Public schools to expel junk food next year

Three years ago, as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was required to place nutritional standards on all foods served in public schools and allocate funding to various programs aimed at helping students eat healthier.  The act was billed as one of the biggest federal changes to public school lunch and breakfast programs in over 30 years and the herald of sweeping reforms.

 However, such changes were slow in coming and were not well received when they did.  In late 2012, initial attempts by the USDA to limit the calorie count in school lunches were met with protest and deemed heavy handed by students, faculty and parents.  Glitches in similar programs at the local level did little to help public opinion - such as when New York City officials admitted that they had gone too far in cutting calories and school lunches in the city were below the USDA's minimum recommendation.  Now, new federal regulations are set to take effect for the 2014-2015 school year - the "smart snacks" initiative aims to filter food choices based on fat, sugar and sodium content and eliminate empty calories in cafeterias, vending machines and snack bars.  But will it be received any better?

Empty calories in school snacks before and after the implementation of "Smart Snacks"

The pros and cons of obesity officially being a disease

While other groups have considered obesity to be a disease for some time now, the same statement coming from the world's largest medical body carries a great deal more weight (no pun intended).  Last week on Wednesday, June 19, the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to officially recognize obesity as a disease, which could radically change how the condition is treated by both doctors and policy makers alike.  Despite its name, the AMA's decision has spurred discussion way beyond national borders, with headlines popping up the world over on how it will effect the international medical community - both the good and bad.

And we're back! A returning announcement and new mission statement

It's been a long time but I have finally taken this blog off hiatus and am returning with regular updates. A small number of you may remember Sugar Rush as a class project I started more than a year ago. At the time it was meant to examine state and city restrictions on sugary foods and drinks as a way to effectively combat the country's obesity epidemic. While this is still an interesting topic that I plan to keep exploring, the blog's scope is going to be expanding to cover a wider variety of wellness topics as well though still keeping a nutritional/lifestyle bent. People often think that living healthy means giving up just about everything worth living for - chocolate, your favorite fast food joint, alcohol, etc. - or switching to expensive organic foods and products or a drastic lifestyle change you just don't have time for right now. Sugar Rush will hopefully make this all a little less intimidating and all encompassing. Highlighting new ideas, as well as debunking some outdated ones, on how to stay healthy without becoming a neurotic.

Soda Taxes Beginning to Bubble Up

View Soda Taxes bubbling up in a larger map


Though we may not be seeing something like Denmark's "Fat Tax" in the States anytime soon, legislation is popping up around the country to cut down on the one of the biggest and most infamous sources of obesity.  This map points out the varying levels of taxation with thumbtack representation - plus a few other facts.


Key: 
$ - highest level of additional sales tax on soda at 7%
Green thumbtack - 5.75% to 6.5% tax
Light blue thumbtack - 4% to 5.5% tax
Yellow thumbtack - 1% to 3%
No thumbtack - No tax
Fast food icon - high levels of consumption and other facts