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If you've recently discovered your darling child is throwing away the apple you give her and buying a neon-green slushie and bag of cheese-flavored salt doodles from the school cafeteria's "a la carte" line, Tuesday's your last chance to sound off on snacks offered for sale at schools across the nation.

As a school superintendent, I know firsthand that helping kids be successful at school is about more than test scores. It’s about everything from the teachers, to the classrooms to the food and drink available at school. That’s why the proposed updates to nutrition standards for school snacks are so important.

Strict school lunch standards that are similar to new regulations from the U.S. government may be tied to healthier body weights among students, according to a new study.

Editor’s Note: This study was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its research program Bridging the Gap.

As a parent, I tried to teach my kids to make healthy choices. As a state representative, I understand that policy plays a crucial role in ensuring children have healthy choices at school. That’s why the updated nutrition standards for school snacks, proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are so important.

According research published in the journal Pediatrics, first-graders served themselves more and downed more calories when they used a large plate instead of a smaller one.

Offered through the Fond du Lac Family YMCA, the Y5210 program is an anti-obesity prevention effort that stands for five fruits and vegetables per day, two hours or less of screen time, one hour of physical activity and zero sugar-sweetened beverages as a key to maintaining a healthy weight.

The central causes of obesity — poor diet and no exercise — are known to most. The influence of social and economic factors is less obvious.

Michael Krings, a member of the Healthy Hastings committee and director of the YMCA, said the first step in helping a city's residents obtain a healthier lifestyle is making it easier to walk and bike in the city. The committee has started the "Share our Streets" campaign to educate people, reduce bike and pedestrian injuries and encourage physical activity by promoting nonmotorized use of the streets.

Improving school foods won't solve all the problems we face as parents and teachers, but it's a critical step in improving the health of this generation and those to come. We should tell USDA we support their efforts and encourage schools to stand with us for healthy kids.

Schools nationwide are working to revise menus to meet new federal nutrition requirements that mandate fewer calories, more whole grains, lower sodium levels, and more fruits and vegetables.

Getting her 3-year-old daughter to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and stay physically active hasn’t been a problem for Sue, 30, of Meadville. However, she has found that keeping healthy food on the table can be financially challenging.

The head of the Senate Transportation Committee said Thursday he plans to unveil legislation that will include what public health groups say would be Pennsylvania’s first-ever dedicated funding commitment to bicycle and walking paths. Health groups, bicycle enthusiasts, medical professionals and environmental advocates are pushing for funding for the routes as a way to encourage people to be more active, reduce pollution, and improve public health overall.

Travelers using Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport can get a workout in while waiting for a flight using two new indoor walking paths. The BWI Cardio Trail includes two loops, that are one kilometer, or .6 of a mile, in distance.

When parents and guardians sign up at KidsSkateFree.com, they will receive two free passes per week, per child, to go skating at Skatetown, he said.

Standing at the register and near the garbage cans, [researcher Andrew] Hanks counted some 3,700 trays, noting both what students piled on their plates and what they actually consumed. "You've got to get your hands dirty, literally," says Hanks. "Our mantra is, 'It's not nutrition until it's eaten.'" In a "smart" lunchroom, the authors found, students were 13 to 23 percent more likely to take a fruit or vegetable, and 10 to 15 percent more likely to eat the whole thing.

The revisions to the health and wellness policy for Howard County schools are good, but they could be better if the system wants to be word-class in all aspects, according to a study released last month by a local nonprofit dedicated to health in Howard County.

[Sally Nicholson, county director of student nutrition services] said the district has focused on getting more nutritious items and more fresh fruits and vegetables onto the menu for the past few years, as well as getting students interested and engaged with good nutrition.

As the mother of a high school student, I know how hard it can be to get teenagers to reach for wholesome snacks instead of junk food. Yet, as the Dean of the George Washington (GW) University School of Public Health and Health Services, I also believe that judicious government interventions can tweak our environment in ways that make it easier to eat healthier food and get out and move.

Residents in Louisiana and other Delta states face significant health challenges, particularly with obesity and diabetes, according to new data compiled by the Delta Regional Authority.

Mark Fenton believes that handing out water bottles and T-shirts at events designed to encourage health and wellness isn’t enough, and that health must be built into a community, beginning with planning and design.