EWG New Report on Sugar in Children’s Cereals: One Serving Equal To Three Chips Ahoy Cookies

Image courtesy of Melia Robinson/Business Insider.The Environmental Working Group’s newest report, Children’s Cereals: Sugar by the Pound, finds that very little has improved since 2011 – the last time the group did a survey of the cereal industry.

As part of a larger study, the EWG again reviewed a smaller sample of 84 popular children’s cereals that had it originally evaluated in 2011 and found that while a handful of manufacturers lowered the sugar content of their cereals, “the vast majority are still too sweet to be healthy, averaging two teaspoons per serving.”

The new report did a comprehensive analysis of 1,556 cereals, including 181 marketed for children and found that “not one was free of added sugars.” In addition, the group found that, “On average, children’s cereals have more than 40 percent more sugar than adult cereals, and twice as much as oatmeal.”

Also among the concerning issues highlighted by the report were how these cereals were marketed to children, prominent nutritional claims, and the use of unrealistically small portion size measurements on nutritional labels.

The report found that for many cereals, a single serving size exceeded 60 percent of the daily amount of sugar suggested by health agencies and organizations, and “because the serving sizes on cereal labels are unrealistically small, many children eat multiple servings in a single siting.”

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More Vitamin D In Your Diet Shown To Alleviate Asthma Symptoms, Say Multiple Studies

Image courtesy of the Great Lakes Ledger.National Jewish Health, a nonprofit hospital specializing in respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders, has now completed several studies showing patients with low vitamin D as predisposed to developing asthma during infancy and childhood, and low vitamin D contributing to increased severity of asthma attacks.

In one study, NJH found that low vitamin D levels are associated with worse asthma symptoms and the requirement for more medication. Among the findings were that low levels of vitamin D were “associated with reduced lung function and less response to steroid medications.”

The researchers evaluated 54 adults with persistent asthma and “found that higher levels of vitamin D were associated with better lung function. In cells taken from the patients, higher levels of vitamin D were also associated with increased responsiveness to the steroid dexamethasone.”

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Vitamin D Deficiency Linked With Growth of Uterine Fibroids, Cancers, and Neural Diseases

We all know that vitamin D is added to milk because it helps the body absorb and metabolize calcium for strong healthy bones, but a new study published this year from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has also found some important information specifically for women.

NIH researchers found that, “Women who had sufficient amounts of vitamin D were 32 percent less likely to develop fibroids than women with insufficient vitamin D.”

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors of the uterus. Fibroids often result in pain and bleeding in premenopausal women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States, according to the NIH.

Donna Baird, a researcher with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (part of NIH), led the study of 1,036 women, ages 35-49, living in the Washington, D.C. area from 1996 to 1999, which completed questionnaires on sun exposure, as well as received ultrasounds to check for fibroids, and gave blood samples to check vitamin D levels.

The body can make vitamin D when skin is exposed to the sun or get it from food and supplements. The study found that, “Those who reported spending more than one hour outside per day also had a decreased risk of fibroids.”

Baird said that, “It would be wonderful if something as simple and inexpensive as getting some natural sunshine on their skin each day could help women reduce their chances of getting fibroids, but though the findings are consistent with laboratory studies, more studies in women are needed.”

Baird is currently conducting a study in Detroit to see if the findings from the Washington, D.C. study can be replicated.

Besides sunlight, among the best sources of vitamin D come from foods. The NIH finds that:

• Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are among the best sources.
• Beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks provide small amounts.
• Mushrooms provide some vitamin D. In some mushrooms that are newly available in stores, the vitamin D content is being boosted by exposing these mushrooms to ultraviolet light.
• Almost all of the U.S. milk supply is fortified with 400 IU vitamin D per quart, but foods made from milk like cheese and ice cream are usually not fortified.
• Vitamin D is also added to many breakfast cereals and to some brands of orange juice, yogurt, margarine, soy beverages. Check the labels.

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More Vegetables And Less Meat In Your Diet Can Help Improve Heart Health, Say Medical Experts

Image courtesy of 24/7 Moms.While some people choose to be either completely vegetarian or vegan as a lifestyle, most people don’t and for those people, the key to optimum healthy is to have a largely vegetarian diet with some meat.

National Jewish Health, a non-profit hospital specializing in cardiac, respiratory, immune, and related disorders, published an article last week saying that, “Recent research has shown that plant-based diets are associated with lower incidence of stroke, heart attack, and many forms of cancer as well as increased life expectancy and fertility.”

National Jewish says on average that plant-based diets are lower in calories and more dense in nutrients, with the bulk of calories comimg from grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes (beans, lentils, peanuts, etc.).

Dr. Andrew Freeman, a cardiologist at National Jewish, made some suggestions about a heart healthy diet, saying one idea is to occasionally choose the vegetarian option in your workplace cafeteria, if it has one.

Freeman also recommended, “Go for a meatless Monday. Many people are doing meatless Mondays, where they’re having no meat whatsoever on Mondays, and by eating less animal products, your cholesterol, blood pressure, and salt will improve.”

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EWG’s Report on Worst Kid’s Breakfast Cereals: More Sugar Than Snack Cakes and Cookies

Breakfast is an important part of starting off a productive day, providing nutrition, energy, and focus, but not all breakfasts are created equal, especially when it comes to kids’ cereals.

Image courtesy of you beauty.The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just published a report that examined 84 popular cereals for sugar content, finding that most had more sugar than your average snack cakes and cookies.

The nonprofit research and consumer advocacy group found that children who eat high-sugar breakfasts have more problems at school.

“They become more frustrated and have a harder time working independently than kids who eat lower-sugar breakfasts. By lunchtime they have less energy, are hungrier, show attention deficits, and make more mistakes on their work,” said the EWG.

Topping the EWG’s list for most sugar in a kid’s cereal was Kellogg’s Honey Smacks at nearly 56 percent sugar content by box weight. “A one-cup serving of Honey Smacks packs more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie,” said the group.

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