Greetings! This week we're talking about updating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, school wellness policies and more. Please read, share and stay awesome! Thank you!

 

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide recommendations on diet, nutrition and health, and serve as the foundation for federal food-assistance programs like SNAP, WIC and school meals. The USDA and HHS are expected to release updated guidelines by the end of this year, and an Advisory Committee has just released a report with findings and recommendations on essential nutrients, the importance of physical activity, sustainability, the food environment, and more. Check out the details on the blog. 

 

 

DYK? Every school is required to have a Wellness Policy, covering topics like school celebrations and rewards, physical activity, and nutrition education. And recent updates require schools to engage parents in the policies, too! This is a great way to get involved. Join @MomsRising and @CSPI today, 2/27, at 1pm ET to learn more! Follow #FoodFri on Twitter to participate!  

 

Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy hearty salads! Stop on by the GFF Facebook Group to get some healthy new ideas, and share your own! Check out: wheat salad; five bean salad; quinoa, chickpea, walnut and dried fruit salad; Ethiopian simple salad; and more! 

 

I’m Denise Mestanza-Taylor and I blog at Run DMT, an old school hip-hop play on my initials. I’m a Tampa Bay marathon mom on the run just trying to maintain a easy pace between raising three kids (13, 9 and 4) and races. I just completed my tenth marathon.

 

Since I discovered a love for running late in life, I decided to teach my children how to run early in their young lives and it fills me with such pride to know that I’ve created runners in my children. My three kids and I train and run races together by focusing on the fun side of running and living a healthy lifestyle. By teaching them to run and making fitness fit, I’ve given my kids such an amazing skill set that they can use for the rest of their lives. No matter what life throws at them, they can shake it off and go for a run to clear their heads rather than turning to other vices. In fact, I feel so strongly about making fitness fun and healthy life choices, this year I will be serving on the committee to organize another fun run FUNdraiser at my kids’ school.

 

Moms are powerful because we are the nurturers and the protectors. Moms know how to make kids feel safe and secure and we continually sacrifice our own needs to provide for our children. And for that, moms have a voice that makes them uniquely powerful. When we ban together, we can move mountains in the name of protecting our children.

 

Thank you for all you do!

- Karen, Migdalia, Monifa, Donna, Dream and the rest of the MomsRising.org Food Team!