Healthy Schools Campaign

All Pumpkin Butter, All the Time

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

My new favorite blog for kid cooking ideas is Weelicious. It's great. If you're cooking with your kids, check it out. Over Thanksgiving weekend I tried a simple recipe with Henry which he loved: pumpkin butter. And it was pretty simple.

First some background. This past fall, my family went apple picking together. And at the farmer's market at the orchard, we picked up some pumpkin butter. It turned out to be one of Henry's favorite items. He ate toast with pumpkin butter, bagels with pumpkin butter, pancakes with pumpkin butter. It was all pumpkin butter all the time. Then I saw this recipe, and I knew what we had to do. You can watch Henry's pumpkin butter dance in anticipation of our snack.

Henry and I grabbed a can of pumpkin puree, some spices, and some maple syrup for sweetness, and off we went. I adapted my recipe based on what we had in the kitchen at the time.

1 can pumpkin puree

3 sprinkles nutmeg

5 sprinkles cinaman

1 splash vanilla

1 dash salt

5 tablespoons maple syrup 

Put it all in a big bowl. Get a big wooden spoon. Mix it up. Add more of whatever it is missing. Eat it on everything. Smile.

Gaming for Health: Can Online Games Transform 'Tween Eating Habits?

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

We've seen efforts to promote health through Wii and Dance Dance Revolution, but now the USDA is taking steps to integrate wellness into online gaming. The USDA is...

...launching the Innovations for Healthy Kids Challenge... by holding a national contest that will promote healthier dietary habits among children... This challenge is open to entrepreneurs, software developers and students to design a creative and educational game targeted to kids, especially "tweens," aged 9-12. 

And the USDA is providing access to a rich database of nutrition information, the MyFood-a-Pedia database, to help software developers build their games.

So while the details haven't been announced (and details do matter), it's really interesting to see how the Obama administration is getting so creative in getting health messages out. Obama was the first presidential candidate to place ads in video games after all, so it's interesting to see this non-traditional approach to communication strategy play out in public health initiatives.

We've seen USDA on Sesame Street, the White House on Iron Chef,  and now efforts to meet kids where they are: on the Internet.

What kind of game do you think would get the healthy-eating message out to the 'tweens you know?

Here's my idea: how about a school food Facebook game? Run your own school food service (think of a combination of Farmville and Restaurant City) where you need to stay within a very tight budget, make the food healthy, incorporate veggies from local farms and of course you need to make sure your customers (the students) like your food? Invite friends to help slice cucumbers, or try your healthy chicken jambalaya.  I think it could work. It could be the next big  Facebook game sensation. Anyone game?

No more Mafia Wars requests please. I'll spend my time building a successful school cafeteria.

We've yet to see how well the public health community (or others, such as the sustainability movement) will be able to harness online games to get their messages out. I think they have a fair chance of success, especially if they proceed with the input of the kids and online gamers they're hoping to reach. Which explains the contest. Kudos to the USDA for reaching out to kids, gamers, software developers and others for help in crafting a tool that will resonate with the 'tween audience they're hoping to reach.

For a more detailed (and sometimes academic) take on the place where online gaming and public health meet, check out the work of Games for Health, an organization of researchers, medical professionals and game developers who "share information about the impact games and game technologies can have on health, health care and policy."

Private Sector Solutions May Overlook True Cost of Healthy Meals

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

The media's interest in private sector responses to the challenges of school food fascinates me. For the most part it's good because it helps increase understanding of our food systems and highlight the barriers involved with serving healthy food in schools -- something that I believe can ultimately lead to greater support for increased resources and changes to our current system. But on the other hand, the coverage always seems a bit off to me.

USA Today recently ran a story about Revolution Foods, a company that is privatizing healthy food for schools. It's a model that is working in some areas and focuses on local and healthier options:

Revolution shuns high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors, trans fats and deep-frying. Its meats and milk are hormone- and antibiotic-free, and many of its ingredients are organic and locally sourced.

As I wrote before, I think that it's great that the private industry is getting involved, and we're always glad to see kids being offered (and eating) healthier foods. And the USA Today article offers opposing views by quoting others in the field who ask if Revolution's priorities are right, or if their model is truly scalable. 

However, I have another concern. In short, saying that a company can provide a healthier meal for $3 doesn't account for all the costs that a school must cover. Let me break it down a bit. According to the story:

The federal government pays, on average, $2.68 per child per meal – and most food advocates say that simply isn't enough. A few insist it can't be done for less than $5.

(For reference, HSC believes that schools need an additional $1 to provide a healthy meal.)

What many people forget is what that federal reimbursement has to pay for. Not only does it have to cover food costs, labor, and prep, but it also has to pay for overhead and the facility. For most schools, the overhead and facility costs associated with serving a meal may be close to $1 per meal -- just to have a space and staffing for a kid to sit and eat.

So if you have to purchase a Revolution Foods meal for around $3.00 per meal (only losing $0.32 per meal based on federal reimbursements) you then need to add the cost of the facility, staffing, utilities etc. That means an outsourced $3.00 meal actually costs a school closer to $4.00 per meal by the time it reaches kids at their cafeteria tables. That's not too far off what the "advocates" cited in the story claim that schools need to spend for a more healthful meal.

We're all for creative private solutions, but in order to have meaningful and practical discussions about their impact, we need to come up with a common accounting system to track the true expenses of school food. We need to make sure we're comparing apples to apples when we discuss costs.

What we really see is that the solution to providing healthy school food is not based only in tweaking the existing system. Schools need increased funding to invest in healthier food -- and along the way, develop a system that supports children's health.

Beware the Unscrupulous Vendor: Disinfectants, H1N1 and Green Cleaning

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

The EPA issued a press release warning us all "to beware of unscrupulous vendors" who try to sell us ineffective or unnecessary products that claim to protect us against H1N1. According to the press release:

"Unfortunately some vendors may try to take advantage of people’s fears at a time like this and market products that aren’t effective or make unsubstantiated claims,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. “Americans need to be aware of what they may be buying."

This is right on. And while it applies to the purchases we make in our homes, it also is an important lesson for our schools -- especially when implementing a green cleaning program.

Protection against H1N1 really takes three important steps: Education, Cleaning, and then Disinfection. All of these steps are outlined in HSC's Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools:

1. PREVENT INFECTION THROUGH EDUCATION

Students, teachers, coaches, and all school staff must be educated about the importance of hygiene and frequent, thorough hand-washing, and the school nurse can play a key role in developing a hygiene education plan for the school. Recent studies show that through proper hand hygiene, schools can actually decrease student absenteeism. If possible, students and school employees should have access to appropriate hand-washing facilities. If not, hand sanitizers should be made available.

2. DEVELOP AND FOLLOW A THOROUGH GREEN CLEANING PROGRAM

Health is the goal of a proper green cleaning program. Along with environmental benefits, infection control becomes the natural byproduct of an effective cleaning program. Through proper cleaning, the spread of germs can be significantly reduced and controlled, and overall health improved.

3. DISINFECT WHEN AND WHERE NECESSARY

Many of the harsh chemicals in disinfectants are highly caustic, toxic in nature and may decrease the quality of the indoor air. Minimizing potential exposure to these chemicals can promote health and wellbeing while still reducing risk associated with the spread of infectious diseases.

When disinfectants are used, it is important to use them as part of a larger green cleaning program, rather than as a hasty reaction. Disinfectant use should be limited to high-touch areas such as door handles, keyboards, light switches, and tables. When selecting a disinfectant, work with vendors to select the least toxic, most affordable option, and always choose EPA registered products.

Here are some great resources for more information:

1) HSC's Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools

2) CDC's Swine Flu and You

3) Selecting green disinfectants for this flu season from American School & University magazine

If you want to read an account of a school facility director's efforts to clean green while protecting against H1N1, check out this recent blog entry.

Finally, be sure to stay tuned for details about HSC's upcoming webinar, Green Cleaning Your School In the Age of H1N1, scheduled for late January 2010. The webinar will feature experts in the field of green cleaning for infection control. More details coming soon!

Watermelon Bowls... Because Presentation Counts!

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

What I've found with feeding my three year old is that presentation matters. Presentation is what takes a meal from a regular plate of food to a treat of yumminess. And it makes it fun. That's why I make a face out of raisins in Henry's oatmeal, make "ants on a log," or make baked chicken pieces that are perfectly finger sized for eating.

That's also why I purchased a mini watermelon that I saw in the market the other day.

Now, I never have problems feeding Henry fruit, but a special mini watermelon bowl turns a bowl of fruit into a special treat. I mean, come on, it's a watermelon bowl! How often do you eat from a cool watermelon bowl?

What fun presentations of food do you serve your kids?

Quick & Kid-Friendly Classic Snack: Ants on a Log

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

I love celery but don't find too many times that I feed it to Henry -- not for any particular reason, I just don't always think about it. But the other day I decided to revive my one of my favorite childhood treats: ants on a log.

Celery, peanut butter, raisins. Crunchy, sweet, creamy, fun, and a bit silly. All things that kids love. And who doesn't love watching their kid eating veggies and thinking creatively all at the same time?

In Defense of School Lunch (and Our Nation)

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

A report came out last month that shows that 75 percent of 17 to 24 year-olds are not eligible to enlist in the armed forces. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most significant is obesity. This made me think that the more things change, the more things stay the same. 

Prior to World War II, military and government leaders became concerned with the health of army recruits: as a whole, they were malnourished. In order to bring the population around with efforts needed to mobilize for war, in 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt convened a White House Nutrition Conference for Defense.

As Susan Levine wrote:

Chief among the conference concerns, of course, was the health of army recruits. Food and nutrition in this context were essential elements not only to physical health but to the nation's "virility" and its ability to defend itself. When the Selective Service Commission began drafting young men for service... alarming numbers of boys were found to be physically unfit... Surgeon General Parran warned that "the great preponderance of boys who were rejected for the draft were found to be boys who in earlier school life had poor nutrition." It was clear that these officials believed malnutrition to be a serious threat to the nation's strength on the battlefront.

And five years later...

...in June 1946, Congress created the National School Lunch Program "as a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other foods."

And 63 years later (that's now - December 2009)...

According to the latest Pentagon figures, a full 35 percent, or more than one-third, of the roughly 31.2 million Americans aged 17 to 24 are unqualified for military service because of physical and medical issues. And, said Curt Gilroy, the Pentagon’s director of accessions, “the major component of this is obesity. We have an obesity crisis in the country. There’s no question about it.”

Things have changed dramatically in the last 60 years, but what hasn't changed is that school food still plays an important role in addressing the health of our nation's children.

We currently have a 60-year-old system designed to get more calories to a malnourished student population, delivering too many calories to a student population facing record levels of obesity. Just as the National School Lunch Program was established to deliver more calories to malnourished children, it must now be adapted to provide the kind of healthy meals that can help this generation of children develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime.

We have a real opportunity to make this change with the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act next year. Perhaps the armed forces will join the parents, teachers, students and advocates across the country calling for healthy reform in our school food system.

Cheesy Breakfast Spinach

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

My wife and I buy huge bags of pre-washed spinach from Costco, which forces me to find creative ways of using it. Spinach salad, spinach omelettes, galactic green sauce, spinach bars -- or I just add spinach to anything that I'm making for an extra nutrient boost.

This morning I realized that I needed to finish off a bag nearing the end of its life. So I sautéed up some cheesy spinach. My intention was to eat it myself because Henry hasn't been into spinach lately. But to my pleasant surprise, once he saw the cheesy deliciousness, he joined in the small feast.




Cheesy Spinach

Lots of washed spinach (I used about 3 cups)
Cheese (I used about 1/4 cup of parmesean plus about a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella, but use what you've got -- it's all good)
A dash of salt

Stir-fry all the ingredients together until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted. Note: The water from the spinach will come out and make the dish liquidy, but that's normal.

Cheesy spinach is a delicious and quick way to eat your greens. . .  and maybe your kids will join you!

ABC (Apple Banana Corn) Pancakes

By Mark Bishop, HSC Deputy Director

 

Kids love pancakes. I love using the leftover food in my fridge. The confluence of those two loves always creates a special moment for me.

Last Sunday I was browsing a few blogs and came across a recipe for Banana Corn Fritters on Weelicious. As I skimmed the recipe, three thoughts ran through my mind:

1. I have a brown banana and leftover corn in my fridge!
2. That looks yummy!
3. I'm out of corn meal :(

Rather than give up and allow my banana and corn to go bad, I decided to venture off on my own. Why not doctor up my favorite Trader Joe's pancake mix? So here's what Henry and I did. . .

ABC (Apple Banana Corn) Pancakes

1/2 cup of cooked corn kernels

1 mashed banana

1 small finely diced apple

1 cup TJ's multi-grain pancake mix

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon brown sugar

 

 

We mixed up all the ingredients and fried the batter on a hot pan. Wow. They were awesome. Really awesome. We topped them with some pumpkin butter that we bought from the farmer's market and it was pure yumminess! The corn made them hearty and crunchy. The banana made them smooth and creamy. The nutmeg gave them that fall taste that I love. And Henry went to town -- helping and eating.

 

Give it a try and don't be afraid to add your own leftovers for your own unique taste.

 

 

Raising My Hand for School Health (AKA Chocolate Milk in a Land of Wellness)

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

As Deputy Director of the Healthy Schools Campaign and father of a 3 1/2 year old boy, I am both personally and professionally conflicted with the stir that has been caused by chocolate milk recently, but mostly I look at this issue and hope we aren't losing focus on the big picture.

Recently the milk industry has begun serving slick ads encouraging the consumption of chocolate milk ("raise your hand for chocolate milk") and in response, those on the other side of the debate have felt forced to draw a line in the sand saying absolutely no to flavored milk.

So the question is: when it comes to flavored milk, do the health benefits (vitamins and minerals) outweigh the negatives (added sugar)? Or is flavored milk an absolutely unhealthful option? The reality is that it's unclear and has been for years. Even the recent IOM report on school meals did not distinguish between flavored and regular milk in their recommendations. So in my mind, flavored milk becomes one of those "sometimes" foods, which is how I treat it at home. In other words: it's not perfect, it's not the worst option out there, and I don't believe it should take attention away from the bigger issue of ensuring that our schools support wellness in a comprehensive and meaningful way. 

As a school health advocate, I want to focus our attention on developing and implementing common-sense nutrition standards, increasing nutrition education and increasing funding for better school food. I hope we don't become sidetracked by efforts to get any single item banned from school menus.

A recent Chicago Tribune story highlighted the challenges of eliminating flavored milk in a school, and also highlighted a school district that displayed what I felt was a supportive and rational decision-making process. According to the story, a school wellness committee in Barrington, IL decided to remove flavored milk from the lunch offerings, at which point other parents raised complaints and concerns. And then:

...three students came by his [the superintendent's] office over the summer with some evidence and a request... a trial: The schools would serve flavored milk on Fridays and figure out how that affected consumption... and now the schools compare how much milk is tossed out on white-milk-only days and flavor Fridays... The study will run through January, when the district will decide the future of flavored milk.

To me this represents a nearly-ideal response to this controvery because ultimately, it allowed the voices of the parents and the students to be heard. The superintendent decided to gather data before making a decision instead of basing a decision only on input from either side of the heated debate. And it set up a decision-making plan that can bring community members together to learn about the issues.

When my son Henry goes off to school in a year or two, I hope his school doesn't serve chocolate milk in the cafeteria. But more than that, I hope his school makes wellness a priority throughout the day and across the building: I hope the school serves wholesome meals, provides fresh vegetables, limits access to unhealthy treats, provides nutrition education and offers Henry and his future classmates that chance to run and play, both in PE and recess. In the context of this type of healthy environment, the truth is that I'm not overly concerned by any single less-healthy food option.

And the reality is that most schools today do not provide this comprehensive approach to wellness in a health-supporting environment. I hope that we can focus our energy on that struggle, speaking up for better school food funding and policies that support physical activity and food education. 

So I won't be raising my hand for chocolate milk. But I will be speaking up for policies that put the flavored milk decision in the context of a healthful school environment for all the students.