Important nutrition facts may soon appear on the front of food labels, hopes the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute, who this week announced a new labeling system called "Nutrition Keys" to make important health data that much more accessible.

Nutrition Keys, which is voluntary, asks food producers to display calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar content on the front of food packages; currently nutrition facts appear on the back of most food products.

Between 2003 and 2006, almost 40% of Mexican-American adolescents (12 to 19) were overweight or likely to become so, according to researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

They found that teens who reduced their daily sugar intake by 47 grams (equal to one can of soda), while increasing their daily fiber intake by 5 grams (equal to one-half cup of beans), lowered their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Emily Ventura, MPH, and her colleagues in the Department of Preventive Medicine published their results in the April edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Teens who decreased their sugar intake secreted 33% less insulin, while those who increased their fiber intake lost 10% of fat around vital organs. Insulin resistance and obesity are two major risk factors for diabetes.

“Our results suggest that intensive interventions may not be necessary to achieve modifications in sugar and fiber intake,” the authors write. “Accordingly, nutritional guidance given in the primary-care or community setting may be sufficient to promote the suggested dietary changes in some individuals. In addition, policies that promote reduced intake of added sugar and increased intake of fiber could be effective public-health strategies for the prevention of type 2 diabetes in this high-risk population.”

For Your Organic Bookshelf: “I’m, Like, So Fat!”: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices About Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World

Ninety percent of Americans fail to meet the recommended daily guidelines for whole-grain consumption, which vary by gender and age.

 Whole grains include oatmeal, brown or wild rice, buckwheat, bulgur, whole-wheat cereal, whole-wheat pasta and quinoa. (Click here for a full list. Be sure to differentiate them from refined grains, and make organic choices.) 

“Start the day right with a bowl of whole-grain cereal, fat-free milk and fruit,” says Jackie Newgent, a registered dietitian and culinary consultant in New York City. 

“Americans need to close the whole-grains gap,” says Newgent, author of Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes and Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle. “Whole grains are rich in vitamins and minerals and are also loaded with fiber—a great tool for weight management because it fills you up and keeps you satisfied.” 

Whole-grain cereals are “familiar, satisfying, taste great and offer the utmost in convenience for busy consumers,” she adds.

“What you add to your cereal can elevate it to a real taste sensation and nutritional powerhouse.” (Saturday’s recipe for Mandarin Orange Cereal Bowl is a perfect example.)

 Whole grains help prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer, Newgent says, and studies show consumption is associated with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 

Also by Jackie Newgent: The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook

And now, new research suggests organic foods may reverse our country’s health misfortunes, like slowing the aging process and limiting pesticide exposure.

Here are some bullet points from the Organic Center’s report, Organic Food and a Healthier Future:

• Organic foods promote healthy patterns of cell division and differentiation, and lay the groundwork for normal endocrine system regulation of blood sugars, lipids, energy intake, and immune system functions.

• Establish and help sustain taste-based preferences in the child for familiar nutrient-dense, flavorful foods.

• Largely eliminate dietary exposures to approximately 180 pesticides known to disrupt the development or functioning of the endocrine system.

• Possibly helping to trigger or reinforce a sense of satiety, or fullness, thereby reducing excessive caloric intake.

• Lessening or limiting the cellular and genetic damage done by reactive oxygen species (so-called free radicals), and in this way reducing the risk of diabetes and other diseases rooted in inflammation (arthritis, cardiovascular disease) and rapid cell growth (cancer).

• Slowing, and perhaps even reversing certain neurological aspects of the aging process, leading to better memory and retention of cognitive skills.

Via TreeHugger.