Healthy Schools Campaign

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.

Healthy School Meals: Behind the Headlines

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

Recently The Chicago Tribune ran a front page story on the Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) breakfast program.  While I greatly appreciate the attention that the Tribune and the reporter Monica Eng have given to the issue of school food, I do have some concerns about the Nov. 5 story and the previous story that appeared on June 11.

The stories highlight many of the shortcomings of the CPS food program, shortcomings that HSC is very concerned about, and we look forward to working with CPS to make these much needed improvements.  However, I feel that the coverage neither told the whole story nor provided a meaningful context for public dialogue. Public dialogue is especially critical this year, as Congress begins to consider the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the federal legislation that essentially determines school food policy and resources. 

1) The coverage fails to highlight the many changes that CPS has made to its food program over the last two years, including but not limited to:  removing deep fryers from all schools, implementing a farm-to-school program, eliminating trans fats from all food, and serving only low fat milk.  Each of these achievements alone is significant in a district which last year served more than 60 million meals. Additionally, the article portrays Louise Esaian as a defender of the status quo. However, in our experience, she has taken on the serious challenges of making change in a large district, but a district that has not been able to effectively communicate their accomplishments.  

2) The coverage fails to adequately address the financial constraints that CPS faces.  Any discussion of improving school food that does not include information about the cost is ignoring the single largest barrier to school food reform. According to the School Nutrition Association, school districts spend about 35 cents more than they receive from the federal government for each reimbursable meal. For CPS and most large urban school districts, the shortfall is closer to 70 cents per meal.   

3) The reporter seems to dismiss efforts to improve the nutritional quality of “kid-marketed” food.  There is a vigorous debate around the best strategy for encouraging children to eat healthful food:   should we feed children the same foods that adults eat (or the food adults should eat) or should we make “kid-friendly” food  (the child-specific items marketed to children in grocery stores and on restaurant menus, which parents often serve at home) as healthful as possible?  There is no clear answer, but from our perspective, it’s a fair debate, a debate that should be included in articles on this topic.

4) The comparison of the CPS food program to the Institute of Medicine standards, which were publicly released two weeks prior to the article, seems unfair.  In fact, anticipating the release of these standards, CPS has already convened a working group to map out a strategy for moving the program toward compliance with these standards.  

5) The reporter seems to overlook the important role that nutrition education plays in students’ decisions to eat healthful and often unfamiliar foods.  She cites one expert who states that children will choose the healthier options if only healthy options are offered. While we do agree that kids will often eat healthier options if offered, significant research establishes the importance of nutrition education to support students’ ability to make healthful food choices. The full picture is that if you only change the food without also offering nutrition education, plate waste will increase and meal participation will decrease, thereby countering the goals of the program. And there is universal agreement that getting more kids to eat breakfast is an important strategy for improving children’s health.

Again, we thank the Tribune for  recognizing the importance of  school food to student health and achievement and hope that future coverage will provide a more complete context  to enhance public understanding of this important issue.  

Veggies, Hula Hoops and the Future of School Food: HSC at the White House Healthy Kids Fair

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

Yesterday I had the pleasure and privilege of participating in Healthy Kids Fair at the White House. It was a fun event with an important message and I was thrilled that Healthy Schools Campaign was able to be part of it.

Of course I've been following the First Lady's work promoting healthy food and fitness, especially around the White House Garden and the farmers market. But being able to actually participate in an event at the White House and hear first-hand her comments about promoting healthy eating at home and in schools, seeing her interact with children eating healthy food and engaging in physical activity was a real treat. And yes, she actually did the hula hoop (142 rotations, according to the AP) and jumped rope.  

Amidst her strong message about the need for healthy eating and physical activity, Mrs. Obama’s comments were humorous and filled with practical advice. The event included a policy announcement --  expanding the USDA’s existing Healthier Schools USA program -- that was great though not really game-changing in the movement for healthier school food.

But the First Lady's involvement clearly demonstrates a strong commitment by the Administration to improving school food.  In fact, Secretary of Agriculture Vlisack told the crowd at the fair that when President Obama asked him to become the Secretary of Agriculture, the President told him that improving school food needed to be his top priority.

As I left this event, I couldn't help but think of something that many of us who care about kids' wellness have been saying again and again lately: it really is a new day for school food and fitness.

Seeing this type of enthusiasm for veggies and hula hoops coming from the White House is more than just encouraging and fun: it changes the conversations we have about good food and physical activity by creating a climate in which these things are valued and applauded. 

Healthy School Food Makes the News!

By Lehia Franklin Acox, HSC public relations consultant 

Public interest in healthy school food is growing, from President Obama’s recent remarks about the Child Nutrition Act to news coverage of local and national efforts to encourage action as the country heads back to school. Here’s a recap:

• The Los Angeles Times covered Slow Food USA’s “Time for Lunch” campaign to encourage individual and collective action on reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. HSC is a partner in Slow Food’s national Time for Lunch effort, which prioritizes increased funding for better school food.

• And in Chicago, Slow Food Chicago hosts an “Eat-In” today, Wednesday, August 26 in Daley Plaza. Huffington Post Chicago talks about the event and the organization here.

• As covered in our blog, President Obama recently spoke about the need to engage local farmers to deliver healthier food to schoolchildren.

• Whole Foods, which has seen plenty of news coverage lately in response to CEO John Mackey’s comments on health care reform, is making headlines for the launch of its School Food Revolution in partnership with Chef Ann Cooper, a.k.a. “The Renegade Lunch Lady.” National coverage of the effort includes the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Uprising Radio and even the trade publication Pork magazine. HSC’s Rochelle Davis was also featured in the NYT and Uprising pieces. (Stay posted for details about HSC’s upcoming series of events with Ann Cooper and local Whole Foods shops in the Chicago area.)

• Veggie lunches made the news in U.S. News & World Report, which highlighted the vegetarian options popping up on school menus nationwide while pointing out the financial challenges school food service directors face in providing healthy meals.

• And food writer and policy expert Marion Nestle even tackled a question about school meals in her regular San Francisco Chronicle food column. 

It’s exciting to see this new level of national dialogue around the school food issues that we know are so important. Stay posted for more updates, and be sure to raise your voice for healthy school meals!

A Parent's Perspective on Asthma: Talking with Michelle Obama

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

As I watched the Presidential inauguration this morning, I remembered the strong support that Barack and Michelle Obama have expressed over the years for healthy school environments. Their daughter Malia is one of millions of American children who suffer from asthma that can be triggered by dust, mold, harsh cleaning products or other chemicals at school.

Michelle Obama took time to speak with Healthy Schools Campaign in the summer of 2005 about the challenges of managing a child's asthma, particularly at school. In a piece we published in Healthy Schools magazine [pdf] in Sept. 2005, Michelle shared her thoughts on how schools and families can work together to help manage asthma in children:

"Luckily for us, the school has been very helpful in monitoring Malia and noting when there seemed to be something that triggered her asthma and allergies. The teachers know her well and quickly see when there is a change in her personality. While asthma has not prevented her from leading a full life at school, the school building is old, and like many old buildings has mold and dust, which can trigger her asthma. The teachers have been compassionate and understanding, as well as communicative, when they see a change in her condition.

"We've seen examples where the school has really worked hard to help children with conditions like my daughter's. When she was in nursery school, there was a child in her group who had very severe allergies. Together, the school, parents and teachers worked to improve conditions -- for instance, adding a humidifier to the room.

"Our school overall has been very helpful. They remember that parents of a child with asthma or allergies are people too, and that they often need information and help. Parents really need to be educated about asthma: what it is, what the symptoms are, how to recognize signs of an attack, and what the possible triggers are. I believe that schools in general could take a few steps further to educate parents about what is going on. Parents need to know the facts: Asthma is a manageable condition, and schools can help bridge the gap so that families become better informed and more aware.

"What kind of advice would I give to parents of an asthmatic child? First of all, don’t be afraid of medications. Get informed about them, as there is a lot of misinformation that parents may hear and that makes them hesitant to have the child medicated. Asthma medications have evolved and many have no noticeable side effects. Secondly, do what it takes to help make your child more comfortable. Perhaps that means removing carpeting in the house, making sure there is no dust, or not having a pet. We did these things and it made a big difference in how our daughter feels. It might mean urging the school to make changes in the products they use to clean or updating the heating or cooling system to improve indoor air quality and other conditions. It’s worthwhile to take these simple steps in order to help Malia grow and be happy. That's really the bottom line."

I hope that this personal experience with managing childhood asthma at school will help President Obama shape national policies that support healthy school environments for all children. 

Cooking up Change in the News!

We had a fabulous time last week at Cooking up Change, a benefit to support the Healthy Schools Campaign, and are thrilled to see media attention helping spread the word about this fantastic event and the message it embodies.

The focus of Cooking up Change 2007 was a healthy cooking contest for Chicago Public Schools culinary arts students. The students and their delicious creations were truly impressive.

You can read more about the students and their remarkable efforts in the Chicago Sun-Times and in The Stew, the Chicago Tribune food, wine and dining blog, or view video footage of the students preparing for the contest at NBC-5 Chicago.

Congratulations to the contest winners and to all the amazing student teams, and special thanks to our generous sponsors, contest judges and everyone who attended Cooking up Change. Stay tuned for more updates and photos from the event! 

Presentation Matters!

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

This week, CNN reported that preschoolers believe food presented in a McDonald’s wrapper tastes better than non-branded food. According to the article:

Anything made by McDonald's tastes better, preschoolers said in a study that powerfully demonstrates how advertising can trick the taste buds of young children.   Even carrots, milk and apple juice tasted better to the kids when they were wrapped in the familiar packaging of the Golden Arches. The study had youngsters sample identical McDonald's foods in name-brand and unmarked wrappers. The unmarked foods always lost the taste test.

Chefs and home cooks alike know that we taste first with our eyes. If food looks appealing, we are likely to enjoy it more.

A quick review of the literature affirms this old adage:  I found hundreds of articles and papers about the relationship between visual cues and taste.

Many of these studies looked at how the color of a food can greatly affect the way we perceive its taste. Brightly colored foods frequently seem to taste better than bland-looking foods, even when the flavors are identical.

With this research in mind, the results of this taste test shouldn’t come as a surprise. Kids believe that food with the (colorful) McDonald’s logo on the wrapper looks more appealing and think it will taste better than food in a plain or bland wrapper.

On top of this, most kids believe that McDonald’s = Fun. Of course, McDonald’s spends billions of dollars reminding us (adults and kids alike) about the perceived connection between their brand and fun.

According to Advertising Age, McDonald’s ranked 16th in advertising spending among U.S. companies in 2006, at $1.75 billion. In the context of that advertising, it’s not much of a leap to see that food associated with fun tastes better to kids.

Besides the quite obvious and important discussions about food advertising to children that these findings raise, I think there is something else we can learn from the CNN report.

This is an excellent reminder to parents, food service directors and everyone who is working to encourage healthy eating among children that presentation, packaging, color and context are critical considerations.

Encouraging kids to make healthy food choices with the promise that "it’s good for you" is not enough. 

When given a choice, kids must believe that the healthy options look as familiar, fun, and appealing to them as the junk food options.

Can Wii Make a Difference for Fitness?

by Melissa Logsdon, HSC Wellness Intern

Since the Nintendo Wii gaming system – in which players jump, kick, punch, and move their way through video games rather than only sitting – launched in November 2006, articles have been popping up everywhere from Time to The Wall Street Journal about people using the Wii for fitness.

One blogger chronicled his weight loss from a strict regimen of Wii workouts, and the Mayo Clinic conducted a study on the energy expended in playing active video games. (Even HSC joined the conversation with an article in our Summer issue of Healthy Schools magazine.)

Now it seems that this "exergaming" trend is growing in popularity across the globe.

In Canada, the Studeo 55 health club has brought Wii workout to its members, integrating the system into circuit training.  Gym members can box, bowl, and play baseball using Wii’s movement-sensitive controller. 

In Scotland, fitness trainer Zander Urquhart uses the Wii in his fitness classes.  The classes, originally intended only for children, became so popular that he began offering them to both children and adults.  There's now a four week waiting list to enroll in his Wii-inspired course.

The notion of a fun workout sounds like a wonderful respite for those of us – like me! -  who dread the monotony of working out on a treadmill.

But is exergaming something that can replace the type of free play that we encourage for kids? Probably not. Kids still use more energy running around outside than they do exergaming – and the free play helps them develop creativity and social skills that screen-based activities can't match.

But playing an active video game certainly provides more health benefits than sedentary screen activities such as watching TV or playing non-active video games.

In a survey conducted by the International Sports Sciences Association, personal trainer Nichole Snow put it this way: 

It will show benefits for everyone. The best part is it's just fun - for everyone. De-conditioned and obese individuals will find it fun to play and gain aerobic movement out of the games. Seniors can enjoy gentle movements of bowling and golfing. Youth become a part of the game and don't just turn into vegetables in front of the TV.

Kids still need physical education and recess, still need time for free play and activity throughout their day. And if they play video games in their free time, I hope they join this exergaming wave and work in a little physical activity, too.

Watch Chicago Chef Greg Christian on Discovery Health

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

On Thursday, April 5, Chicago chef Greg Christian is scheduled to appear on the Discovery Health network's "Get Fresh With Sara Snow" (8 p.m./8:30 p.m. EST).

Greg is one HSC's allies -- we work with him on the Chicago School Food Collaborative (a charter schools project) -- and he runs the Organic School Project. Now in its second year, this Chicago-based project provides children with the opportunity to get involved in natural living by creating meals from their own schoolyard garden.

Tune in to learn more about how the Organic School Project seeks to transform Chicago-area children into healthier, more mindful eaters -- one school and one child at a time.

BMI Report Cards Not the Answer

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Executive Director

There has been plenty of media coverage recently about the trend in schools districts reporting student body mass index to parents. Some states require schools to take this action while in other instances school districts are making this decision on the local level.

While it is important for parents to be aware of their child’s health status, I am not sure that this is the most important role for schools to play. Many schools provide students with access to unhealthy foods, use these foods to reward students, sell unhealthy foods to raise funds for schools and have limited opportunity for students to engage in physical activity.

It was interesting to note that the Pennsylvania school district mentioned in The New York Times story still had not made changes in its own policies and practices, other than some revamping of its cafeteria menu (though ice cream sandwiches and Rice Krispie treats are still available and bought by the handful).

Rather than spending valuable staff time and resources on recording BMI, school districts should follow public health guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and work toward making improvements in schools (visit the School Wellness Policies website, created by National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, for a look at sound policies that are based on CDC recommendations).

A report card to parents on how schools, the state legislature and the federal government measure up in meeting these guidelines seems to be a better solution.

Plus: According to a study published last year in Health Education Research, "although there are potential benefits to conducting screenings in schools, there is also the potential to do harm to the children who are identified as overweight."