Check out our interactive blog containing news about the borough-wide SSB free movement happening in the Bronx, as well as other projects within NYC and around the country.
By Daniel Beekman May 31, 2017 The Seattle Times Under a new version of the city’s proposal, diet drinks would not be taxed, in addition to other changes. A final vote by the full council likely will be scheduled for Monday. Seattle City Council members moved a proposed soda tax Wednesday toward a final vote — and amended it to exclude diet drinks. Mayor Ed Murray sent legislation to the council in April calling for a tax of 1.75 cents per ounce on distributors of sweetened beverages, including sugary and diet soft drinks, among others. Under the new version of the proposed tax, diet drinks would not be taxed, small manufacturers would be exempted and medium-sized manufacturers would pay a reduced rate. The amended plan would raise about $8 million less annually than Murray’s plan, according to city estimates. The council’s finance committee made the changes Wednesday before voting 5-2 to move the ordinance forward. “For me, the main object of this legislation is to reduce the consumption of this unhealthy product,” Councilmember Mike O’Brien said. Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Kshama Sawant cast the dissenting votes, while Councilmembers Tim Burgess and M. Lorena González were behind the major changes.…
By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS MAY 22, 2017 The New York Times The nation’s top pediatricians are advising parents to stop giving fruit juice to children in the first year of life, saying the drink is not as healthful as many parents think. In the past, the American Academy of Pediatrics had advised parents to avoid 100 percent fruit juice for babies younger than 6 months. On Monday, the group toughened its stance against juice, recommending that the drink be banned entirely from a baby’s diet during the first year. The concern is that juice offers no nutritional benefits early in life, and can take the place of what babies really need: breast milk or formula and their protein, fat and minerals like calcium, the group said. This is the first time the pediatricians’ group has updated its guidelines on fruit juice since 2001. “I think this is a fantastic recommendation for infants, and it’s long overdue,” said Dr. Elsie M. Taveras, chief of the division of general pediatrics at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, who was not involved in the new report. “Parents feel their infants need fruit juices, but that’s a misconception.” The new recommendations may surprise…
Drinking sugary beverages is associated with markers of accelerated aging and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study reports. Researchers used data on more than 4,000 people over 30, examining their brains with M.R.I. and measuring memory with psychological tests. All completed well-validated food frequency questionnaires. Sugary beverage intake is an indirect measure of how much sugar we get in our diets, which is difficult to measure precisely. The authors defined “sugary beverage” to include sodas as well as fruit juices, which may contain added sugars. The study, in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, found that on average, the more sugary drinks consumed, the lower the total brain volume and the lower the scores on memory tests. Brain shrinkage is tied to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Compared with those who drank no sugary drinks, those who drank one or two a day had a reduced brain volume equivalent to 1.6 years of normal aging, and lower memory scores equivalent to 5.8 years of aging. Those who drank more than two had decreased brain volume equivalent to two years of normal aging and lower memory scores by the equivalent of 11 years. The researchers controlled for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol,…
The Bronx, New York has been selected as one of 50 members of the HealthyCommunity50 in the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge and will receive a $10,000 community seed award. By participating in the Challenge, The Bronx is now in the running to receive a prize of up to $500,000 that will support their local program, the Healthy Beverage Zone (HBZ). The Challenge, a partnership between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties, will award $1.5 million in prizes to small and mid-sized cities, counties and federally-recognized tribes that are able to show measurable change over the course of several years working with cross-sector partnerships to implement health innovations and data-driven solutions. The HealthyCommunity50 were chosen based on plans to improve the health of their communities in at least one of five domains: healthy behaviors, community safety, built environment (structural), social/economic factors and environmental exposures. Union Community Health Center (UCHC), serving as the lead organization, along with partners of the Bronx’s #Not62 – The Campaign for A Healthy Bronx, came together to form the HBZ, a project that focuses on furthering positive health outcomes throughout the Bronx and decreasing the number of chronic…
Bronx Community Health Network (BCHN) was one of the first organizations to sign on and support the Healthy Beverage Zone project. In 2014, BCHN received a CDC REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) grant, which required the organization to focus on obesity prevention campaigns that took into account variables such nutrition and physical activity. “As BCHN was already implementing campaigns throughout the Bronx community to create access to healthier foods and beverages, becoming a Healthy Beverage Zone seemed like natural progression for the organization,” said Michael Hernandez, program manager and policy analyst at Bronx Community Health Network. As an active HBZ partner, here are a few ways BCHN is encouraging their employees to choose healthier beverages: BCHN has worked in tandem with the Department of Health to promote voluntary food and beverage guidelines throughout their organization. They have increased healthier beverage options in vending their machines, at special events and meetings. Staff has been introduced to fruit-infused water recipes. BCHN works with vendors to ensure they offer healthy beverage options. Water is available at all board meetings. Water coolers have been placed generous throughout the organization to create greater access for all employees. “Everyone at BCHN is excited…
Infused water isn’t just delicious, it’s one of the easiest ways to get more nutrients without even really trying. All you have to do is add fruit and water in a pitcher! We all know we should drink more H2O, and infusing is a perfect way to do so. Blueberry, lemon and cucumber Pear, raspberry and rosemary Strawberry and mint Apple and cinnamon Follow UCHC_Bronx on Twitter for updates on the SSB Free Zone and the HBZ project.
Making the choice to drink a healthy beverage over an unhealthy one can dramatically impact our overall health. In fact, the single biggest source of excess calories is what we drink. To minimize the risks of health problems associated with obesity and diabetes, partners of the #Not62 – The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx joined forces to launch the Bronx Healthy Beverage Zone (HBZ) to help organizations create an environment that motivates co-workers, clients and neighbors to ditch sugary beverages and promote healthy drink options. Led by Dr. Vanessa Salcedo, the initiative models Union Community Health Center’s SSB (sugar-sweetened beverage) Free Zone, where one small change has helped the organization in encouraging wellness not only among UCHC’s employees, but their patients as well. Ultimately, the goal of the Bronx HBZ is to champion the borough to take back their health by making healthier beverage choices! The Bronx HBZ project concentrates on furthering positive health outcomes throughout the Bronx and decreasing the number of chronic diseases that Bronxites develop as a result of consuming sugary beverages. How can an organization/business become a Healthy Beverage Zone? Once an organization makes the decision to become Healthy Beverage Zone (HBZ), the HBZ team will…