The USDA\u27s Healthy Eating on a Budget Program: Making Better Eating Decisions on a Budget

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a new interactive online program titled Healthy Eating on a Budget. It is an addition to the popular ChooseMyPlate.gov programs, such as the SuperTracker program. The Healthy Eating on a Budget program helps consumers plan, purchase, and prepare healthful meals. This article discusses materials and resources that are available as part of the Healthy Eating on a Budget program and provides suggestions for ways in which Extension professionals who teach consumers how to improve their nutrition and make nutrition affordable can use the program

Physical Activity: A Tool for Improving Health (Part 3—Recommended Amounts of Physical Activity for Optimal Health)

By promoting physical activities and incorporating them into their community-based programs, Extension professionals are improving the health of individuals, particularly those with limited resources. This article is the third in a three-part series describing the benefits of physical activity for human health: (1) biological health benefits of physical activity, (2) mental health benefits of physical activity, and (3) recommended amounts of physical activity for optimal health. Each part of the series is designed to help Extension professionals effectively integrate physical activity into community programs and motivate individuals to maintain an interest in being physically active during and after a program

Physical Activity: A Tool for Improving Health (Part 2—Mental Health Benefits)

By promoting physical activities and incorporating them into their community-based programs, Extension professionals are improving the health of individuals, particularly those with limited resources. This article is the second in a three-part series describing the benefits of physical activity for human health: (1) biological health benefits of physical activity, (2) mental health benefits of physical activity, and (3) recommended amounts of physical activity for optimal health. Each part of the series is designed to help Extension professionals effectively integrate physical activity into community programs and motivate individuals to maintain an interest in being physically active during and after a program

Physical Activity: A Tool for Improving Health (Part 1—Biological Health Benefits

Extension educators have been promoting and incorporating physical activities into their community-based programs and improving the health of individuals, particularly those with limited resources. This article is the first of a three-part series describing the benefits of physical activity for human health: 1) biological health benefits of physical activity, 2) mental health benefits of physical activity, and 3) recommended amounts of physical activity for optimal health. Each part of the series is designed to help Extension educators effectively integrate physical activity into community programs and motivate individuals to maintain an interest in being physically active during and after the program

Influence of Parenting Practices on Eating Behaviors of Early Adolescents during Independent Eating Occasions: Implications for Obesity Prevention

Among early adolescents (10–14 years), poor diet quality along with physical inactivity can contribute to an increased risk of obesity and associated biomarkers for chronic disease. Approximately one-third of United States (USA) children in this age group are overweight or obese. Therefore, attention to factors affecting dietary intake as one of the primary contributors to obesity is important. Early adolescents consume foods and beverages during eating occasions that occur with and without parental supervision. Parents may influence eating behaviors of early adolescents during eating occasions when they are present or during independent eating occasions by engaging in practices that affect availability of foods and beverages, and through perceived normative beliefs and expectations for intake. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to describe the influence of parenting practices on eating behaviors in general and when specifically applied to independent eating occasions of early adolescents. This information may be helpful to inform parenting interventions targeting obesity prevention among early adolescents focusing on independent eating occasions

The Cooperative Extension System\u27s Use of USDA\u27s Online Food and Physical Activity Tracker–SuperTracker

Nutrition professionals within the Cooperative Extension system use the USDA\u27s interactive online tool SuperTracker, which is designed to help individuals track diet and physical activity (PA) to apply healthy eating patterns and improve PA. An investigation of all 50 states\u27 Extension websites and interviews of Extension of educators revealed that SuperTracker information was posted at state or county level Extension websites. SuperTracker is being used for nutrition workshop, nutrition educators\u27 training, weight management, and PA planning and assessment in community based programs

Influence of Parenting Practices on Eating Behaviors of Early Adolescents during Independent Eating Occasions: Implications for Obesity Prevention

Among early adolescents (10-14 years), poor diet quality along with physical inactivity can contribute to an increased risk of obesity and associated biomarkers for chronic disease. Approximately one-third of United States (USA) children in this age group are overweight or obese. Therefore, attention to factors affecting dietary intake as one of the primary contributors to obesity is important. Early adolescents consume foods and beverages during eating occasions that occur with and without parental supervision. Parents may influence eating behaviors of early adolescents during eating occasions when they are present or during independent eating occasions by engaging in practices that affect availability of foods and beverages, and through perceived normative beliefs and expectations for intake. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to describe the influence of parenting practices on eating behaviors in general and when specifically applied to independent eating occasions of early adolescents. This information may be helpful to inform parenting interventions targeting obesity prevention among early adolescents focusing on independent eating occasions.Keywords: early adolescents, independent eating occasions, parenting practices, eating behaviors, obesity preventionKeywords: early adolescents, independent eating occasions, parenting practices, eating behaviors, obesity preventio

Evaluation of Messages to Promote Intake of Calcium-Rich Foods in Early Adolescents

Parental practices influence intake of calcium-rich foods and beverages (CRFB) in adolescents. This study aimed to test two posters promoting such parental practices for comprehension, cultural and personal relevance, and ability to motivate parents to encourage CRFB intake. Interviews were conducted with 14 Hispanic and 6 Asian parents to evaluate two posters entitled “Good play starts with calcium” and “Strong families start with good nutrition.” Responses were reviewed for themes. For “Good play,” both racial/ethnic groups of parents understood the message to provide CRFB. Only Hispanics, however, recognized the connection between calcium and strong bones. For “Strong families,” both groups had difficulty understanding that foods pictured were calcium rich. Both posters were considered culturally and personally relevant; however, not all respondents indicated motivation to provide CRFB. Modifications are needed to emphasize the connection between images and taglines and calcium intake for use in a future intervention to improve CRFB-promoting practices

Translating it into real life: a qualitative study of the cognitions, barriers and supports for key obesogenic behaviors of parents of preschoolers

BACKGROUND: Little is known about preschool parents' cognitions, barriers, supports and modeling of key obesogenic behaviors, including breakfast, fruit and vegetable consumption, sugary beverage intake, feeding practices, portion sizes, active playtime, reduced screen-time, sleep and selection of child-care centers with characteristics that promote healthy behaviors. METHODS: Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine these factors via survey and focus groups among 139 parents of 2- to 5-year-old children. Standard content analysis procedures were used to identify trends and themes in the focus group data, and Analysis of Variance was used to test for differences between groups in the survey data. RESULTS: Results showed 80% of parents ate breakfast daily, consumed sugary beverages 2.7 ± 2.5SD days per week, and had at least two different vegetables and fruits an average of 5.2 ± 1.8SD and 4.6 ± 2.0SD days per week. Older parents and those with greater education drank significantly fewer sugary drinks. Parents played actively a mean 4.2 ± 2.2 hours/week with their preschoolers, who watched television a mean 2.4 ± 1.7 hours/day. Many parents reported having a bedtime routine for their preschooler and choosing childcare centers that replaced screen-time with active play and nutrition education. Common barriers to choosing healthful behaviors included lack of time; neighborhood safety; limited knowledge of portion size, cooking methods, and ways to prepare healthy foods or play active indoor games; the perceived cost of healthy options, and family members who were picky eaters. Supports for performing healthful behaviors included planning ahead, introducing new foods and behaviors often and in tandem with existing preferred foods and behaviors, and learning strategies from other parents. CONCLUSIONS: Future education programs with preschool parents should emphasize supports and encourage parents to share helpful strategies with each other.This item is part of the UA Faculty Publications collection. For more information this item or other items in the UA Campus Repository, contact the University of Arizona Libraries at [email protected]

Carnitine, Choline and Caffeine Promote Fat Loss and Metabolism in Rats and Humans

Interaction of two nutrients, carnitine and choline, has been reported. Choline supplementation causes a significant conservation of carnitine in normal healthy humans and guinea pigs. The choline supplementation promoted tissue carnitine accretion, particularly in skeletal muscle of guinea pigs, and livers of rats. Also, choline supplemented guinea pigs had lower percentage of carcass fat and higher percentage of protein but the body weights or the respiratory quotient (RQ) were not affected. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that a combination of choline and carnitine may further increase carnitine accretion by tissues, and if energy needs were increased by exercise and fat mobilization was stimulated by caffeine, there may be reduction in body fat. In other words, simultaneous availability of carnitine, choline, and caffeine may induce mobilization, transport and delivery of fat as the energy substrate of choice, and therefore, enhance utilization of fat. In a 2 x 2 factorial design, male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to non-supplemented and supplemented groups and one-half of each group was exercised. Body weight was significantly reduced by exercise only, however, regional fat pad weights and serum leptin concentration were significantly reduced by the combination of carnitine, choline and caffeine supplements as well as by exercise. Regardless of exercise, supplements significantly lowered triglycerides in serum but increased triglycerides in the skeletal muscle. We postulated that fat loss in rats was due to enhanced fat mobilization and fatty acid oxidation. To support this, we determined the RQ and several metabolic markers of fat oxidation in the rat model. No significant differences were found in the mean RQ values of the groups at rest in all groups and at exhaustion between the two exercised groups. However, increased maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and delayed exhaustion time was found in the supplemented rats. Post-exercise concentrations of serum triglycerides were decreased, but β-hydroxybutyrate, acylcarnitine and acetylcarnitine were increased in the supplemented rats. The changes in serum metabolites were complemented by the changes in the muscle and urinary metabolites. The magnitude of increase in urinary acylcarnitine (34 to 45-fold) of the supplemented rats is a unique effect of this combination of the supplements. Evidence indicates enhanced β-oxidation of fatty acids without a change in the RQ because acetyl units were excreted in urine as acetylcarnitine and not oxidized to carbon dioxide. For this phenomenon we proposed the term, fatty acid dumping . Finally, we determined fat loss and metabolic effects of this unique nutrient-nutrient interaction in humans. We asked, if the shift in tissue carnitine partitioning will result in enhanced fat oxidation in humans. Healthy adults aged 18-54 y were randomly assigned to a placebo or supplement groups. Supplementary choline and carnitine increased serum concentration of β-hydroxybutyrate. Another biochemical marker of fatty acid oxidation, acetylcarnitine, was elevated about 2-fold and 3-fold in serum and urine, respectively. Short-chain acylcarnitines were moderately elevated in serum but significantly increased in the urine by the supplementation. The observations in humans are consistent with those in rats. This research in rats and humans firmly established that the supplementation with carnitine, choline and caffeine promoted fatty acid oxidation to short-chain fatty acids and their disposal in urine as acylcarnitines