Healthy Eating

Liz Rees, UC Master Gardener of Nevada CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Fall 2010Looking out into your garden, you pause to wonder, what was I thinking when I decided to grow all of these vegetable plants and all of these fruit trees? Questions keep flashing in your mind. How many recipes are there for…

Advancing Water Equity Across CaliforniaWater systems are both technical and social infrastructures. Across California, disparities in access, affordability, infrastructure reliability, and exposure to environmental risk continue to affect communities differently. Addressing these inequities requires…

School meals provide a significant portion of children’s daily nutrition, and policies like the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, Community Eligibility Provision, and Healthy School Meals for All have improved access to healthier meals. However, variations in lunch period lengths and seated time may affect meal…

The Nutrition Policy Institute is pleased to share the 2025 CalFresh Healthy Living data briefs, highlighting the vital contributions of local health departments and their community partners to California’s nutrition and physical activity promotion efforts during federal fiscal year 2025. The California…

Universal school meal policies allow all students to eat school meals at no cost, regardless of income, and have the potential to improve child nutrition and reduce stigma. However, there is limited evidence of the relationship between such policies and stigma. A new study published in the Journal…

Research Brief • January 2026 • Download PDF (665 KB)TABLE OF CONTENTSFFY 2025 CalFresh Healthy Living At a GlancePolicy, Systems, & Environmental Change EffortsEducational ActivitiesPartnerships & Multi-Sector CoalitionsAssessment of Policies, Practices, & OutcomesFFY 2025 CalFresh…

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that toddlers transition from whole milk to fat-free or low-fat milk by the time they reach two years of age to reduce saturated fat intake and obesity risk. However the science is mixed as to whether consuming lower-fat milk truly supports improved…

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reports findings from a randomized controlled trial—the gold standard study design in health research—showing that promoting drinking water in elementary schools can help prevent overweight and reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake among…

On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) released the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). The newly released Guidelines deviate from prior DGAs in both process and content. What happenedU.S. law requires that the DGAs be revised…