November is National Diabetes Month, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking the opportunity to remind people with diabetes about the importance of safe food handling. Because diabetes can affect various organs and systems of the body, those living with this disease are more susceptible to foodborne illness and more likely…
California, New York Lawmakers Propose Warning Labels for Soda
California is having another run at adding warning labels to sugar-sweetened beverages, and New York is joining in. Last year, state Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) introduced a bill requiring that any sweetened non-alcoholic beverage (carbonated or non-carbonated) that contains 75 calories or more per 12 fluid ounces be labeled with the words, “Drinking beverages with…
DeLauro Introduces Bill to Tax Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
On Wednesday, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax (SWEET) Act — a tax on drinks such as sodas, energy drinks, sweet teas and sports drinks that she first announced at the National Soda Summit in Washington, D.C., on June 5. The SWEET Act would institute an excise tax of 1 cent per…
Soda Warning Label Rejected by California Assembly Health Committee
California’s bill to add warning labels to sugar-sweetened beverages has stalled in the state’s Assembly Health Committee. The state Senate passed the bill last month but fell three votes short of the 10 needed to pass the committee on Tuesday. After hearing from the bill’s author, Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel), co-sponsors and beverage industry opponents,…
California Senate Passes Bill Requiring Warning Labels on Some Sugar-Sweetened Drinks
The “Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act” is now in the hands of the California State Assembly. Last week, the state Senate passed the bill, which would require that any sweetened non-alcoholic beverage (carbonated or non-carbonated) that contains 75 calories or more per 12 fluid ounces be labeled with the words, “Drinking beverages with added…
Navajo Nation Hikes Sales Taxes on ‘Junk Foods,’ Makes Healthy Food Choices Tax-Free
The Navajo Nation is going to use sales tax policies to try changing food habits on the largest Indian reservation in the United States. The Navajo Nation Council on Jan. 30 approved an additional 2-percent sales tax on so-called “junk foods,” including all sugary beverages. The addition will increase the total sales tax on those…
What Should You Know About Diabetes and Foodborne Illness?
Similar to any individual living with a weakened immune system or compromised body systems due to chronic disease, those with diabetes-related complications may be susceptible to increased risk and impact of foodborne illnesses. One reason those with diabetes may suffer increased impact of a foodborne illness is because diabetes-related complications may delay an individual’s natural…
Nutrition a Pressing Concern for American Indians, Part III
Editor’s Note: This is the final article is a three-part series on health issues linked to nutritional problems in American Indian communities.
Even the best nutrition education is likely to fall flat without the opportunity to put it into practice.
“You can teach people, but unless you change the environment it’s very difficult for…
E. Coli O157 Increases Risk of Diabetes
E. coli O157:H7, the culprit in foodborne illness outbreaks linked to everything from ground beef to cookie dough, produces a Shiga-like toxin that damages the filtering part of the kidney and leads to a life-threatening complication, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), in 2-7 percent of all infections.
The pathogen is particularly hard on children; 90 …
To Slim an Obese Nation Think 5-2-1-0
As First Lady Michelle Obama was announcing her support of retail giant Walmart’s plan to reduce fats, sugars and salts in packaged foods, a federal report emphasized the magnitude of the nation’s weight problem.
We are getting heavier.
On average, U.S. adults weigh 24 pounds more than they did in 1960. And in that same …