Dogs Placed in Elementary Schools Making a Big Difference in Academics and Mental Health for Michigan Students

Priority Pups

To help reduce anxiety—and open the way for learning—several elementary schools in Michigan have enrolled service dogs as full-time happiness ambassadors—and it is paw-sitively working.

Students are “already seeing a big difference in their academics,” according to a news report from WXMI-TV 17.

Priority Health, a Michigan health insurance provider, launched Priority Pups in September when goldendoodles were placed in two of the state’s school districts, “with more to come”.

“I love you, Meeka,” said Shelby, a student at North Godwin Elementary School who was snuggled up with the pup, which serves in a different classroom every day.

Research shows the presence of a trained dog lowers children’s stress, fosters a positive attitude toward learning, and smooths interactions between classmates.

A 2023 report from Mental Health America found that many youth in Michigan with clinical depression did not receive any mental health treatment.

Shelby’s mom, Laurie Uhl, described the difference Meeka is making in her daughter’s life.

“Shelby was diagnosed with a genetic disorder called Fragile X Syndrome, along with autism and ADHD. Here at school, she really struggles with a range of emotions.

“She gets angry and will cry or scream uncontrollably.”

But since Meeka the goldendoodle arrived at school, there is a guaranteed way to bring calm to the situation.

Meeka inside a Michigan classroom – Priority Pups

“I’ve seen Shelby having a meltdown and when Meeka is brought into the room, I can see a breath of fresh air wash over her and she finds comfort.”

It’s not only the stressed-out students that benefit from sitting with the pup during the day.

Research shows that literacy scores went up for children after they read to dogs.

“My math was super hard,” one fifth-grader told WXMI-TV. “But then Meeka came in and when I take a break with her for a few minutes. Then math became really easy.”

The program was made possible by Canines for Change, founded in 2005 by Dr. Nikki Brown, a school psychologist for the Lansing School District in Michigan.

Priority Pups

Dr. Brown began taking her Corgi to school, to work with special education students, and noticed a drastic improvement in their skills and behavior with the addition of a dog. So she teamed up with another trainer to be able to offer service dogs for children with special needs.Three years ago, Canines for Change was approached by their local Grand Ledge School District to place a Facility Dog in each of their nine school

buildings. When Priority Health heard about it, they began funding their own program for schools, Priority Pups.Dogs Placed in Elementary Schools Making a Big Difference in Academics and Mental Health for Michigan Students

Read More........→May 21, 2024

What’s the difference between skim milk and light milk?

Margaret Murray, Swinburne University of Technology

If you’re browsing the supermarket fridge for reduced-fat milk, it’s easy to be confused by the many different types.

You can find options labelled skim, skimmed, skinny, no fat, extra light, lite, light, low fat, reduced fat, semi skim and HiLo (high calcium, low fat).

So what’s the difference between two of these common milks – skim milk and light milk? How are they made? And which one’s healthier?

What do they contain?

Skim milk

In Australia and New Zealand, skim milk is defined as milk that contains no more than 1.5% milk fat and has at least 3% protein. On the nutrition information panel this looks like less than 1.5 grams of fat and at least 3g protein per 100 millilitres of milk.

But the fat content of skim milk can be as low as 0.1% or 0.1g per 100mL.

Light milk

Light milk is sometimes spelled “lite” but they’re essentially the same thing.

While light milk is not specifically defined in Australia and New Zealand, the term “light” is defined for food generally. If we apply the rules to milk, we can say light milk must contain no more than 2.4% fat (2.4g fat per 100mL).

In other words, light milk contains more fat than skim milk.

You can find the fat content by reading the “total fat per 100mL” on the label’s nutrition information panel.

How about other nutrients?

The main nutritional difference between skim milk and light milk, apart from the fat content, is the energy content.

Skim milk provides about 150 kilojoules of energy per 100mL whereas light milk provides about 220kJ per 100mL.

Any milk sold as cow’s milk must contain at least 3% protein (3g protein per 100mL of milk). That includes skim or light milk. So there’s typically not much difference there.

Likewise, the calcium content doesn’t differ much between skim milk and light milk. It is typically about 114 milligrams to 120mg per 100mL.

You can check these and other details on the label’s nutrition information panel.

How are they made?

Skim milk and light milk are not made by watering down full-cream milk.

Instead, full-cream milk is spun at high speeds in a device called a centrifuge. This causes the fat to separate and be removed, leaving behind milk containing less fat.

Here’s how fat is removed to produce skim and light milk.

Who should be drinking what?

Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend we drink mostly reduced-fat milk – that is, milk containing no more than 2.4g fat per 100mL. Skim milk and light milk are both included in that category.

The exception is for children under two years old, who are recommended full-cream milk to meet their growing needs.

The reason our current guidelines recommend reduced-fat milk is that, since the 1970s, reduced-fat milk has been thought to help with reducing body weight and reducing the risk of heart disease. That’s because of its lower content of saturated fat and energy (kilojoules/calories) than full cream milk.

However, more recent evidence has shown drinking full-cream milk is not associated with weight gain or health risks. In fact, eating or drinking dairy products of any type may help reduce the risk of obesity and other metabolic disorders (such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes), especially in children and adolescents.

The science in this area continues to evolve. So the debate around whether there are health benefits to choosing reduced-fat milk over full cream milk is ongoing.

Whether or not there any individual health benefits from choosing skim milk or light milk over full cream will vary depending on your current health status and broader dietary habits.

For personalised health and dietary advice, speak to a health professional.

Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Swinburne University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read More........→June 14, 2023