Tips for a Healthy New Year

Good health is at or near the top of most families’ wish lists for the new year.  The trick is finding new and interesting ways to achieve it.

The Des Moines Register newspaper has a list of 52 useful suggestions, ranging from divvying up snacks into smaller portions and giving boring lunches a healthy boost to making a grocery store trip an adventure or using friends as resources for new, healthy recipes.

Click here to read the complete story.

How to Check Out Toy Recalls Involving Lead

If you’re in the midst of holiday shopping and want to know which toys to avoid when it comes to lead content, the Florida Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (FLCLPPP) can help.

The group’s website provides a list, including pictures and descriptions, of products recalled because of high levels of lead. It warns that lead poisoning can affect nearly every system in the body and frequently goes unrecognized.

Click here to check out the recall list.

Winter Park Family Fall Festival Coming Up

Winter Park’s Family Fall Festival, a kick-off event for Orange County’s celebration of National Family Week which focuses on strengthening the community by strengthening families, will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 in Central Park on Park Avenue.

Fun family events will include a children’s costume parade, old-fashioned hay rides, a pumpkin patch in the park, swimming pool safety tips, musical art-making by the Central Florida Music Studio and entertainment by The Outer Toons.

The Winter Park Health Foundation will be on site to introduce the new, free Healthy Fun & Fitness Guide to Winter Park. It provides tips on biking and walking trails, parks, as well as places to swim, boat, jog and play tennis.

Don’t Forget: Dommerich Elementary Hosts Healthy Foods Cook-Off on Oct. 10

Dommerich Elementary School will host “Ready, Set, Cook and Eat”–a celebrity chef and student cook-off designed to inspire healthy family eating–at 7 p.m. October 10 in the school’s cafeteria at 1900 Choctaw Trail, Maitland.

The free event was created by Healthy Kids Challenge, a national, nonprofit organization led by registered, licensed dietitians dedicated to getting kids and families to eat healthfully and exercise. It will be emceed by the group’s director, Vickie James, RD, LD.

FDA Proposes New Rule for Sunscreen Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today proposed a new regulation that sets standards for formulating, testing and labeling over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen drug products with ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) protection.

“For more than 30 years, consumers have been able to identify the level of UVB protection provided by sunscreens using only sunburn protection factor or SPF values,” said Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs. Under the proposal, “consumers will also now know the level of UVA protection in sunscreens, which will help them make informed decisions about protecting themselves and their children against the harmful effects of the sun.”

Read the complete story from the FDA.

Shaq Wants to Shape Up the Whole Family

Shaquille O’Neal, who is busy trying to help six overweight Florida middle school children get healthy by losing weight on his ABC television show, “Shaq’s Big Challenge,” also has established a website encouraging other families to join along.

By clicking here parents can get information on nutrition and exercise, as well as on Shaq’s Family Challenge. This is an online plan to improve family healthy by showing how to make lifestyle changes and break poor health habits.

Check it out!