Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today discussed the impact President Bush's budget proposal would have on Iowans and Americans. Harkin leads the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee as well as the appropriations subcommittee that funds health and education initiatives - both jurisdictions received major cuts in Bush's budget.

“It is clear that Iowans and Americans are desperate for a new direction for our country. Regrettably, President Bush's budget proposal is more of the same, pushing our country backward as he has for the past seven years," said Harkin. “He proposes deep cuts to programs that Americans rely upon, programs that protect our seniors, educate our kids and strengthen communities of every size. While slashing programs for low and middle income families, the President insists on extending his tax giveaways to the wealthiest Americans.

Nutrition Moves Up on Mom's Purchasing Agenda

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Nutrition has moved up on mom's shopping list, as three in four moms (74 percent) consider the nutritional content of foods they purchase for their children more now than they did two to three years ago, says a new survey from Ronzoni(R) Smart Taste(TM). Furthermore, two-thirds (65 percent) of moms are more concerned now compared to two to three years ago about their children's nutrition.

However, the battle between nutrition and taste rages on as parents are actively seeking healthier foods they can be sure their kids will like. According to the survey of approximately 1,000 moms with children ages 5-17, nutritional content is the number one factor considered when buying grocery products for their children (27 percent), but mom's desire for nutrition is followed closely by her child's preference (22 percent).

The Junior League Launches Third Annual Childhood Obesity And ...

The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) will launch its third annual Junior Leagues' Kids in the Kitchen education initiative on childhood obesity and nutrition this March, in conjunction with National Nutrition Month in the U.S. and Canada. The well-established initiative, which helps communities across four countries address the consequences of childhood obesity and poor nutrition, will continue to help youngsters learn about healthy eating and involve them in the preparation of their own meals and snacks. Exclusive kids media partner, Cartoon Network, will support the program with on-air public service announcements, League-wide distribution of grassroots event-activation kits and an online animated educational game tied to the network's "Get Animated" pro-social platform.

Minnesotans could save billions in health care costs, task force says

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said there's much he likes in the wide-ranging recommendations he received Tuesday from a task force he appointed to find ways to improve health care in Minnesota.

The broad range of recommendations would link doctors, hospitals, employers, patients, insurers, schools, communities and policy makers in initiatives aimed at paring $12.3 billion from health care costs otherwise projected to soar from about $30 billion now to $57.4 billion by 2015.

Herbal cleansing made easy

Walk into any natural grocery store or bookstore and you'll notice a section that has steadily grown over the past few years. Once the domain of hippie purists and spiritual ascetics, the old-fashioned fast has evolved into the cleanse or detox, with shelves full of books and kits to help its many new adherents.

Two of the most well-known proponents of detoxification are Ann Louise Gittleman, author of best-selling "The Fat Flush Plan" (McGraw-Hill, 2002) and "The Fast Track Detox Diet" (Broadway Books, 2006), and Dr.

Retired dietitian says ‘it’s all about lifestyle’

In theater, everyone thinks they're a critic. In nutrition, everyone thinks they're an expert, says Jackie Bartz, who recently retired after 34 years as a registered dietitian."Because everyone eats, everyone is a nutrition expert, and I've seen that over the years," Bartz said. "Just because you read something on the Internet or your beautician or neighbor told you something, that doesn't make you an expert."
A registered dietitian is an expert, she said.Bartz, who was a dietitian the past 11 years at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, has a list of her favorite nutrition tips and pet peeves collected over the years.Good nutrition is often common sense, "but common sense is a misnomer because sense is not all that common," she said.Another pet peeve: people look at her and her healthy weight, and think she can eat anything."No, I am aware of what I eat all the time, and that's the magic tip," Bartz said.She said another pet peeve is dieting with starving and then bingeing."It's all about lifestyle balancing food and activity for your lifetime," Bartz said.

January 2006

Being the mother of two young women (and two sons), I feel like a salmon swimming upstream trying to shape their modesty. Our society in general thinks that sex is cheap not holy between a married husband and wife. One has to wonder with the likes of promiscuity, delayed marriage or living together, me first attitudes, and disfunctional families, how on earth is this up and coming generation going to turn the tide. Rape is a byproduct of our moral decay."

DFO: Not only was this an insightful comment re: the "rape debate" started Monday evening by a hurried question, but it was posted by newcomer CMAC. I appreciate the thoughts she expressed as well as those from Russ, Bob, et al. It's a touchy subject, as was evidenced by an attempt in the newsroom to stop the discussion before it started.

Saying good-bye to fad diets and pills

As the world turns to fad diets and the empty promises of diet pills, nutritionists and dietitians suggest that the easiest way to gain optimal health is just to, simply, eat healthier.

Eating oranges and other vitamin C rich foods may help eliminate the cancer-causing bacteria, H. pylori, which causes peptic ulcers and untreated, can lead to stomach cancer.