Life After Trans Fat?
Trans fat, originally touted as an inexpensive and useful ingredient in food manufacturing, has become a dietary villain over the past several years. This transition occurred due to evidence that the hydrogenation process commonly used to produce this type of manufacturing-friendly fat is also detrimental to health, particularly heart health. Once the evidence of harmful health effects accumulated, legislative attempts to protect the public from consuming excessive amounts of trans fat began. Changes to the 2006 Food Label regulations required companies to declare the amount of trans fat in their products on labels. Continuing the trend, New York City then adopted the controversial ban of trans fats in its restaurants.
This pressure has pushed companies to reformulate products by either removing trans fat or by at least reducing the amounts enough to claim the trans fat–free label. Food manufactures have been struggling to find a replacement that delivers a tasty product still acceptable to consumers.

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Nutrition News: Excess Weight Is a Cancer Risk
Do diet and body size impact chronic disease? The scientific evidence that these factors play a crucial role in the development of cancer and heart disease continues to accumulate.
Follow the link below to find a table that briefly summarizes results from three recent reports. This is followed by more details about each of the studies and a brief discussion of the implications for nutrition educators.

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Highlights from the USDA Food Security Report
The USDA recently released its 2006 report on the food security status of households in the United States. At some point during the year, 10.9 percent of households reported food insecurity, meaning that the household was uncertain or unable to acquire enough food for all members of the household because of insufficient money or lack of other resources for food. Very low food security was reported in 4 percent of U.S. households, indicating that during the year, some members of the household either involuntarily reduced food intake or had their normal eating patterns disrupted due to lack of resources.
How do the food and nutrition assistance programs relate to rates of food security? Among all households reporting food insecurity during the year, only 55.5 percent participated in the Food Stamp program.

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Altoona Area School District Receives PA Tracks Grant
The Altoona Area School District recently received a Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Tracks grant that has been created specifically for schools that serve 50 percent or greater free and reduced meals and would like to institute wellness education programs. “The increase in the number of children who are obese and the concern about the impact of the lack of a healthy lifestyle are two reasons why the Altoona Area School District views participation in the Nutrition Tracks Program as an opportunity to ensure that our students are getting important knowledge that will help them realize the importance of good nutrition,” stated Dr. Mary Lou Ray.
Six elementary schools in the Altoona Area School District received the Tracks grant; however, the program is being implemented in all ten of the district’s elementary schools. The Tracks project is based on the curriculum of the National Dairy Council’s Little D’s Nutrition Education program.

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New Resources for Nutrition Education
The American Dietetic Association’s conference in Philadelphia during October highlighted two new curriculums designed by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service for low-income adults eligible for food assistance programs. The Eat Smart, Live Strong curriculum addresses the need for nutrition education materials for adults aged 60-74. It promotes two key behaviors that are repeated throughout each of four sessions.
The recently released Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future curriculum was developed out of the need for nutrition education materials that help low-income mothers overcome the barriers to healthy eating for a family.

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Curriculum in Action - The Food Trust
The Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future curriculum is approved for use in local TRACKS programming and has been implemented in some projects. The Food Trust has incorporated the Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future materials into its comprehensive school-wide programming through Eat.Right.Now in Philadelphia and its Distance School Program in a variety of ways. As a parent programming kick-off activity this year, they provided Loving Your Family handouts at Back to School Nights with an emphasis on Family Meals. They are also running parent workshops using the Vegetables and Fruits: Simple Solutions lesson.

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Achieving Energy Balance . . . It’s as Easy as 12345!
Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Day in and day out, families are inundated with messages about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight; yet they are often unsure where to turn for guidance. Among the fragmented, small-scale interventions one message is clear – an important part of being healthy is achieving energy balance ( energy you consume through food = energy you expend through physical activity). Although the concept may seem straightforward, today’s families are overloaded with commitments and responsibilities that often make even the simplest idea seem challenging.
This March during National Nutrition Month, the Institute for the Collective Advancement of Activity and Nutrition (ICAAN) at Penn State College of Medicine will introduce nrgBalance™ 12345!

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