We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) is a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight.

Rinsing chicken or turkey before cooking it is an ingrained step for many home cooks, passed down through generations and reinforced by cookbooks. Recipes like the “Perfect Roast Chicken” in “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” from 1999 advise cooks to “Rinse the chicken inside and out.” But that doesn’t reflect the science.

Nourish Interactive’s mission is to offer fun, innovative solutions that empower children to make healthy choices. We support parents and teachers with free interactive games and tools that promote a healthier lifestyle.

The teaching resources the site provides for parents and teachers are extensive and well organized, the children's games and activities both entertaining and informative.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. 

When it comes to your heart, what you eat matters. Follow these tips for heart-healthy eating.

Butternut squash is an orange-fleshed winter squash, celebrated for its versatility and sweet, nutty flavor. Though commonly thought of as a vegetable, butternut squash is technically a fruit. It has many culinary uses and makes a great addition to many sweet and savory recipes. Butternut squash is not only tasty but also packs a punch of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

About 1 in 6 (17%) children in the United States has obesity. Certain groups of children are more affected than others. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides a chance for all of us to learn more about this serious health condition. While there is no simple solution, there are many ways communities can support children with their journey to good health.

In a go-go-go world, it's easy to attribute being tired to the hustle and bustle of daily life. But there might actually be underlying reasons. Before you reach for another cup of coffee, reevaluate your habits. Whether it's getting up and moving, taking a quick snooze or packing in the protein, check out natural remedies that could put more pep in your step.

“I’m so fat.” “I’m ugly.” Words like these may be upsetting to hear when they come from a 10-year-old or a teenager, but it can be really disturbing when they’re spoken by kids as young as preschool or kindergarten age. Various research has shown that kids may begin to worry about body weight and physical appearance as early as age 3 to 5 and that many young children express unhappiness about their bodies.

Metabolism is the chemical process by which our bodies extract energy by food. In a large amount of people, metabolism is slower than usual can be due to a number of factors including lack of activity, sleep, poor diet, aging and stress. While we can't avoid aging, we can control the rest. Tips on metabolism-boost foods:

Overweight children often become obese adults, with attendant problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

But a new study suggests there are "critical windows" where that path to weight gain can be changed.

The study, involving more than 2,700 Finnish adults, found what many studies have shown before: Childhood body mass index, or BMI, is a good predictor of adulthood obesity.

Weight loss and weight management are drilled into the lives of people with type 2 diabetes and those at high risk for developing the disease. If losing weight was easy, we wouldn’t have a nationwide obesity problem.

Dr. Deneen Vojta, chief clinical officer of the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance at United Health Group, says many people who have experienced long-term success at keeping weight off for five years or more in the National Weight Control Registry do three things.

Amla, also known as Indian Gooseberry, is the newest crazy cool superfood. It's made it's way into the American hearts in the past year with the list of awesome benefits described below. If you can find it, you should eat it!

Make the most of each mouthful by keeping these five tips in mind.

Listen to your body and respond appropriately to hunger pangs by waiting a bit before you eat, according to Harvard T.H. School of Public Health. The “pause” button provides you one way to outsmart your cravings, as do these suggestions:

Summer heat can increase the risk for heat-related illness like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Learn how to beat the heat and enjoy your summer safely.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in business for ten years. They say, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”  - Christine Hammerlund, RN and President of Assured Healthcare Staffing

Eating fruits and vegetables has many health benefits.

Fewer than 1 in 7 adults eat the recommended amount of fruits every day.
Fewer than 1 in 10 adults eat the recommended amount of vegetables every day.

Don't tuck your trusty crockpot away in a bottom cabinet or the pantry just because the weather is getting warmer. It's a practical and healthy cooking alternative for summertime, too.

• No one likes to cook over a hot stove in the summer, but many people prefer a warm meal for dinner. The crockpot solves the overheated kitchen problem, as there's no need to turn on heat-generating oven or burners. All cooking heat is isolated to one small appliance on your kitchen countertop.

Hooray!  Farmers market season is in full swing around the country, and it's the perfect time to heal and energize your body by indulging in the healthy, nutritious foods that it craves.  Forget about old New Year's resolutions, crazy diets, guilt and deprivation, they just don't work. Take advantage of the summer season to embark on a healthier lifestyle by making delicious meals from the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables overflowing in the market stalls. It's not a hardship to acquire healthy habits when you begin adding new foods to your everyday diet — fresh, vibrantly colored foods that not only taste good but have the nutrients and vitamins that will help to recharge you, body and spirit: 

It's been a long, hot day.  First a morning of yard work, then three hours helping coach the kids' baseball and soccer games, followed by the weekly shopping.  Now you're finally heading home with a week's worth of groceries to unload and put away.  You're tired and thirsty, cranky with your family, and wincing at the throbbing in your temples. You could also be experiencing the first symptoms of dehydration, which is far more common than most people realize.