Healthy Schools Campaign

Kids Love Fruit!

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

According to researchers at the NPD group, fruit is the favorite snack food of children under six, followed by cookies, milk, crackers and juice.

"Kids younger than ten are motivated to choose foods in large part because they're perceived as fun and they want a treat or reward," said Harry Balzer, NPD vice president and food industry expert.

This comment goes a long way to explain the ways that adult behaviors can influence kids’ snack preferences – too often away from fruit and toward less-healthy snacks. If kids are given candy and cookies as rewards, they’ll begin to prefer those over the fruit they would otherwise naturally choose. If adults are shocked when kids want fruit – and if we comment that junk food is a fun treat – then kids’ interest in fruit is likely to dwindle.

Balzar goes on to say, "Kids account for almost one-third of all consumption of snack-oriented, convenience food products. Among those products, fruit is the top choice consumed by kids, but consumption frequency for fruit declines markedly as children age."

In her article in Food Navigator, Laura Crowley summarizes the NPD study which shows how kids’ snack preferences have changed over time.

As the parent of an eleven year old, I know that it’s up to me to help stack the odds that my son has plenty of fruit and vegetables in his diet. I have to make sure that it’s easy for him to snack on fruit. I’ve made it hard to miss the basket of fruit on the kitchen table and have strategically placed cut-up fruit and veggies in the refrigerator. With his desire for increased independence, it’s important for him to have the opportunities to make choices – and up to me to make sure that he chooses among tasty, healthy options.

Providing Fuel for Learning in the Face of Increasing Food Costs

by Erin Murphy, HSC Wellness Intern. Erin is a registered and licensed dietitian. She received her bachelor’s in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was a dietetic intern at the VA Healthcare System in San Diego and is currently attending the University of Illinois at Chicago where she is a candidate for a Master’s in Public Health in the Maternal and Child Health division. In addition to her work as an intern at HSC, Erin works as a dietitian.at a clinic focused on eating disorders.

MSNBC.com recently reported on the impact of rising food prices on school lunches, which will start showing its mark in some areas around the country as soon as this fall. In the article, students, parents and administrators were interviewed about how they will have to deal with the changing prices of school foods.

A student in the article was quoted as saying, “I won’t be able to eat as much or eat what I usually eat in a regular day. I’ll have to cut down.” When a student says she won’t be able to eat how she normally would on a school day, implying the need to eat less due to monetary concerns, this sounds an alarm on the food security in our country. School should be a place where the food is healthy and available, to give students enough fuel to keep their bodies running and learning throughout the day.

This is why we have the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, after all.

The National School Lunch program began to ensure the health and well-being of children to grow into healthy adults free of ailments caused by malnutrition. After seeing a relationship between physical deformities and malnutrition in men rejected from the armed forces after World War II, Congress started the National School Lunch program to supply students with meals that provided essential nutrients to grow into healthy adults.

An interesting point to note is that in 1921, Chicago was recognized by the Department of Interior, Bureau of Education as having “…the most intensive school lunch system in America.” This would be an impressive bragging right to still hold to this day.

The scary truth is that school lunches are not always as nutritious and appealing as one would hope. Schools around the country are beginning to address this issue and make it a priority (as seen in the schools attending HSC’s recent wellness workshop), but schools face so many struggles with implementing healthier environments that some schools cannot possibly transition on their own. And now, with the burden of rising food prices, this uphill battle seems to be getting a little bit steeper.

We are seeing numerous problems (financial, sustainable, and varietal) in both what we farm and what we eat in the United States. There is a new motivation for farmers to grow corn in the United States as the demand for ethanol from corn crops increases. What about the need to emphasize and motivate farmers to grow crops that produce a variety of fruits and vegetables to live a healthy life?

The motivation behind farming needs to focus on its original intention: to feed people nutritious food. And our country needs to recognize that meeting the basic needs of its people, ensuring that healthy food is available to all, is simply essential.

Children should not have to worry about receiving enough nutritious food throughout the school day; the National School Breakfast and Lunch program is here to protect them from that situation. If students are expected to perform well, they need to be provided with the fuel to do so. We need to provide a healthy school environment where they can think critically and creatively, provide access to recess and provide healthy meals. A growing body of evidence shows how significantly these simple measures support student learning. Now, we need to ensure that children aren’t denied the supports that make such a difference in their ability to fully engage and succeed at school.

Food for Thought -- and School Board Action

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Founding Executive Director

I couldn’t have said it better. 

The June 08 issue of American Schools, the monthly publication of the American School Board Association, focuses on school food.  One of the articles, “Children’s Nutrition is a Governance Issue”  is written by David Tokofsky, a former teacher,  Los Angeles Unified School board member and board member of  the California School Boards Association. The article encourages school board members to give serious attention to their district’s school food program because of the important role that nutrition can play in a child’s performance at school. 

He points out that schools seem to acknowledge the importance of breakfast, as many school districts offer breakfast on test days.   He asks his readers, “What about non-test days when the children are expected to learn the information for the test?”  (This reminds me of HSC wellness director Jean Saunders’ blog on test-day snacks.)

He also makes the point that a board’s key responsibility is as custodian of public money.  This fiduciary responsibility requires school board members to understand the school food budget and review the operations of the school’s food program with thoroughness and care. 

I was especially pleased that Mr. Tokofsky recognized the importance of school food staff.  He suggests that a well-paid and well-trained staff is an important element to a successful school food program.

“It is not surprising when well-trained employees with a sense of ownership about their work actually reduce costs,” he writes. 

Thank you, Mr. Tokofsky, for providing such good food for thought. 

Workshop Highlights Enthusiasm for Healthy Food and Fitness in Schools

by Erin Murphy, HSC Wellness Intern

Last Thursday, educators, administrators and food service professionals came together to attend the Food & Fitness in Schools: Lessons from Charter Public School Innovators workshop presented by HSC and the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS).

Guests were greeted with a healthy breakfast of muffins, yogurt, cheese, bagels and a variety of fruit. This breakfast, provided by Sodexho, is typical of what one can find in an elementary school that has joined the movement of offering healthier and more appealing meals to students (including some of the schools represented by the workshop’s panel of speakers).

After grabbing something to eat and settling in, audience members were greeted by Elizabeth Evans, executive director of INCS, and HSC’s Jean Saunders. The two set the tone for the event by discussing how wellness, in the form of physical activity and healthy food, affects students’ performance in the classroom.

Dr. Darla Castelli, assistant professor in the department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois, presented an exciting and powerful presentation on the effects of physical activity on academic achievement.

Dr. Castelli discussed the ways in which research-based literature demonstrates that physical activity throughout the day can greatly improve academic achievement. What really stood out about her presentation were the numerous ways in which kids, living and learning in any kind of environment, can be physically active during the school day. Her presentation was full of information that was simple yet powerful enough for all audiences, and provided access to tools which teachers and administrators can utilize to improve physical activity for their students.

After Dr. Castelli’s presentation was a panel discussion featuring of administrators from charter schools throughout Chicago that have made the transition to serving fresh, healthy food. Panel members included Marc Arakelian of Perspectives Charter Schools; Bob Nardo of the Noble Network of Charter Schools; Alison Slade of Namaste Charter School and Soyini Walton of the Betty Shabazz International Charter School.

The panelists provided candid information about what has worked in implementing a healthy school food program, from the start-up to the ongoing challenges of maintaining it. They also discussed the outcomes and benefits of providing a healthy school environment to students. There were a lot of lessons to learn from this panel, and the questions and conversations were full of energy. The excitement in the room was noticeable as people wanted to pick the brains of the panel members all morning. The interest in communication and follow-up among those in attendance became clear.

The final speaker was Melissa Ritter from the Farm to Table Lunch Program at the Prairie Crossing Charter School. She provided background regarding the roots of the farm to school movement, and also provided insight as to why these types of programs are important.

The conversations continued as the event wrapped up, and the enthusiasm in the room didn’t dwindle a bit.

The enthusiasm at this event highlighted how important it is for school leaders to have a place to share ideas and work together toward the goals of providing fresh, healthy food and plentiful physical activity for students. HSC is working to address this need by developing new opportunities for communication and discussion, places where school leaders can ask and answer questions and share ideas.

We are inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of the school leaders we met at this event, and look forward to working together to create exciting new school wellness programs.

****

The articles below are part of a growing body of research documenting the connection between children’s health and their readiness to learn. Several attendees at the workshop mentioned an interest in additional resources and academic references on this topic; we hope you find these resources valuable!

Energizers
http://www.ncpe4me.com/energizers.html
A list of energizers which integrate physical activity and learning. These can be utilized during the school day to help improve attention.

TAKE 10!
http://www.take10.net/whatistake10.asp?page=new
Curricular activities to be used during the school day to combine physical activity and learning for grades kindergarten through fifth. TAKE 10! ® activities during academic time have reduced behavior referrals and increased attention.         

Florence, M. D., Asbridge, M., & Veugelers, P. J. (2008). Diet quality and academic performance. The Journal of School Health, 78(4), 209-15; quiz 239-41.
Florence, Asbridge and Veugelers illustrate the connection between quality of food and performance in school. This research helps to further the support that providing a healthy school food environment and access to high quality foods may lead to improvements in academic performance, and overall health.       

Fu, M. L., Cheng, L., Tu, S. H., & Pan, W. H. (2007). Association between unhealthful eating patterns and unfavorable overall school performance in children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(11), 1935-1943.
Fu et al. discuss eating patterns and their connection to school performance in elementary school-aged children. Though the data collected in this article reflects eating patterns of children from Taiwan, it is plausible that results from this study could accurately reflect that of children in the United States given the obesity epidemic occurring globally.                   

Settings, M. (2006). Position of the American Dietetic Association: Local support for nutrition integrity in schools. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(1), 122-133.
A position paper from the ADA expressing views toward a comprehensive school nutrition program which includes providing high-quality food, nutrition education, addressing policy issues, and finding support from various stakeholders.         

Wagner, B., Senauer, B., & Runge, C. F. (2007). An empirical analysis of and policy recommendations to improve the nutritional quality of school meals. Review of Agricultural Economics, 29(4), 672-688.
Wagner, Senauer and Runge explore reasons why schools are unable to meet nutrition standard requirements for meals offered at schools as stated in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To develop a better picture of the problem, the researchers explored various hypotheses as to why this is a problem that included: student food preference/demand in relation to nutritional quality, cost of meal production, facilities required for food production, and indirect costs.

Examining the Socio-economic Determinants of Health

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Founding Executive Director

Last week someone gave me a copy of Reaching for a Healthier Life, a report that examines the socio-economic determinants of health.  The report points out that we generally think about health as something fixed by our genetic heritage while in fact health is greatly shaped by a person’s socio-economic status.

Several points of particular interest stood out to me.  First, the authors point out that those disparities between socio-economic groups and the impact that these differences have on health vary from country to country.  In the U.S., the gulf between the rich and poor is large and the impact on health is great.   After listing a number of statistics, the authors reach the conclusion that “the power of social status to impact the most precious resource we have--life itself--is enormous and pervasive.”   

The report goes on to identify policies that we can adopt that buffer the adverse conditions of being lower on the socio-economic ladder. Improving the nutrition of school lunch programs, a key goal for the Healthy Schools Campaign, was identified as an important policy to address the health disparity problem in this country.

Many of us who advocate for healthier school food are often marginalized  for trying to make healthy school food a priority for our country.  This report makes an important statement on how important this work is.  Click here [pdf] to view the full report.

USDA Report Highlights Need for School Food Funding

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Founding Executive Director

For almost seventy years, the federal government has been providing school meals to low-income students.  Last month, the USDA released a report [pdf] examining the cost to schools of providing a school meal to students. They found that the federal programs only paid 82 percent of the full cost of the meals during the 2005-2006 school year.   

This brings up several important points. First, this is particularly burdensome for school districts, such as Chicago, where the vast majority of students participate in the federal school food programs.  The district is not able to offset this deficit with revenues from other students paying for school meals.  Second, this study was completed for the 2005-2006 school year—before the steady increase in food prices. 

Next year Congress will be taking up the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which includes the school food program. I hope that our political leaders will take note of this study and provide school districts with the funding that they need to provide students with healthy school meals.

Soaring Foods Costs and School Food

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Founding Executive Director

As most of us have noticed in our weekly trip to the grocery store, food prices have been increasing.  While economists debate the reasons for these increases (rising transportation and energy costs, increased demand to use corn for fuel), a recent article in the Washington Post discussed the impact of higher food prices on schools’ ability to offer healthy lunches. 

Schools receive $2.47 per lunch served - this must cover food, labor and other related costs – which is only a 3 percent increase over last year’s funding, although prices have increased much, much more than three percent. (Milk prices went up 17 percent, bread prices went up 12 percent). 

Next year, Congress will be considering the Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which includes the school food program.  It will be important for them to make sure that schools have the appropriate resources to offer students a healthy meal.

New Research Shows Impact of Healthy Diet on Academic Performance

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Founding Executive Director

It is always nice to see when scientific studies document what common sense and mother’s experience tells us.  A new study in the Journal of School Health shows that children with healthy diets perform better in school than children with unhealthy diets. 

In this study, researchers surveyed around 5,000 Canadian fifth-graders and their parents. They found that students with an increased fruit and vegetable intake and less caloric  intake from fat were less likely to fail a literacy assessment.

“We demonstrated that above and beyond socioeconomic factors, diet quality is important to academic performance,” the authors concluded. “These findings support the broader implementation and investment in effective school nutrition programs that have the potential to improve student’s diet quality, academic performance, and, over the long term, their health.” 

With these research results in hand, we hope that policymakers and school administrators will incorporate a focus on the importance of good nutrition into their decision-making.

Farm to School Programs Taking Off

Today we have a guest blog from HSC Intern Dennis Fiser. Dennis recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in environmental studies and is beginning a new job on an organic farm later this Spring. 

In Jean Saunders’ blog entry from April of last year, I think it’s safe to say pretty much everybody (myself included) was astounded by the quality of a school lunch in France. Smoked salmon with asparagus and crème fraiche? Tomato and fresh mozzarella salad? Who needs, or would even want, a bagged lunch if this were the standard fare?

In the meantime, our school lunches are suffering from an unfortunate convergence of government policies, agricultural practices, and the strained financial state of our education system. School cafeterias on this side of the big pond seem to have a penchant for pizza, a need for nachos, and a hankering for hot dogs. While all of those items have their place, there’s no question we could do far better - and a growing trend called Farm to School is starting to do just that.

The name means just what it says – bringing the farm to the school through nutrition education, visits from farmers, growing food in school gardens, and putting some farm fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, honey, and beans on students’ plates when they come to the cafeteria for lunch.

The National Farm to School Network was officially created in 2000, as a joint effort between the Community Food Security Coalition and the Center for Food & Justice. It started with just six programs in 1997, but now the organization estimates that there are a whopping 2,000 programs in over 8,000 schools in 38 states.

Marion Kalb, who is co-director of the National Farm to School Network, attributes this rapid growth in part to the growing interest in eating and living healthy, but it isn’t just adults who are interested.

“We've found that if kids can meet the farmer who actually grew the food, they're much more likely to eat it," she said.

In a country where the prevalence of obesity is a problem in ever more communities, Farm to School programs are one way to reconnect ourselves and our schoolchildren to meaningful and healthy eating habits, while also helping to support small, local farms that sell to the schools.

Several states have passed Farm to School legislation encouraging school districts to buy local and giving them some of the human and financial resources required to do so. Several states have bills which will come to a vote sometime within the next few months, and the USDA encourages states to purchase locally grown produce for school meals.

Right now, there is a strong Farm to School program going on in Oak Park and Forest Park schools, pushed on by Gary Cuneen and Seven Generations Ahead. Students have enjoyed some local delights, including Dinosaur Kale and Swiss chard, and been on several trips to nearby farms, such as the Green Earth Institute in Naperville.

USA Today recently featured Farm to School efforts in their article, “Food program brings together schools, farmers,” and here’s hoping they have plenty more reason to keep featuring it in the future.

Test Day = Healthy Snack Day?

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

This week, my son will have a healthy snack at school every day. Other parents have told me that their children will have bottled water at their desks and even a break with a few moments of physical activity in the classroom.

Why this sudden emphasis on healthy behaviors at school?

Well, this is the week when children throughout the state are taking standardized tests. And the “grown-ups” involved are reinforcing a message that we try to send throughout the year – that a healthy environment helps students achieve academically.

The No Child Left Behind act requires states to measure student achievement at a school and district level, and set targets for future achievement. In Illinois, where I live, students take the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) to measure their performance relative to official state learning standards. Each year, the test results are used to evaluate the school’s progress and determine whether the school is meeting established annual targets for improvement. Schools that do not meet the set goals for student test scores several years in a row face penalties and restrictions.

So, the stakes are high.  If students don’t do well on these tests, there are real consequences for the school. Of course, schools prepare for this week every year: students take practice tests, teachers work with students to prepare for the tests, and many schools encourage parents to work with their kids at home on practice tests.

And, many parents are asked to provide a healthy snack this week. At my son’s school, parents received this note:

In order to make sure they [students] have enough fuel to get them through, we'd like to make a healthy snack, such as fruit, muffins, granola bars, etc. available to them before the test period.  We would appreciate volunteers to bring a healthy snack for 25 students. We need one volunteer each day.

Lincoln Magnet School in Springfield, Ill. posted a note to parents with snack suggestions including individually wrapped mints, trail mix, pretzels, bottled water, fruit or granola bars.

As parents, teachers and school administrators, we recognize how important it is for kids to be well nourished. And, beyond that, we recognize how good nourishment affects their ability to concentrate and perform well at school.

It’s great to see the effort that schools and parents make to ensure that students have a healthy school environment during these tests. Wouldn’t it be great if every school day were healthy snack day?

Well nourished students make better learners. The stakes are high every day.

Heart-Healthy Valentine’s Parties: What a Difference a Year Makes!

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thinking about the spoils from my son’s Valentine’s Day party last year (candy, candy, candy), I have to admit that I was dreading the sugar-induced aftermath that so often goes along with this annual celebration of friendship and love.

Last year, I wrote about the conflicting messages we send kids when we encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyles while hosting parties loaded with candy and heart-shaped frosted cookies.

But what a difference a year makes!

Our school wellness committee has been hard at work all year, and I think our message of good food and plentiful activity has made its way to the Valentine’s celebration.

Read on for news from the schools’ principal that arrived at our house in "the backpack mail," and you’ll understand why my enthusiasm for the Valentine’s Day party has been reignited!

Our schools’ Health & Wellness Committee has been busy planning special activities….We focused our energies early on by working with Homeroom Parents as they teamed with teachers to plan special activities/snacks/treats for rooms (i.e. Halloween, Wintertime parties, birthdays, etc.). As we approach Valentine’s Day, we ask for the same focus on healthier snacks (i.e. fresh fruit, applesauce cups, pretzels, baked chips, mini muffins/cupcakes, oatmeal cookies, etc.)

Armed with these encouraging words from the principal, the room parent coordinating this year’s Valentine’s festivities for my son’s class has solicited healthy treats for the party. 

"As you're chairing the health and wellness committee, I thought you'd be the perfect person to show us how fun it is to eat a healthy snack," she said.

Of course I’m happy to make the snack! So, what to make. . . ? Well, it has to taste good, it should fit with the red theme, it should be easy to eat. . . hmm. . . I’ve got it! A variation on a perennial favorite: mini banana muffins with chocolate chips.  I’ll replace half of the mashed bananas with mashed strawberries!

Here’s the recipe:

Mini Strawberry-Banana Muffins

Yield: 48 mini muffins or 24 "regular sized" muffins

Three bananas, soft
One 12 oz. package of frozen strawberries, thawed and pureed
One-half cup canola oil
Two eggs
One-third cup buttermilk
Three-fourths cup sugar
Two cups all purpose flour
One cup whole wheat flour
One tsp baking soda
One tsp baking powder
One-half tsp salt
Optional addition: Three-fourths cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare muffin tins (line with muffin cups or spray with pan spray).

Mash bananas, add strawberry puree. Mix with Canola oil, eggs buttermilk and sugar, set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Combine with a whisk. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Mix gently to combine.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes.  Cool for five minutes in muffin tins and then remove from tins and cool on a wire rack.

(Recipe courtesy of Jean Saunders)

A quick internet search affirms that there’s no shortage of ideas for Valentine’s Day celebrations. Zwolle Elementary School in Zwolle, LA offers a very comprehensive list of resources for activities and games (some more healthy than others!) on their school website.

And, I especially like eHow.com’s suggestions for teachers about integrating physical activity and lessons about the heart and circulatory system into Valentine’s parties.

I’d love to hear about the classroom Valentines’ Day celebrations at the schools in your neighborhood.

Get Your Farming On

Today we have a guest blog from HSC Intern Dennis Fiser. Dennis recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in environmental studies and is pursuing a career in sustainable food systems.

Part of the Healthy Schools Campaign’s mission is to promote healthy food and discourage the low-nutrient, high-calorie ("junk") food that has become widely available in schools. Fresh fruits and vegetables are just what school cafeterias need, and all the better if fresh produce can be purchased from local farms.

But even though "locally grown" is all the rage, there are surprisingly few farms growing food for people to eat. Much of our farmland is filled with corn for animal feed, food additives and biofuels, along with soybeans for biodiesel, food additives, and animal feed – which doesn’t sound very appetizing.

So here I am, working at HSC on farm-to-school policies; but what is there to do when there simply aren’t many local farms growing food, and even fewer which can supply enough ingredients to feed the thousands of Chicago students who eat school lunch every day?   I’ll go do some farming myself, that’s what.

In the past couple of years, there has been growing awareness [pdf] of the need for younger people to get involved in farming. Many farmers are nearing retirement and there aren’t many younger farmers to take their place.

But there are plenty of opportunities for those of us who do want to get involved in farming. It’s a great way to help build a sustainable food system from the ground up, literally. And the food is absolutely delicious.

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) helps people find opportunities to gain hands-on farming experience. WWOOF publishes a directory of organic farms for dozens of countries, and in return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts (farms) offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles. Specific to our region are programs like the Collaborative Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT), which serves northern Illinois and Wisconsin (but has chapters in all areas of the country), Stateline Farm Beginnings, Central Illinois Farm Beginnings, and Farm Beginnings for Wisconsin and Minnesota, among many, many others.

And if farming isn’t going to be your occupation, many farms welcome visitors for a short stay – you get to do some good work and eat some good food, and then return to your normal life. Check out Local Harvest to find a farm close to you.

Student-Designed School Lunch Served throughout Chicago Public High Schools

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

For culinary students at Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA), the long-awaited day has finally arrived!

Today, the students’ menu of red beans and rice with smothered cabbage and candied carrots will be served at all high schools in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system. High school students around the city will enjoy a healthy meal that CVCA students created to meet high standards for nutrition, taste and presentation.

The CVCA students won this honor by winning first place in the Cooking up Change Healthy Cooking Contest at HSC’s annual benefit in October. We couldn’t be more proud of the students, and are delighted to share the thoughts of three members of the winning team:

My experience in the Healthy Schools Campaign competition was a very great learning experience. I was able to obtain more confidence in myself as well as in my future. This campaign put me in a “quick thinking on my feet” situation; when I look back on it, I can applaud myself and my teammates who all played a major role in our success as a group. I really can say that throughout the whole competition I felt an exciting feeling as if I knew the outcome would be worth it.  ~ Ariel Griffin

Being a part of the winning team, which is Chicago Vocational, of the Healthy Schools Campaign is one of the greatest feelings a person in the food industry could gain. The day of the competition was nerve-wracking because of the way it started and the challenges along the way: at first our bus was an hour late which made us late for the competition, and when we were on our way to the competition, our food was spilling. But when they announced our school as the winners my teacher Mr. Fuller jumped into my arms because he knew how hard we worked to get those trophies. But to know that our food is going to be in every CPS school is one of the greatest accomplishments that our school could ever gain.  ~ Kevin Williams

I am really appreciative of the opportunity to compete in the healthy cooking competition. I’m elated that we won first place, for the appetizer and entrée portion of the contest. The whole competition was a great experience, including the work that was done prior to the competition. This is definitely an experience that I will never forget. I hope that the entrée is a great success on the Chartwells menu. Thanks to the judges for making the right decision, we (Chicago Vocational Career Academy – Culinary department) will make sure you are happy you chose us as the winners.  ~ Alexia R. McLaurin

Many congratulations to the culinary students at CVCA! 

HSC & Board Member Rob Rogers Featured in Chicago Tribune

by Tara Kennon, HSC Writer & Publications Coordinator

Rob Rogers, HSC board member and vice president of School Health Corp., is featured in a recent Chicago Tribune article for his work with HSC to promote wellness in schools. The story focuses on ways that entrepreneurs are getting involved in the work of improving student nutrition and fitness:

"It drives me crazy when I see chicken fingers and french fries on the lunch menu," said Robert Rogers, executive vice president of the 100-employee firm.

That's why Rogers is cutting back on his corporate duties next year to spend more time working pro bono for the Healthy Schools Campaign, a Chicago-based not-for-profit. As a board member, he spends about one day a month working with the group.

In addition, School Health has contributed $35,000 over the past two years to the group, and Robert was part of a team that ran in the Chicago Marathon on behalf of the organization, together raising about $30,000.

The company's latest project is sponsoring "The Quick & Easy Guide to School Wellness," available online at HealthySchoolsCampaign.org, offering tips on fitness and nutrition.

School Health's mission is closely aligned with that of the not-for-profit, said company President Susan Rogers.

"It makes you feel good to do something for a non-profit when you're on the same page and have the same mission," she said. "We believe a healthy child learns better."

We’re thrilled to see Rob and Susan’s leadership and dedication to school wellness recognized in the Tribune, and hope that more entrepreneurs will join in the effort to promote nutrition and fitness at school.

Plus: You can access The Quick & Easy Guide to School Wellness – sponsored by School Health Corp. – free of charge online at www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/wellness.

HSC School Food Efforts Featured on "Chicago’s Very Own"

by Tara Kennon, HSC Writer & Publications Coordinator

Healthy Schools Campaign’s work with Noble Street Charter Schools to provide healthy, freshly prepared meals to students (and teachers!) is featured on an upcoming segment of “Chicago’s Very Own” on WGN (channel 9) at 9pm on Friday, Dec. 28.

HSC is partnering with the Noble Network of Charter Schools to work on transforming school food from an entity in which meals are composed of packaged and pre-made items into one in which meals are freshly prepared, include fresh fruits and vegetables, meet USDA nutrition guidelines and, importantly, appeal to students.

Jean Saunders, HSC’s director of school wellness, worked with leaders at Noble Street and other Chicago public charter schools – including Namaste Charter School and Perspectives Charter School – to help the schools develop efficient systems that allow them to provide freshly prepared healthy food for their students at a reasonable cost. HSC facilitated meetings where school leaders shared their varied experiences in both the logistics and the big picture of implementing a healthy school food program.

Noble Street came to the discussions with the goal of making a significant food transformation and, with the support of HSC and other school leaders in the group, has definitely achieved this goal.

Student participation in the lunch program has increased dramatically, with students voicing their approval of the tasty new food choices. Even teachers – who previously had almost zero participation in the lunch program – are regularly lining up to get their lunch in the cafeteria.

As charter schools, Noble Street and others in the group have flexibility in many areas of operation including the option of going outside the district’s established food service management contract for their school food programs.

“The leaders at Noble Street did this because it’s the right thing to do,” Saunders said. “It shows a lot of foresight and leadership to use the flexibility that charter schools have to make this type of significant change. With the new food program, they’re helping students live healthier lives – and in a very practical way, they’re also showing other schools that this type of fresh, healthy meal program can be a reality.”

Be sure to check out "Chicago's Very Own" on Dec. 28 to learn more!

School Nutrition Amendment to Farm Bill Represents a Step in the Right Direction

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Founding Executive Director

The U.S. Senate is preparing to vote on the farm bill.  While the debate about farm subsidies dominates the headlines, it is important to realize that the provisions of the farm bill address many aspects of U.S. food policy, including school food.  (Federal school food programs are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.) 

One of the amendments that senators will soon vote on would establish national standards for food available in schools.  There has been much public attention to the problem of childhood obesity, and the prevalence of junk food in schools has been well documented.   

The common-sense notion that it is important to offer students nutrition education reinforced by the availability of healthy food and the opportunity for physical activity is well supported by research. 

The School Nutrition Amendment to the farm bill, offered by Sens. Harkin and Murkowski, provides a national standard for food available in schools.  This standard, which is far better than the federal government’s outdated definition of foods with minimum nutritional value,  offers food manufacturers one standard to create products that are healthier for our children, rather than having to negotiate many state standards that have minor differences.

While this amendment has attracted the support of a diverse coalition of public health advocates and industry leaders, it has also generated controversy from critics who worry that it oversteps the appropriate role for the federal government and, on the other hand, those who worry that the standards it sets are not strict enough.

Healthy Schools Campaign supports the amendment because it represents a strong and much-needed step in the right direction.

Like all legislation, it required compromise and is not a perfect solution: but it is an important step forward and sends a clear message that school wellness and children’s health are significant issues worth addressing on a large scale. In fact, federal requirements already exist for school food but were written before vending machines and junk food had such a huge presence is schools. This amendment would bring a critical update to these important but obsolete standards.

The national standards would supersede standards set by states, but allow school districts to set their own standards that are stronger than the national ones. Close analysis of state standards and the proposed national standards shows strengths and weaknesses of each, but that the national standards would be at least as valuable overall as state standards. And, national standards offer the additional benefit of providing a set structure within which companies can develop affordable healthy products for schools.

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Cooking for CPS Students at New Culinary High School

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

My phone rang early this morning. 

It was a friend, calling from her office to ask for my advice on turkey brining. To brine or not to brine? We had a great conversation about the merits of and techniques associated with brining turkeys. (I told her that it’s not difficult, it just takes some advanced planning. And, she decided that she was up to the challenge!) 

My friend was a apologetic about “bothering” me, but I assured her that it was just the opposite –-  I  love fielding questions about food and cooking, especially those that involve holiday meal preparations.

Time and time again, I find that conversations about food preparation are ice-breakers, common-ground finders and even confidence builders.

It looks like the folks over at CPS (Chicago Public Schools) and I might just agree on that point. Last week, the Chicago Tribune reported:

The Chicago Board of Education is expected to approve plans for the first high school designed to promote the culinary field and encourage dropouts to come back to school in Chicago. The school would target dropouts and at-risk 11th graders by providing vocational training aligned with a real world career. Slated to open in 2008, the school would award high school diplomas, state food-handling certificates and, through a partnership with a culinary institute, 16 college credits. This opportunity has the ability to change lives by giving students a second chance at high school, a tangible real-world skill and college credits.

Cooking as a way to encourage students to stay in school? Could it work? I certainly think so!

This firm conviction is based on my observations of the kids I’ve had the pleasure of cooking with over the years. I’ve had the chance to cook with second-graders as an enrichment to their math and social studies curriculum, with middle school students in French and Spanish language classes and with high school freshmen in their English literature class.

Without exception, these cooking experiences engaged kids who had been struggling with the regular academic material but became very engaged when we were preparing food. One of the second grade teachers I worked with told me that the star “student chef” in my cooking class was usually disruptive in class. When we were cooking, he was a model pupil.

There’s just something about cooking fresh, tasty food (and sharing it with others!) that can really bring out the best in people. We saw this at the Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest, when CPS culinary students prepared appetizers, desserts and healthy school meals. The students were practically radiant with excitement and pride in the amazing food they had created together.

I don’t have my crystal ball handy,  but I’m convinced that the kids who had an opportunity to develop their cooking skills at school have their sleeves rolled up right now, cutting and chopping their way to a great Thanksgiving feast with their families and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Applauding Healthy School Food in Chicago – And Creative Student Chefs

by Rochelle Davis, HSC Founding Executive Director

It was truly a delight to meet the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) culinary students and teachers who participated in the healthy cooking contest at Cooking up Change, HSC’s annual benefit, and to check out the dishes they entered in the "healthy school lunch" category of the contest.

The category was filled with delicious, healthy meals:  a whole wheat chicken burrito with Mexican rice, roasted sweet potato soup with southern herb greens and smoked turkey, and the winning lunch, red beans and rice with smothered apples and candied carrots.

This was even more exciting because the students’ work to create healthy school lunches is part of a much larger school food transformation at CPS.

The school meals that students prepared met the "Balanced Choices" nutrition guidelines designed by CPS partner Chartwells-Thompson to set a high standard of health and nutrition for school meals. CPS high school students can choose a meal prepared to meet these guidelines every day – and in Jan., they will be able to choose the school meal designed by their peers when the winning lunch is served throughout CPS high schools.

In the past year, CPS food service has made other impressive changes, adding more fruits and vegetables while removing trans fats and whole milk. Deep fryers are no longer used by any elementary schools in the district or by 55 high schools, and the fryers will not be used in any CPS schools by 2009.

These changes will make a very real difference for the hundreds of thousands of children who consume the majority of their daily calories at school, and are even more impressive when I consider that CPS serves nearly 72 million school meals each year for less than a dollar per meal for food.

Involving students in a dialog about making healthy eating choices – as with the healthy cooking contest – will make the changes more relevant and will help pave the way for success.  I applaud CPS for taking these impressive steps for students’ health.

Speak Up to Improve School Food!

Today we have a guest blog from HSC dietetic intern Katie Nowack.

I am a dietetic intern at Loyola University of Chicago studying to become a registered dietitian.  During my studies and work experiences, I’ve seen again and again how important it is for children to have access to healthy food.

During the dietetic internship, I’ve been working with a variety of people in many different settings.  Just two weeks ago, I spent time at a Chicago Public School discussing the importance of nutrition and explaining the dietary guidelines to high school students.  I’d previously attended  this school’s “lunch bunch,” a program that provides a healthy lunch and nutrition education to the students.

Last week and this week, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC).  At HSC, I’ve become aware of a possible revision of the current school nutrition rules in Illinois. This possibility is very exciting and has the potential to make a real difference for children’s health by improving the food available at school.

The Illinois School Wellness Task Force, a group of health and education experts convened by the Illinois legislature, has issued recommendations for improving the standard of foods and beverages sold in all schools. Now, the Illinois State Board of Education is holding hearings on this recommendation and needs to hear that there is public support for improving the food available at schools.

I completely support the Taskforce recommendations because they would ensure that healthier food is available in all schools and would extend state nutrition standards to cover high schools as well as elementary schools.

From what I have seen, schools offer a traditional “school lunch” to students and also offer a variety of other foods during the school day and at during meals.  These other choices include food sold in a la carte areas, vending machines, snack bars and at fundraising events.  The most common items sold in these venues are high in fat, sugar and salt. 

In my experiences at schools, I’ve seen that many students are unaware of the what to look for when seeking healthy food and do not understand the importance of nutrition.

If students are unaware of the benefits of healthy eating, what is going to stop them from choosing the sweets and high-fat foods that are being offered to them at school instead of the fruits, vegetables and other healthy choices?  Changing the nutrition rules and improving the standards for all foods and beverages sold in all schools is the first step to conquering this problem, improving children’s health and readiness to learn.

We need to show the members of the Illinois State Board of Education that they have public support for improving the quality of food in school.

You can show your support for this important and common-sense change in two easy ways: you can attend a public forum on the issue or can send an email to ISBE expressing your support. Your voice will help improve the food available to students throughout the state.

Inside the Lunch Box: Healthy, Fun Food

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

Two down, 173 to go!

That’s lunches packed to date and the number of school days remaining this year. So far, the reports from my son have been very positive (he ate his healthy lunch and enjoyed it!), but can I keep up this pace? Likely not without some help!

This time of year, lots of resources are available to help those of us who pack lunches for our children to take to school. I particularly like the "Healthy Make-Ahead Lunch Tips" from MSN.com.  For example, the article suggests:

Presentation makes it taste better! If you want to encourage your child to eat more fruits, veggies and healthy snacks, toothpicks might be the answer. Cubes of Cheddar or Gouda cheese stacked with grapes or melon balls will give those foods more appeal.

There's no rule that "lunch" means "sandwich." A thermos of soup can save the day and spicy Asian noodles, creative wraps or mini meatloaves all work well as portable lunch fare.

My dad, who lives in Canada, pointed out this good lunch resource from the Toronto Public Health Department [pdf].

Both resources emphasize the role of involving kids in making the lunches they'll take to school. The articles reminded me that when we combine our food preparation skills and our imaginations, my son and I can come up with lunches that are as appealing as they are healthy. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to enlist my 10-year-old sous chef in the lunch-making process.

If you have any ideas you’d like to share, send them our way!

Veggie Variety: Lessons from the Green Bean Rebels

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

Sometimes, all you have to do is ask!

At least, that's what the second graders at William V. Wright school in Las Vegas learned about speaking up for a tasty variety of food.

An AP report, "Vegas Children Rebel... Against Green Beans," describes the "poignantly polite" letter-writing campaign that children used to advocate for some new vegetable options in their school cafeteria.

MSNBC reports that the children’s letters included praise and offered ideas for replacing the green beans:

"A little boy said, 'Anything, anything, I’ll even eat broccoli,'" said Connie Duits, the lunch lady. "So that one touched my heart."

The children were careful to offer praise as they expressed their concerns.

"Dear Mrs. Duits, The food is so yummy and yummy. But there are one proplem. It is the green beans," wrote Zhong Lei.

"We love the rest but we hate the green beans," wrote Viviann Palacios.

In response to the students’ letters, the school district sent staff to conduct a taste-test of financially viable veggie options (including corn, carrots, peas, and tomatoes) and will adjust the menu based on the children’s feedback.

Food service directors around the country understand the importance of asking students for their opinions about new offerings in the cafeteria. They know that students are more likely to accept changes in the menu if their opinions are solicited in taste tests.

More and more school districts are including a greater number of healthy options in their cafeterias.

Last week, the School Nutrition Association released a comprehensive report about school food service, “School Nutrition Operations Report: The State of School Nutrition 2007.”

The report found that a majority of schools offer fat-free or low-fat milk (97 percent), fresh fruits and vegetables (96 percent), salad bars or pre-packaged salads (88 percent), yogurt and yogurt drinks (81 percent), from-scratch baked items (63 percent) and vegetarian meals (52 percent). The availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables has increased to 32 percent of schools.

If a few second graders in Las Vegas can bring about positive change in their local school, just imagine what could happen if more students around the country got involved in requesting healthier, tastier food options in their schools!

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.

Good News for School Lunch?

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

In a recent article about the School Nutrition Association's annual conference at McCormick Place in Chicago last week, "Catering to schools' desire to slim down," the Chicago Tribune reports that the “food service industry [is] eager to get piece of lucrative lunch business" and that the industry is courting schools with healthy new snack and lunch offerings.

According the School Nutrition Association’s weekly electronic magazine, “Good food and healthy eating were on the menu” at the conference. 

We're excited to see that more and more food manufacturers are taking up the challenge of creating products for school-aged children which contain less fat, sugar and sodium than many of the products currently on the market.

Like it or not, food companies are experts at marketing their products to children. Targeting more healthful products for the school market is an important step in improving the food choices that students have at school.

Is Nutrition Education Really Failing?

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

The news wires buzzed last week after an AP review of research was published around the country in articles such as “Nutrition education efforts failing” in the Chicago Tribune.

The assertion that nutrition education is not effective was based on the review of 57 scientific studies of such education programs, four of which showed positive results or effectiveness in changing behavior.

"Any person looking at the published literature about these programs would have to conclude that they are generally not working," said Dr. Tom Baranowski, a pediatrics professor who studies behavioral nutrition at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine.

Baranowski’s research is directed toward understanding why children eat the foods they eat and engage in the physical activities they do. He is also working on designing and evaluating programs to help change these dietary and physical activity behaviors.

If a leading contributor to the field of pediatrics research asserts that the programs are not working, should we abandon the considerable efforts underway to provide nutrition education to school-aged children?

Before we do that, let’s see if we can learn something from other important aspects of Baranowski’s work.

In an effort to understand why programs to increase physical activity among children have varied levels of success, Dr. Baranowski has been examining the factors that come between the physical activity programs and the desired results.

He describes these factors as the moderating and mediating variables—the external factors that affect how well programs work. These include gender differences, for example, as well as family support and the availability of space or equipment for physical activity.  No matter how great an education program to increase physical activity is, it's unlikely to yield long-term results if children don't have time or space to be active outside of the program.

The results of these investigations have led Baranowski to develop a model showing how outside influences play a role in the success of program.  With this model, Baranowski has begun to design programs to change the mediating variables – that is, to change the outside influences as well as the education programs.

“It’s the changes in mediating variables that lead to behavior change,” Dr. Baranowski explains.

Like Dr. Baranowski, I would like to know about the “mediating variables” in those four nutrition education programs that were successful.

Why were those interventions successful? It's likely that the “mediating variables” in the successful studies included the school food environment, opportunities for physical activity, and support from teachers and parents. With the right factors in place, nutrition education yields positive results.

The Tribune article includes the statement that few nutrition education programs hold “promise as weapons against childhood obesity."

Dr. Baranowski’s work affirms that programs do not offer a simple answer or a silver bullet to reverse the disturbing growth in childhood obesity.

Offering nutrition education without changing the factors that affect children's food choices – such as improved school food or the availability of fresh fruit as snacks – is unlikely to yield stellar results. When education is accompanied by appropriate changes in the environm