Free Student Breakfast and Lunch

Free Student Breakfast and Lunch

My Kid's Lunch, with the non-profit sponsor Equal Heart is providing emergency free breakfast and lunch to children up to 18 years old. If you reside in a neighborhood that has a majority of students receiving free or reduced school lunches, see below for a list of locations and times to receive your free breakfast and lunch!

Mondays and Thursdays we will be at the following locations:

- UPHAM STREET- 10:15 AM- 10:45 AM
3637 Upham Street
Wheat Ridge, 80033
- PARKVIEW VILLAGE WEST- 10:15 AM- 10:45 AM
5350 Everett St.
Arvada, 80002

- ALLISON VILLAGE- 11:05 AM- 11:35 AM
5352 Allison Street
Arvada, 80002
- CESAR SQUARE- 11:05 AM- 11:35 AM
9235 West 48th Ave.
Wheat Ridge, 80033

- PARKVIEW VILLAGE- 12:00 PM- 12:30 PM
5383 Carr Street
Arvada, 80002
- VIKING SQUARE- 12:00 PM- 12:30 PM
12203 West 58th Ave
Arvada, 80002

- GLENDALE APTS.- 12:50 PM- 1:20 PM
5345 West 79th Ave *2
Arvada, 80003
- ASPEN RIDGE- 12:50 PM- 1:20 PM
11051 West 63rd Place
Arvada, 80004

- NEW HEIGHTS- 1:45PM - 2:15PM
2300 W. 90th Ave
Federal Heights 80260

- I AM- 2:00PM - 2:30PM
875 S. Sheridan Blvd.
Lakewood 80226

- WORLD IMPACT- 2:40PM - 3:10PM
5155 E. 64TH Ave
Commerce City 80022

Tuesdays and Fridays we will be at the following locations:

- PARKVIEW TERRACE- 10:20 AM- 10:50 AM
1300 Milky Way
Thornton, 80260
- ODESSEY APTS.- 10:20 AM- 10:50 AM
4705 North High St.
Denver, 80216

- DENVER CASCADE- 11:05 AM- 11:35 AM
9650 Federal Blvd.
Denver, 80260

- SHADOW TREE APTS.- 11:15 AM- 11:45 AM
1800 Billings St.
Aurora, 80011

- KIMBERLY HILLS- 12:00 PM- 1:00 PM
2551 West 92nd Ave.
Federal Heights, 80260

- FRIENDLY VILLAGE MHP- 12:05 PM- 12:35 PM
1711 Roosevelt Way
Aurora, 80011

- MOLINE APTS.- 1:00 PM-1:30 PM
2820 Moline St.
Denver, 80238

- NORTHFIELD APTS- 1:30 PM- 2:00
4900 Trenton St.
Denver, 80238

National Nutrition Uproar

Lately there has been a lot of controversy about the USDA nutritional guidelines for schools. People have been bringing attention to the outdated science behind the guidelines and argue that certain food groups are misplaced or completely omitted. Chef Ann, in Boulder, Colorado, also has a lot to say on the matter.

Here is a link to Chef Ann’s formal response to the USDA.

Read more about this issue in this article that outlines exactly what people are so riled up about and nutrition for moving forward in our households.

Avoiding gluten can be a little tricky at times if you have a picky eater, or need to adapt a recipe where maintaining a certain consistency or texture is important. Check out this story about chickpea flour to see the latest news in gluten-free flour!

New Study Results!

A big part of out mission is to help students learn to make healthy food choices, this article about a recent study on childhood obesity rates provides great information about why this is so important. 

Happy New Year

Ring in 2018 with a few new additions to your Must Read or Watch lists!

 

Good books:

Death by Food Pyramid. Author Denise Minger takes on conventional food wisdom in her quest to bring some order to the chaos. She takes readers on a journey through the development of our current standards of good nutrition and reveals many of the non-scientific players whose hands have helped steer the ship. Amazon, iBooks, Barnes &Noble, Kobo

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. This takes critical look at the perception we have about where our food comes from. Author Michael Pollan prepares four meals using different food chains and explores the drawbacks and benefits to each, shedding light on organic and industrial farming, feedlots, and fast food along the way. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible.

In Defense of Food: an Eater’s Manifesto. Also written by Pollan, this volume focuses less on what we are doing and more on what we should be doing for better health. He discusses the pitfalls of what he calls “nutritionism” as well as his take on the best advice for good health: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. *This has also been made into a documentary film. iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, Kobo

Interesting film:

GMO OMG. While the reception was mixed, the director Jeremy Seifert’s point is still valuable. Research can be found both in support and opposition of using GMO products in the foods we eat, and will continue to tip the scale one way or the other with each new study for years to come. We tend to be of the better safe than sorry camp, but whether you are pro or con we can all agree we have the right to know when GMOs are used in our foods and make our own informed decisions.

 

Ann Cooper

Ann Cooper, of Boulder, has been a pioneer in the healthy school lunch community. She recently gave an interview on CPR (the audio is available on their website), and has a previously recorded Ted Talk video which provides good information about the need for better nutrition in our schools. Check it out below!

https://www.ted.com/talks/ann_cooper_talks_school_lunches#t-153567

Jamie’s Dream School

Jamie’s Dream School (2005) is a British four-part T.V. documentary aimed at improving the nutritional content and quality of food in British schools. The show kicked off a larger campaign in Britain called ‘Feed Me Better’ (http://www.feedmebetter.com/) which continues to work towards banning junk food in schools and bringing back fresh, tasty, and nutritional food.

The interaction between Jamie, the students and the head cook, Nora is very entertaining. Part of improving eating habits involves cooking and food education. Jamie teaches the students how to cook healthy food so they can see how easy it is and highlights the benefits of it compared to eating processed foods.

I would recommend watching this with your children and try use some of the cooking methods in the show. Note, YouTube and British media versions have allowed some language in the show which maybe unsuitable for younger audiences.

If you like Jamie, you can also watch his ‘Food Revolution’ based in the U.S. on ABC. It tackles obesity in America, school lunches, food education and food policy.

Watch it on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNzA0wxym3w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKCYucvop1U&t=495s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6O0g_zXC6c

Water – Are you getting enough?

Water, essential for life yet taken for granted by most. How often do you think about your water consumption? After all we are 70% water!!

The articles linked below outline the benefits of drinking water for your skin, kidneys, blood, bowel, cartilage, cogitative ability and survival. Without water, you would die in just a few days. The 1st by Mr. McIntosh is directed at adults and the 2nd by Child and Youth Health is kid friendly.

We don’t know exactly how much water we should consume but the popular 8 glasses of water a day is a good recommendation. Mr. McIntosh in his article ‘Why is Water Important’ notes that new research suggests 13 glasses (3 liters) is more accurate especially for adult males and those who are very active. Remember you also get water from the food you eat.

We were surprised to see the statistics on water consumption by many Americans. Water is seen as boring but you can add healthy options such as lime, lemon and good quality juice concentrates. Avoid the sugary drinks, save the money and calories by drinking water.

Read it here

(Adults) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290814.php 

(Kids) http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspxp=335&np=284&id=1494

 

Emotional Eating

Emotional Eating (2014) on Teenshealth.org focuses on understanding, identifying and countering emotional eating.

Today’s society is filled with stressors for kids and teens which often leads to them seeking comfort from food. Unfortunately, it’s generally the bad food which is engineered to provide feelings of contentment and satisfaction that is desired. These foods can lead to many health problems, including obesity, diabetes, emotional conditions and more.

On average we are exposed to 5,000 daily advertisements that promote looking a certain way, buying certain things to be cool and eating certain foods which more often than not, adversely affect our health. Improving awareness increases the possibility for positive change. That’s what this is blog is about.

Read it here

https://teenshealth.org/en/teens/emotional-eating.html?WT.ac=ctg#

Take Charge of Your Health

Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers (2016) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the 5th largest national institute of Health in America.

Their article offers good advice on teenage health from eating habits to exercise. It provides an overview of many topics for parents and teenagers and is a good starting point for improving your health. Awareness is key for parents and teenagers taking charge of their diet and putting in place actionable steps towards improving their health.

Read it here

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/weight-control/take-charge-your-health/Pages/take-charge-your-health.aspx

Hungry for Change

Hungry for Change (2012) is produced by the same people behind Food Matters (2016) as recommended in our November, 16th 2016 post. This documentary focuses on the diet industries deceptive and dangerous strategies. Dieting is a billion-dollar industry with 1/3 of women and 1/4 of men on diets in America. For many people dieting is a temporary improvement, a cyclical routine of weight loss and weight gain instead of a sustainable lifestyle change. The documentary has some excellent interviews providing real insight into the psychology of dieting and the confusing practices of food companies. A particularly good documentary for the younger audience due to the areas discussed.

 

Watch it here or on Netflix, Amazon

How Not to Die

How Not to Die

 

Dr. Greger's book "How Not to Die", a NY Times best seller, explores the top 15 leading causes of death amongst Americans and what we can eat to help prevent them. The author makes the technical easily understandable with a blend of humor and actionable advice. A good read for those wanting specific information about the prevention of heart disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes and more. If there's even the slightest chance that Dr. Greger's advice can successfully help prevent or indeed treat one of the conditions, then it's worth reading. With most advice having no known negative side-effects, you have nothing to lose. Consuming green leafy vegetables for heart disease, drinking hibiscus tea for hypertension, coffee for liver inflammation or flaxseed for prostate cancer has very little, if any negative side effects especially when compared to prescription drugs.

Available at many good bookstores and online sources.

Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead

This film documents one man's impressive transformation with the help of a drastic change in diet and lifestyle. From weight loss to eliminating medicine regimen, open your mind to his amazing results from the power of juice!