On Monday, the journal Pediatrics published a study that showed a significant increase in the number of children who are diagnosed with autism or a similar disorder.

To educate the parents of autistic children about a possibility for improvement in their child's condition, we are relaunching our autism billboard:

Studies have shown that many autistic kids improve dramatically when put on a diet free of dairy foods. One study of 20 children found a major reduction in autistic behavior in kids who were put on a casein-free diet (casein is a component of cow's milk). Another study conducted by researchers at the University of Rome showed a "marked improvement" in the behavior of autistic children who were taken off dairy products. There are also countless heart-wrenching stories from parents of kids who had suffered the worst effects of autism for years before dairy foods were eliminated from their diets. Here is one mother's story:

There was nothing to lose, so I decided to eliminate all the dairy products from his diet. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. Miles stopped screaming, he didn't spend as much time repeating actions, and by the end of the first week, he pulled on my hand when he wanted to go downstairs. For the first time in months, he let his sister hold his hands to sing "Ring Around a Rosy."

Please, if you know someone with an autistic child, ask them to give this treatment a chance. There's no guarantee of success, but it's worth a try.

global-breastfeeding / CC

When President Obama came into office, we presented him with some detailed suggestions on changes we'd like to see during his presidency. One of our proposals was to make some much-needed improvements to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program—a government program that offers meals to low-income mothers and their children in order to make sure that they get nutritional food even in times of financial hardship.

For a program that's dedicated to promoting healthy eating, however, WIC was sending a decidedly mixed message: At the time of President Obama's inauguration, the program was primarily offering milk, eggs, cheese, and formula to mothers in need.

What ever happened to "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?"

Our suggestion was to make fundamental changes to WIC in order to create access to healthy foods. Well, nine months into the Obama presidency, we're pleased to announce that the USDA (which operates the program) has decided to improve WIC's offerings. WIC's menu has expanded to include fruits, vegetables, brown rice, soy milk, tortillas, and bread with 51 percent whole grains.

So, what's next on our presidential agenda? Vegetarian options in schools!

Posted by Liz Graffeo

movies.yahoo / CC

"I am deeply concerned that unhealthy school lunches are contributing to our nation's childhood obesity epidemic. School is tough enough already—schools shouldn't have to put up with lunches swimming in fat and cholesterol. It's time for healthier options."
—Tobey Maguire

The Spider-Man star has teamed up with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine to encourage public schools to escape the unhealthy web (yeah, I went there) of greasy cafeteria fare and offer healthy vegetarian options. He also says that as a father, "[T]his issue is tremendously important …"

If only all dads were that fly. (All right, I'm done. Promise.)

Posted by Shawna Flavell

abcnews / CC

When we read that the CDC recently published a report that showed that only one in 200 American kids is vegetarian, we were confused to say the least. With peta2's e-news list alone reaching well over 1,000,000 kids and growing at a staggering rate every month, the math just didn't add up.

We decided to do some digging around. After speaking with the lead author of the study, we learned that the intention of the survey was not to find out the eating habits of American children, but instead was focused on complementary and alternative medicine. In fact, the only two questions regarding a vegetarian lifestyle were the following (via VeganHealth.org):

During the past 12 months did [your child] use any of the following special diets for two weeks or more for health reasons? Please say yes or no to each. [Vegetarian was one of the options.]

During the past 12 months did [your child] use a vegetarian diet to treat a specific health problem or condition other than weight control or weight loss?

So, this study only accounted for kids who are vegetarian for health reasons. Any child who is vegetarian for ethical, environmental, religious, or other reasons wasn't factored in. And since the majority of kids we talk to go vegetarian because they care about the animals, it's pretty obvious that the number of vegetarian kids in America is waaaaay higher than one in 200.

Posted by Liz Graffeo