A study, recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service, found that healthy foods like beans, carrots, milk, and yogurt are actually less expensive than ice cream sandwiches, cinnamon buns, and soda.

The USDA researchers looked at calorie content but also compared the prices of more than 4,000 healthy foods and moderation foods based on price by weight and portion size.

Using dietary recommendations from the federal government’s choosemyplate.gov website, researchers identified healthy foods as those that contain at least one of the major food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein) and contain only moderate amounts of saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium.

Researchers found that by portion size, the cheapest healthy food to eat is grains, followed by dairy, vegetables, fruit, protein, and moderation foods.

When broken down by how much it costs per day to fulfill dietary guidelines, grains and dairy are the cheapest recommendations to meet while vegetable and protein are the most expensive to meet, the researchers wrote. Fruit falls somewhere in the middle.

It costs more money to meet the fruit and vegetable guidelines for a healthy diet because nutrition guidelines call for consuming such a large amount of fruit and vegetables, not because they are more expensive than other foods.

Earlier studies have found that people with limited incomes don’t spend more on fruits and vegetables as their incomes rise, suggesting that tastes and cultural food preferences play a significant role in food choices.

The following guest post is written by Nancy Parker, a former professional nanny. Nancy loves to write about wide range of subjects such as health, parenting, child care, and babysitting, full time nanny tips etc. You can reach her at nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.

Expanding your family from one child to two is an exciting time, but also one that requires a delicate approach when telling your oldest child.

Your firstborn, especially when he or she is in the toddler years, is going to have a hard time adjusting, not only to not being the only child in the family, but also not being the baby anymore.

Before your second child makes his or her grand entrance you’re going to need to do some prep work with your oldest. You can help ease him or her into having a new brother or sister using the following tactics:

1.      Include your firstborn throughout the pregnancy Let your firstborn be actively engaged throughout your pregnancy. Helping to pick out a name for the new brother or sister, being given the opportunity to offer advice on different things, and feeling the baby kicking and moving all help to make to your firstborn fully aware that there is going to be a new baby in the house in the coming months.

 2.      Have your child practice with a doll – Buy a baby doll and let your firstborn practice holding the doll so that he or she knows the proper way to do so. Teaching everything that can and can’t be done with the baby ahead of time makes the transition from pretend baby to real one easier.

3.      Make special dates for one-on-one time – Your firstborn is not used to sharing you and your spouse and adding another person that demands your attention is going to be a difficult concept to grasp. Make special dates with just you or your spouse and your oldest child so that he or she still feels special and is reassured that spending alone time with you both is still possible.

4.      Don’t overdo the excitement factor – One mistake that a lot of parents make is over doing the excitement factor of having a new baby in the household. By doing this, your oldest child is going to be let down when he or she realizes that the new baby is only going to be able to sleep, eat, and cry most of the time and will not be a  new playmate right away. Instead be honest with your oldest  so that he or she knows what to realistically expect.

5.      Let your firstborn help you – As your own personal helper, your firstborn will still feel important. He or she can pick out what the baby is going to wear some days, help you bottle feed, grab burp rags, etc. for you.

The initial shock of having a new baby in the household is going to be a big hurdle for your oldest to overcome.

Expect feelings of resentment and jealousy and that your oldest may resort back to habits previously grown out of. These are all coping mechanisms, and soon enough they will pass. By being honest and taking time to make him or her feel important you can lessen the shock and help your oldest child transition to the role of big brother or sister.

Photo Source Credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fznNoLm3Ye8/TCQXcMtgiKI/AAAAAAAACEk/ZFi0hrbFhO0/s1600/Taylor+Rae+013+%282%29.JPG“.

The Environmental Work Group, a nonprofit organization that uses the power of public information to protect public health and the environment wants to know, “Does your sunscreen actually protect your family?”

In a recent post I received, the EWG reported that only a quarter of the more than 800 beach and sports sunscreens analyzed by them for their 2012 Sunscreen Guide meet EWG standards for effectiveness and safety. They view this as progress though as it is an improvement over previous years.

A quarter of this year’s sunscreen products still contain vitamin A ingredients that accelerate the growth of skin tumors and lesions on sun-exposed skin, according to recent government studies. Also, 56 of the products EWG reviewed had no active ingredients that protect against the sun’s damaging UVA rays.

The industry continues to load store shelves with sunscreens that claim misleading, sky-high SPF ratings that may protect against sunburn-causing UVB rays but leave skin vulnerable to UVA.

Be sure, be careful, be ready for fun in the sun by clicking here for EWG’s 2012 Sunscreen Guide, http://tinyurl.com/btw5quh.

The following article, on the growing problem of childhood obesity, is a reprint of a article written by Staci Marks, a researcher and writer.

The article was published on May 2nd on

http://www.healthinsurancequotes.org/child-obesity-a-growing-problem/

When you were growing up did you ever worry about what you were eating or about your physical appearance? Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States and more families are having to worry about the health of their children. It is now estimated that one in three children in the U.S. is either overweight or obese. This growing issue can be attributed to many factors. By understanding the issues we can help our children learn the benefits of proper nutrition and exercise.

Effect of Socioeconomic Status

Times have been hard for millions of Americans. Some people have to take any job that they can get or work multiple jobs to make ends meet. These hardships can enforce bad habits in how the family operates and how they look at a meal.

Though research has suggested that obesity rates may be going down, it appears that there is a measurable gap in rates of obesity in different socioeconomic statuses. It can often be hard for families to put food on the table consistently. Due to this reasoning there may be parents wanting their kids to eat as much as they can when there is guaranteed food if they do not know where the next meal will come from.

Also, since obesity causes health issues, we are seeing higher economic classes lower their rates. This can be attributed to the fact that they are paying for their personal insurance and do not want to deal with the rising rates unlike someone who might receive government help for health care. If there is not a way that we correct this problem, then we may see that obesity will continue widening the socioeconomic gap.

Does TV Play a Role?

The obvious answer is yes, but it is important to understand how TV plays a role in obesity. One of the most important ways that it affects children is through advertising. Recently researchers have looked at how many fast food restaurants and meals individuals could correctly guess when they removed the restaurant image. It was proven that the overweight and obese samples were able to correctly identify the food more consistently versus those individuals who were not.

Another way that TV affects obesity is that parents often have to rely on TV to entertain their children if they are busy working. Due to this, children are now spending more time in front of the TV rather than playing outside or doing other physical activities.

Is the Government Helping or Hurting?

As Americans we should expect that our representatives will battle for the issues that matter to us.

Since obesity is a problem that is affecting our children, we should count on parents to make smarter decisions for their children, and for the government to regulate the foods that are available to our children.

Think about school lunches for example, we want them to be as nutritious as possible. The problem with that is that the government provides meals for many students for free. Since this costs them lots of money they have unfortunately looked at alternative methods.

One current controversial move was the purchase of more than 7 million pounds of ammonia-treated meat for their meals. This meat, now referred to as “pink slime,” has been rejected by several fast food giants but was somehow deemed okay by the government.The decision was defended by the USDA, which swears that the food was safe. Talk about timing, the decision to buy the meat was announced after the government demanded new regulations on school lunches. They are now calling for more whole grains, produce, and less sodium and fat. The health fight seems to be on everyone’s mind in Washington.

First Lady Michelle Obama has pushed a child obesity campaign that will include better nutrition and daily exercise for our children. She also teamed up with The Biggest Loser to promote a healthier lifestyle.

Unfortunately, it seems that money is still the determining factor in Washington. Food and beverage companies continue to beat out government proposals.

1. Secret Sabotage: Congress recently rejected a plan that would lower sugar, salt, and fat in the food that was marketed towards children.
2. School Lunch Nutrition: In addition to buying pink slime, Congress recently declared pizza a vegetable so that it could continue to stay in the school lunch programs
3. Lucky Streak?: Interestingly enough, the food and beverage industry has a near-perfect record when it comes to battling the health authorities and government
4. Defeat: More than 24 states and five cities have tried to established a “soda tax.” Every time it was either dropped or defeated.

It is time that we stop making excuses for this growing obesity problem and think about our kids. As parents we should want the best for them and their well-being. The health tips that we teach them now are going to shape how they function for the rest of their lives. If we teach them the importance of a healthy lifestyle then we will all benefit in the end.

A recent national study of ER visits raises a red flag on the rates of cuts and bruises for infants and toddlers and what is causing them…pacifiers, bottles and sippy cups.

Previous research on injuries related to bottle, pacifier, and sippy cup use has largely focused on case reports of infant injuries or fatalities attributed to pacifiers or pacifier parts causing asphyxiation or to bottle warming causing burns.

This study, published online May 14 and appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics. is the first to use a nationally representative sample to investigate the range of injuries requiring emergency department visits associated with bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups among children aged 0-3 years.

Using a nationwide survey, researchers estimated that more than 45,000 visits to the emergency room between 1991 and 2010 in children under 3 years old were because of injuries related to using bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups.

Most injuries involved children aged between 1 and 2 years who had a bottle and fell and cut their mouth.

“A lot of parents baby-proof their house but don’t ever think about the possibility of an injury related to these products,” said Sarah Keim, a researcher at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and lead author of the study.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents transition their children from a bottle to a cup between 12 and 15 months of age to avoid problems such as tooth decay. The AAP also recommends weaning babies off pacifiers between 6 and 12 months.

For the study, Keim and her colleagues collected data from the U.S. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a network of about 100 hospitals nationwide that record injuries in their emergency departments related to consumer products.

Two-thirds of the injuries were in children between 1 and 2 years. “This is right around the time that kids start to walk and run and aren’t very good at it yet,” Keim said.

About 66 percent of the injuries were related to a bottle, and 86 percent involved a fall.

It is not clear why more injuries were associated with bottles than the other products, Keim said. “There could be something about the products themselves that are potentially more dangerous or that children are using them more.”

Injuries related to pacifiers made up about 20 percent of cases. They occurred most often in children under 1 year old and led to bruising and dental damage. Sippy-cup injuries, which were most common in children older than 2 years, were more likely to affect the head, neck and face.

Keim said it was reassuring to see that choking injuries made up a small portion of overall injuries.

Having children stay seated while drinking may help protect them, the authors said.

To learn more about child product safety, visit Keeping Babies Safe.

(SOURCES: Sarah Keim, Ph.D., principal investigator, Center for Biobehavioral Health, Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Mark Zonfrillo, M.D., pediatric emergency medicine physician, injury epidemiologist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Injury Research and Prevention, and assistant professor, pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; May 14, 2012, Pediatrics