Jean H. Ragalie, R.D. President, National Dairy Council

Greetings,

Improving the health of America's children continues to be at the forefront of conversations. One-third of American children are overweight or obese, and in 2011, 16.7 million children lived in food insecure households. The severity and complexity of health is a necessary discussion at home and in schools.

In 2001, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher's "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Overweight and Obesity" highlighted the gravity of the issue. Today's children could become the first American generation with a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Since Dr. Satcher's report, we've achieved an incredible amount to help motivate children to make healthy changes and develop smart eating habits. The time is now to make unprecedented strides in the child nutrition space to ensure our nation's children have a healthy future. Together with our partners and our collective vision of improving child health, we can all make an impact.

Through our long-standing partnership with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and working with registered dietitians (RDs) and other health and wellness professionals, we have been able to create programs with science-based nutrition and physical activity to build a strong foundation for children. In the past few months we have had a number of opportunities, such as the Learning Connection Summit, hosted by GENYOUth Foundation in collaboration with the National Dairy Council, American College of Sports Medicine and the American School Health Association, to continue the dialogue on the importance of good nutrition and physical activity for child health.

One program cannot solve complex issues facing America's youth, such as childhood obesity and hunger. Through our partnerships, programs and initiatives, like Fuel Up to Play 60, we can help our nation's children and their families get the education and opportunities they need to make smart choices.

With so much happening in the child health arena, we've dedicated this issue of The Dairy Download to child nutrition. The stories within are great examples of how we are all making a positive impact to help foster healthy children. Together, I am confident we can create long-term solutions to positively impact the lives of America's youth for generations to come.

In good health,

Jean H. Ragalie, RD President, National Dairy Council

On September 18-19, 2012, National Dairy Council joined GENYOUth Foundation, American College of Sports Medicine and American School Health Association in hosting the Nutrition + Physical Activity Learning Connection Summit to explore the connections between healthy behaviors, such as eating breakfast and getting physical activity, and learning among youth. The Summit highlighted the need for improvement and education in health and wellness for our nation's children and presented an opportunity for open discussion on nutrition, physical activity and academics to help children reach their true potential.

The event brought together a number of stakeholders, including Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education; Sam Kass, White House assistant chef; Janey Thornton, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; David Satcher, MD, Learning Connection Summit Chair and former Surgeon General; Carla Hall, celebrity chef and co-host of "The Chew"; and NFL players and alumni including London Fletcher, Ray Rice, Kurt Warner and Darrell Green.

"We need a team effort to take on childhood obesity, and schools have to be part of this important work," said Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. "The data shows that students are less active the older they get and that in school they have less time for physical education and recess as they move up the grades. It doesn't have to be that way. It shouldn't be that way."

The event kicked off with attendees enjoying fitness activities with NFL players during physical activity night to showcase how staying active helps contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Chef Carla Hall's cooking demonstration taught children about the importance of a nutritious breakfast, and students had the opportunity to create and taste new recipes.

"The solution begins in schools," said Carla Hall during her demonstration. "Eating breakfast we know improves kids' performance in school, but a lot of them skip breakfast. We can learn a lot from our panel of students…students like them are making healthy changes in schools such as increasing access to, and participating in, kid-appealing school breakfasts."

The event identified the importance of youth engagement and empowerment to stimulate sustainable change in schools, and Fuel Up to Play 60 remained a positive example of a successful program aimed at sparking change in health and nutrition behaviors among our nation's children. GENYOUth's commitment, and the commitment of those in attendance, will continue to strengthen the well-being of our children.

Dairy Benefits Children's Health

With the school year well underway, it's important to continue educating children on the benefits of low-fat and fat-free dairy, especially as part of their school meals. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) notes that it is especially important to establish the habit of drinking milk in young children, as those who consume milk at an early age are more likely to do so as adults. An 8-ounce serving of milk delivers a rich package of nine essential nutrients important for good health, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin (niacin equivalents).

A number of studies have shown that consuming dairy during childhood is important to achieve better health as an adult. Current evidence indicates consuming dairy is linked to improved bone health, especially in children and adolescents, and may reduce the risk for CVD, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure in adults. Below are two recent studies that add to this body of evidence and reinforce the importance of good nutrition among our children.

• Healthy eating patterns in early adolescence characterized by higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, poultry and fish can be key indicators of lipid levels in late adolescence. A study found that young girls (9-17 years) who consumed more dairy products, fruit and non-starchy vegetables had lower levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol in late adolescence.
• In observing school-aged children's nutrition and physical activity habits, a recent study found that children with a healthy weight consumed more dairy than obese children. Diet quality and levels of physical activity were associated with obesity in school-aged children. The study found that normal weight children consumed more dairy than the obese children, who consumed more fruit-flavored water. Additionally, the study found that school-aged children were not achieving the recommended level of daily physical activity.