In an effort to promote healthier eating habits among students, Merced County school officials are eliminating foods high in fat from school meal offerings and replacing them with fruits, vegetables and other nutritious alternatives. This is part three in a four-part series.
Part one: Convenience often trumps nutrition
Candy bars, Pop-Tarts and french fries were always on the menu in Ruth Sanchez's daily diet.
For years, the 17-year-old consistently made poor eating choices. "Fast food is what I would eat the most," she recalled.
Ruth, a former Merced Scholars Charter School student, said the two main reasons she turned to fast food were because it was affordable and easy to get.
"You are on the run, and you are going to get something from the $1 menu," she explained. "It's quick and it's the cheapest."
Not only did Ruth, who weighs 183 pounds, make the wrong choices when it came to eating, she also didn't live an active life.
That's no longer the case. She has made a dramatic change in her habits.
This is part two in a four-part series.
Part one: Convenience often trumps nutrition
Low prices, availability and aggressive targeted marketing are all factors that ensure children and teenagers are eating more fast food than ever before. The Network for a Healthy California is pushing for outdoor advertising that encourages healthier choices. This is part one in a four-part series.
Part two: Committed to nutrition
State lawmakers are moving closer to snuffing out synthetic versions of cocaine and marijuana in West Virginia.
Both the House of Delegates and state Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed similar proposals (HB2505, SB63) to make it illegal to possess or distribute the drugs, often found in convenience stores and head shops.
Racial disparity in baby death rates is not a new subject. It's a complex, insiduous, and, at times, inflammatory, issue. In my corner of the world, there are communities where the baby death rate is nearly three times the national norm.
With the number of traffic fatalities on the rise, San Francisco is quickly becoming one of the country's most dangerous cities to navigate on foot.
Several universities throughout California have received sizeable grants for extensive study of stem cells.
Some West Virginia lawmakers want to ban K2 and other so-called synthetic marijuana products, which are growing in popularity.
