlight: Alexandria, VA
|
Holistic
health counselor Sara Lavan was not particularly unhappy with the food
served at her child's preschool--the food service provider used healthy
ingredients and fresh fruits and vegetables. But snacktime was
rife with processed foods and some of her fellow parents seemed unsure
of what to cook at home. She was invited to speak at her school's
"Lunch and Learn" program on feeding kids healthfully from infancy and
beyond. While attendance was low, she is happy to focus on
educating parents on the importance of cooking with real food, and
avoiding ingredients they don't know or can't pronounce.
 "I
saw a need for information on meal preparation, for new moms, or moms
with young children," said Lavan. "I decided to launch a website,
nourishingmoms.com, that would provide this information and services to our community and a broader audience." Lavan is modest about her
accomplishments,
but we at BSF applaud her efforts to reach out to parents of young
children, and to make inroads in improving her preschool's snack
offerings. Education is critical--even if it's one parent at a
time.
If you have a story about changes taking place in your community, please write info@betterschoolfood.org
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Events
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- BSF Teleconference: April 10, 2008 @ 1:00
Featured Guest Speaker:
Maya Shetreat-Klein MD, Pediatric Neurologist
Topic: How children's food can cause (and treat!) ADD, autism
and learning
disabilities.- Schools Food & Community
Friday April 11th - Saturday April 12th, 2008
Co-sponsors: Baum Forum and the Nutrition Program, Teachers College Columbia University New York, NY
For more information go to: Baum.org
- Whole Child 2008 Spring Conference: April 12 @8:00-5:00pm
NYC Seminar & Conference Center
71 W 23rd Street, NYC.
Featuring: Lawrence B. Palevsky MD FAAP
For more information go to wholechild.info
- World Earth Day April 22, 2008 To find out what's happening in your community go to earthday.net
- Farm to School Conference at Johns Hopkins University sponsored by the Food Trust. April 25th in Baltimore, Maryland. For more information visit thefoodtrust.org
 Students for a Sustainable Future Expo
9:00am- 5:00pm on April 30, 2008
Pace University, Pleasantville, New York.
For more information visit:celfoundation.org
- BSF Teleconference: May 15, 2008 @ 1:00pm EST
Featured guest speaker: Laura Tolosi, Director of Wellness Programs, Yorktown Central School District
Topic: Wellness from within the School Administration
The ins and outs of the evaulation and implementation
of a Wellness Policy year-round.
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Disclaimer
Information in this newsletter is not intended as medical advice or
information to replace the services of a health care provider. Any
medical question, general or specific, should be addressed by a
qualified health care professional. Any application of the
recommendations set forth or implied is at the reader's discretion and
sole risk. Better School Food does not advocate any particular way of
eating. |
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Our Mission
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Is to raise awareness of the connection between food and children's health, behavior and learning.
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Better...?
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On March 15th Consumers International and the IASO launched a global campaign to restrict marketing of junk foods to children. They propose an international code of marketing. They also call for a ban on unhealthy food promotion in schools and an end to the use of celebrities and cartoon characters in marketing campaigns.
We applaud such measures and wholeheartedly endorse the ban of junk food advertising in schools.
BSF advocates for a better food environment.
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Support
Better School Food
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Ingredient Facts
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Scientific Research Supports the Connection of Diet and ADHD
Today, in the United States, one in six children suffers from a disability that affects their
behavior,
memory, or ability to learn. Diagnoses of Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are increasing at an alarming rate. Why?
What has changed?
Nutrition plays a vital role in helping young minds reach their full potential.
To
read more about how diet affects ADHD, as well as download other
resources, exclusively available for BSF members, go to our website |
| The movie about the movement |
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Links We Love
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bluedominoes
believes environmental and dietary factors influence children's health,
behavior, and learning. They are committed to sharing resources and
parent/child activities to provide pathways to your child's brighter
future.
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Health Fact
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23.5 Million Americans suffer from Autoimmune disease. That is 1 out of 12 US citizens.
"The
synergistic effects of shifts in our life style (exposure to so many
chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, and viruses) over the past 50
years is so profound that even
people who do not possess a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity may
now be at risk for developing autoimmune disease."
The Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
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About BSF
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About Better School Food
Founded
in 2005, The Coalition for Better School Food (BSF) is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to improving school food for a positive impact
on children's health, behavior and learning.
BSF founder Susan Rubin,
DMD, HHC, is a dentist, holistic nutritionist and parent of three who
has been advocating better school food for over a decade.
BSF gives parents inspiration, information, and resources to help improve school food. |
Contact info:
287 E. Main St. #231
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