USDA.Gov – Kristy Anderson
“It’s the number one killer of Americans and it costs the most to treat. Yet 80 percent of cardiovascular disease cases would disappear if we practiced a little prevention such as eating right and exercising more. Prevention is absolutely essential when it comes to our kids. Right now one in three children in the U.S. are overweight and obese, and only about one percent meet the American Heart Association’s criteria for ideal heart health. Poor nutrition habits are putting children at risk for diabetes and fatty liver disease, and 90 percent of kids consume too much salt, which puts them at risk for hypertension – once thought to be an adult-only disease. Because children develop eating habits early in life and many get 50 percent or more of their calories in schools, supporting nutritious school foods naturally fell in line with the American Heart Association’s mission: to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. I have had numerous association volunteer doctors and cardiologists tell me that we need to do something about the number of chronically ill children that come into their practices sick from the unhealthy foods they eat.”(more)