The high level of consumption of processed foods has an effect on human health. The consumption of doughnuts, pastries, fried chicken, French fried potatoes, snack chips, and imitation cheese is high among teenagers. These foods are generally rich in fats, although the focus has often been on the quantity rather than the quality of these fats.…

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare, but serious, metabolic disease that can cause a variety of neurological, psychological, and academic complications. Fortunately, many individuals with PKU who are identified and treated early can go on to live a relatively normal life. However, PKU does continue to present with a variety of complex underlying…

In this snapshot, I discuss the potential value of gardening as a reciprocal research method. I draw on my experience of partnering with a school in establishing and supporting an ongoing primary school vegetable garden, as part of a long-term research project. I suggest that the garden creates a space in which to "talk around" the…

During the spring semester of 2020, COVID-19 disrupted teaching at universities across the United States ("Coronavirus Hits Campus," 2020). Transitioning courses online presented many difficulties for instructors (Gannon, 2020; McMurtrie, 2020b; Schmalz, 2020), and educators in family and consumer sciences (FCS)--and dietetics in…

Nowadays, unhealthy dietary habits, insufficient food knowledge, and lack of manual skills are typical issues among primary and secondary school students in China. To help students build up a strong constitution and life wisdom, Weifang Hansheng School of Shandong developed a food education course. This paper expounds on the course framework,…

Although there is no shortage of instruction in popular literature as to how to eat for health, live your best life, and above all lose weight, there is not a great deal of literature instructing young artists on ways to stay healthy and vibrant--nurturing creativity and longevity at the same time. This article proposes simple solutions to health…

Background: College students have been a difficult population to reach in extant health promotion initiatives that strive to prevent the development of lifelong disordered eating patterns. Incorporating electronic and mobile health (eHealth, mHealth) technologies within these efforts may be an effective means of reaching students. Purpose: This…

Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) was originally developed as a tool for cross-national comparisons in macrosociology, but its use in evaluation and evidence synthesis of complex interventions is rapidly developing. QCA is theory-driven and relies on Boolean logic to identify pathways to an outcome (e.g., is the intervention effective or…

Nutrition is vitally important both during pregnancy and during a child's early years. Inadequate nutrition during this critical period can harm children's health and developmental outcomes throughout childhood and into adulthood. Thus, write Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach and Betsy Thorn, it's particularly important that young children have adequate…

Lifestyle choices are attributed to 40% to 60% of adult peak bone mass. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) sought to update its 2000 consensus statement on peak bone mass and partnered with the American Society for Nutrition, which, in turn, charged a 9-member writing committee with using a systematic review approach to update the previous…

Even in a society of meat-eaters such as the United States, when diet is addressed in school at all, it is widely treated as matter of personal choice, the consequences of which are borne by individual consumers. Overlooked are myriad connections involved in human diet and the implications of consumption for other entities. In the first part of…

High sugar diets reduce hippocampal neurogenesis, which is required for minimizing interference between memories, a process that involves "pattern separation." We provided rats with 2 h daily access to a sucrose solution for 28 d and assessed their performance on a spatial memory task. Sucrose consuming rats discriminated between objects…

A recent series of emails and phone calls from parents concerned about the sugar content of Houston Independent School District's school breakfasts revealed that a new issue had risen to the surface. This prompted us to look closely at the sugar content of our breakfast items. School districts participating in the National School Breakfast Program…

Educators in the field of family and consumer science (FCS) must be able to foster intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills in students (Schumacher, 2014), and internships are one way to do so. Internships are formal programs that provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession. Interns are temporarily placed…

Nutrition has vital and long-lasting effects on children's development. Good nutrition helps children learn better and promotes lifelong healthy eating habits. Connecting current scientific research with best practices, "Rethinking Nutrition" provides information to help you meet and understand children's nutritional and developmental…