A few days ago, someone asked me how I feel about delivering the same safety messages time after time, month after month, year after year. He had seen me on the news the previous night as I talked about water safety, which ironically aired at the same time yet another child drowned.
Without hesitation, I found myself giving him a 2-part response:
It is challenging for parents to get good advice about what to feed their children.
One of the biggest reasons for that is the limited amount of research that has been conducted on the nutritional needs of children. It is challenging to safely conduct such research in a way that leads to a good experience for the children involved and provides information that can be translated into public policy.
June 11th I returned from Camp Okawehna outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
Camp Okawehna is a week long summer experience for children suffering from kidney disease. Children who have had a kidney transplant as well as children on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are welcomed at camp — and of course, me, Rena Dee. Camp "O", as it is affectionately called, is one of the largest kidney camps in the country!
Here in Texas, it is sunny and hot! Daily sun protection is recommended for every one, but especially important for children. Because children spend more time playing outdoors, a significant amount of lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18.
The USDA pulled the plug on the Food Guide Pyramid last week and replaced it with the family friendly MyPlate.
But is it really new?
Well... yes and no.