Archive for category Food service

Mealtime Interaction Encourages Hospitalized Seniors To Eat More

There is a correlation between food intake and social interaction. What’s more, patients ate more when social interactions were friendly and lively. The research team also found that nutritional deficiencies mostly occur when patients eat alone in their rooms.

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New York City Lawmaker Proposes Fast Food Zoning Law for Schools

New York City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens) has proposed a measure that would prevent fast food restaurants from opening new outlets within 0.1 miles, or about 500 feet, of schools.

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Hospitals adding fresh, organic food to the menu

More hospitals in the U.S. are offering organic produce and hormone- and antibiotic-free meats and dairy foods in response to a trend toward healthier eating habits.

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Food Environments in University Dorms 20,000 Calories per Dorm Room and Counting

100 dormitory-residing students were recruited from a large, public university. Research staff completed a detailed inventory of food and beverages in the dorm rooms, including nutrient contents and purchasing sources. The mean number of food and beverage items per participant was 47, with 4% of participants not having any food or beverages. More than 70% of students had each of the following types of items: salty snacks, cereal or granola bars, main dishes, desserts or candy, and sugar-sweetened beverages. The average number of calories per dorm room was 22,888. Obesity prevention efforts are needed, and improving the various facets of campus food environments may mark an important component of such strategies.

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Flock to fast food to stretch your paycheck? Heavens no!

Fast food joints have always profited on poverty. People living in our nation’s poorest communities are exposed to two-and-a-half times more fast food establishments than people living in wealthier areas. To make matters worse, low-income neighborhoods average 30% fewer supermarkets than high-income areas.

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School meals: types of foods offered to and consumed by US children at lunch and breakfast

This article describes foods offered in school meals and consumed by children at lunch and breakfast, and differences in foods consumed by children who did and did not participate in the school meal programs. Consumption of school meals is positively related to children’s intakes of key food groups at lunch and breakfast. Offering more fresh fruit, whole grains, and a greater variety of vegetables could lead to additional health benefits.

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Creating healthy food and eating environments: policy and environmental approaches

Environmental and policy interventions may be among the most effective strategies for creating population-wide improvements in eating. This review describes an ecological framework for conceptualizing the many food environments and conditions that influence food choices, with an emphasis on current knowledge regarding the home, child care, school, work site, retail store, and restaurant settings. The need for action to improve health are highlighted.

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The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity

Researchers looked at how the supply of fast food affects the obesity rates of 3 million school children and the weight gain of over 1 million pregnant women. They found that among 9th grade children, a fast food restaurant within a tenth of a mile of a school is associated with at least a 5.2 percent increase in obesity rates.

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Offer Salad – Sell More Fries

College students were given one of two menus. One menu featured French fries, chicken nuggets and a baked potato; the other included those same items as well as a salad. 10% af the students exposed to the short menu ordered fries. While 33% of the students exposed to the longer menue (including salads) chose fries. Wow! The research suggests that the presence of healthy options on a menu can induce some diners to eat less healthily than they otherwise would. See also http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/599219

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Recession: A Boon for Convenience Foods?

Even in today’s uncertain economy, next to price, there is nothing more dear to consumers, seemingly, than convenience. But what exactly do consumers mean by ‘œconvenience’? The Hartman Group made an 18 page report on Convenience Foods available for free for only one week.

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