Menus changing in cafeterias and classrooms
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As Linda Khalil demonstrates, sometimes the way to a kid's heart (and lungs) is through his stomach.
When the school nurse teacher presented a class of fourth-graders at Mendon Center Elementary School with a lesson on cardiovascular and pulmonary health last month, most of the discussion was about healthful eating.
After all, she explained, a poor diet puts kids at higher risk for health problems, from obesity and high blood pressure to high cholesterol and diabetes.
Khalil's goal was to introduce a new way of understanding food choices. The Go, Slow, Whoa program, adopted from a youth obesity prevention initiative coordinated by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, is at the forefront of Pittsford Central School District's policy to meet federal wellness mandates.
These policies are designed to shape food service and nutrition education guidelines to address the specific needs of each district and in many cases, of individual schools. In Pittsford and other districts across the county, policies are leading to changes in the classroom and cafeteria, as well as at school functions.
"Within any food group there are less vs. more healthy choices," Khalil told the class.
Green "go" foods are nutrient-dense foods that students should feel good about eating almost any time. Apples, grilled chicken sandwiches on whole-wheat bread, and even low-fat chocolate milk fall into this category, Khalil explains.
Yellow "slow" foods are higher in fat, sugar and calories, and should be eaten less often. Apple sauce with added sugar might fall in that category.
Red "whoa" foods are those empty-calorie foods that should be eaten only once in a while or on special occasions, and then in small portions.
In the cafeteria, the district's students find labels on all the foods for sale, identifying which category they belong to.
Since districts participating in the federal school lunch program were required to have a policy in place by September 2006, many have already changed the types of foods available in the schools. These changes include phasing out fried foods and trans fats, changing over to whole grains, increasing the selection of fruits and vegetables and replacing whole milk and dairy products with low-fat or fat-free versions.
Schools are also reducing portion sizes in snack foods and treats, and replacing a la carte snacks with alternatives that are lower in fat, calories, sugar and sodium. Water, sports drinks, low-fat flavored milks, or fruit and vegetable juices are replacing sodas in vending machines. (In New York, schools are not allowed to sell candy, soda, gum and water ices from the beginning of the school day until after the last lunch period.)
Schools are encouraging more healthful foods or non-food items instead of candy and junk food at fundraisers, school celebrations or as student rewards. And they are making sure students have a reasonable amount of time to eat meals.
But having more healthful foods available doesn't necessarily mean students will automatically change the way they eat or think about nutrition. That's where both small and large changes in the cafeteria and classroom can make a difference, say educators, students and parents.
At Lima Primary School, for example, fresh vegetables and fruits are cut up so they are easier for kindergarteners and first-graders to eat. They are also arranged in a rainbow so they are more visually appealing, said Laura Villanti, a member of Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District's Food Service Advisory Committee and parent of four in the district.
"We found that the kids end up eating more," said Villanti.
As Pittsford began the transition to whole grains last year, cafeteria staffers would make sandwiches with half white bread, half whole wheat, with the white bread displayed on top. "We decided to do it gradually, and get it in their brains that they can try this," said Food Services Director Paulette Vangellow.
The diverse student population at Twelve Corners Middle School in Brighton has led cafeteria manager Kathy Palmer to add more Asian-style stir-fries to the menu that incorporate lean meats, rice and vegetables.
In Rochester's Dr. Freddie Thomas High School, health teacher Andrea Berardi takes students to the nearby Rochester Public Market. The field trip shows students where and how to purchase fresh, seasonal produce and adds a 20-minute walk to their day.
Another part of her nutrition unit curriculum has students keeping a food journal for a week after getting their blood pressure and body mass index checked at the school's health center. Berardi then goes over the journals with students to see what kinds of dietary changes they can make to lower their risk for high blood pressure and diabetes, conditions Berardi sees all too often among students.
"I feel that they are on their way to making changes and, with the health center there, they are being monitored," said Berardi.
Some of the city schools are relying on student creativity to reinforce healthful eating and exercise, creating public service announcements where students act out skits. These video PSAs will then be broadcast in the schools and eventually to the community at large through cable channel 15, said Sandy Pawlak, health education coordinator.
As local wellness policies set high goals for school foods and nutrition education, districts still struggle to achieve them.
Healthful foods, especially fresh, perishable produce; whole grains and smaller-portioned a la carte items, cost more. And food service operations may no longer be able to rely on a la carte revenues from traditional fried potato chips and jumbo cookies to balance the books. Consequently, some districts have had to raise prices or juggle their budgets in other ways to make their operations more efficient.
Another major challenge is that institutional food manufacturers are scrambling to catch up with the demand for whole grains, smaller portions and no trans fats. Some of the subsidized foods available to districts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture don't yet meet new criteria for low-fat and whole grains either, Vangellow said.
And Berardi pointed out an issue common to all districts: There is no way to control the empty calories that students bring from home or purchase outside of school. Getting teachers and administrators to buy into more healthful eating habits is also difficult when staff lounge vending machines are still dispensing sodas, potato chips and candy bars, she added.
Lima Primary School principal Jeanine Lupisella acknowledged that some parents ignore the new guidelines restricting classroom birthday treats and celebrations to fruit, cheese and crackers instead of cookies and cupcakes. "We may have to say no to edible treats altogether," she said.
Pittsford Sutherland High School freshman Clarice Lin, 14, a student representative on the district's wellness committee, admits that phasing out unhealthful foods for fundraisers has been a tough issue. Her brother, a cello player at Calkins Road Middle School, joins fellow music students in a pie sale each spring to help pay for a fall trip. "Maybe we can let this one go by this time, and next year they can sell something else," Clarice said.
Studies have shown that younger students eat more nutritiously and waste less food if they have recess right before lunch. Mendon Center Elementary School tried this with students last year but found that in winter weather, it was problematic getting kids out of wet clothing and giving them enough time to eat, said school nurse teacher Khalil.
Hilton Central School District's wellness committee has discussed pre-lunch recess, but lack of gym space during bad weather and teacher resistance are two challenges that make such a change "very complicated," Kelley O'Connell, health and physical education coordinator, wrote in an e-mail.
While the jury is still out on the long-term effectiveness of local wellness policies in getting children to eat better, there are promising signs that an appreciation for more wholesome foods is sinking in.
Beth Krause, food services director at the Fairport Central School District, said she has received thank you notes from high schoolers on the expanded whole-grain choices.
Mendon Center Elementary School fourth-grader Alina Santiago recently discovered at a local health food restaurant that a fruit smoothie made without sugar is just as tasty.
"It was surprising," said the 9-year-old.
KMILTNER@DemocratandChronicle.com
Healthy Schools Act
As they stand now, local wellness policies have no state or federal oversight. The school districts themselves must enforce the guidelines they set in their policies.
But if Gov. Eliot Spitzer's Healthy Schools Act, introduced last year and recently revised, becomes law, all schools public, private and parochial would have to follow state nutritional standards. And all schools, regardless of whether they participate in the federal school lunch program, would be required to file additional wellness policies with the state education department.
The bill would ban soda and candy and set limits on the amount of cholesterol, sodium, fat, trans fat and sugar tolerated in a la carte items. It would require middle schools and high schools to have breakfast programs.
Since more nutritional foods cost more, the bill would provide extra subsidies for reimbursable meals and would eliminate fees for children eligible for reduced priced meals.
"Every other state is setting ... standards, so New York has to do something," said Sandra Sheedy, nutrition program representative for the state Education Department's Child Nutrition Program Administration. Because standards differ from state to state, food manufacturers are having a hard time keeping up, she added.
"In some ways it would be easier to have national standards."
staff writer Karen Miltner
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Related: Menus changing in cafeterias and classrooms
Additional information:
From www.democratandchronicle.com:
Early next month, more than 700 school nutrition professionals will discuss the crisis in funding for school meal programs and urge the Congress.
Nutrition training and careers guide. Become a nutritionist. Learn about nutrition careers, degrees and certificates. Choose the right nutrition.
Get the scoop about the child nutrition programs in Texas public schools, from funding and menu. Comments on the Texas Public School.
Because nutrition affects learning ability, kids need to eat healthy to do well in school. Eating junk food and skipping breakfast.
In response to growing concerns over obesity, national attention has focused on the need to establish school nutrition standards and limit access.
National School Lunch Program. Provides nutritious lunches and the opportunity to practice skills learned in classroom nutrition.
The School Nutrition Program is responsible for the administration of the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Afterschool.
Comprehensive School Nutrition Policy Task Force. Promoting Healthy Eating in Schools and Communities. A coordinated school nutrition.
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