Michelle Obama has really helped promote a new trend and a very healthy one,  fresh farm foods.

I know many schools are trying to incorporate fresh grown fruits and vegetables into their cafeteria program and their nutrition education programs.  I ran across this fairly new organization and wanted to share it with you.

Farm to School brings healthy food from local farms to school children nationwide. The program teaches students about the path from farm to fork, and instills healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. At the same time, use of local produce in school meals and educational activities provides a new direct market for farmers in the area and mitigates environmental impacts of transporting food long distances.

They have created a network to help parents and teachers find this type of program into their local schools.   Meeting local farmers and learning about how foods are grown are all part of helping kids love nutrition!

Find a Farm to School Program by clicking on your state.

Related Resources- from our website Nourish Interactive:

Fruits and vegetables worksheets

Food pyramid food groups – fun coloring and learning sheets

I attended the Network for a Healthy California earlier this week in Sacramento, CA.  This meeting was attended by predominantly schools from around California who are providing innovative ways to promote nutrition to children.  I think what really impressed me is their commitment to making nutrition education part of their curriculum.  With all the budget deficits, cuts to program funds and to teachers, they continue to work together and share ideas and resources so children can learn the importance of healthy living.

Their studies are showing that teaching children about fruits and vegetables and healthy choices is making a difference.  It was exciting to see such a positive impact and very motivating to keep doing the work we do here at NourishInteractive.com to support them.

I was happy to be able to attend and share with them our free nutrition tools and games.  Schools are actively looking for resources to help them bring nutrition and exercise into the schools despite limited funding.  So please, take the time to pass on our website to your child’s school.  We are here to help them and rely on word of mouth to spread our resources.

You can print out this flyer and drop off to your child’s teacher or principal.

The Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Act of 2009 was introduced to Capitol Hill on December 16th.  This bill essentially would require all elementary schools to offer a salad bar as part of their lunch program.

Research has shown that having a variety of fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria significantly increases the amount of fruits and vegetables kids eat.

We also have learned that kids will be more apt to try new items when a variety of fruits and vegetables are offered.

This makes sense.  Kids, just like us, need variety and have personal likes and dislikes.  A salad bar would give them a nice array of choices to meet most kids preferences.  Getting kids to eat more fruits and vegetables is so important for a balanced and healthy diet.  Unfortunately, most kids don’t get the required amount of these foods which means their body is not getting the nutrition it needs to be healthy, fight diseases and build a strong immune system.

We know that schools across America are trying to find ways to offer better, healthier foods but are strapped by their current budget.  We need to step up and support them.  Kids are the future of our country.

The Child Reauthorization is happening in early 2010 and important decisions about funding, food quality and requirements will be decided.  You can make a difference by contacting your local congressperson.

Tell congress you want healthy school lunches for kids

More resources and information about this campaign.

Other resources for creating a healthy lunch for your child

Get the kids involved in easy and fun “back to school healthy lunch food” ideas

Put a smile on your child’s face at lunchtime with fun printable healthy lunch cards

Tips on handling the picky eater’s school lunch- healthy school lunch foods for kids

Simple solution to get kids eating their school lunch.

Back to school – help kids make healthy food choices in the school cafeteria

It is surprising to read that 24.4% of children ages 2 – 5 years old are either overweight or obese.  That means that 1 out of every 4 preschooler is overweight/obese.   I know that I am always talking about the family setting and what can be done to help kids be more active and eat healthier.  But when I read that near.y 74% of children 3-6 are in some form of childcare setting away from home, that got me thinking.

These childcare settings also have a great influence on the eating and activity habits of these children.  Just think how many children are eating one or two of their main meals away from home.  I found that each state has regulations that help child care facilities and preschools promote kids’ health and prevent childhood obesity.

The Robert Woods Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating childhood obesity, has just released a report about how well each these child care facilities are doing at meeting these regulations.  Read the whole report:  Preventing Obesity In The Child Care Setting, Evaluating State Regulations.

According the report, here are the grades that each state received based on how well they met state regulations on healthy eating and physical activity.

Read the report about your particular state.

In my last blog, I shared with you some interesting information about the current school meal programs that are serving millions of kids across America.

Here is an opportunity to take a few minutes and write your congressman about the Child Nutrition Act which affects the nutrition requirements for kids’ school meal.

Nourish Interactive has become partners with Slow Food USA and their movement to get congress to make a difference in the quality and nutrition of our children’s school meals. Congress will be acting on this bill early next year so there is still time to write.

Slow Food USA has a School Lunch Fact Sheet you can read.

There are simple ways to get involved that only take a few minutes of your time:

You can sign this petition online (simple and quick)

You can write a letter to your congressman (writing resources to make it easy for you to write – with a short sample letter)

In fact, they have resources to help kids write letters too!

Congress needs to hear from each one of us that we want healthy foods for our kids! Each letter can make a difference. Don’t forget, congress will be voting on this early next year!

More resources and information about this campaign.

Other resources for creating a healthy lunch for your child

Get the kids involved in easy and fun “back to school healthy lunch food” ideas

Put a smile on your child’s face at lunchtime with fun printable healthy lunch cards

Tips on handling the picky eater’s school lunch- healthy school lunch foods for kids

Simple solution to get kids eating their school lunch.

Back to school – help kids make healthy food choices in the school cafeteria

Get the kids involved in easy and fun “back to school healthy lunch food” ideas

Put a smile on your child’s face at lunchtime with fun printable healthy lunch cards

Tips on handling the picky eater’s school lunch- healthy school lunch foods for kids

Simple solution to get kids eating their school lunch.

Back to school – help kids make healthy food choices in the school cafeteria

The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program affect the nutrition of millions of children across America by providing low cost or free lunches during school time. You might be surprised to know that in 2007, these national programs provided lunch to more than 30.5 million children and breakfast to 10.1 million children.

There has been a lot of discussion, debate and controversy over the nutrition of those meals. The school meals currently are required to meet the guidelines set in 1995. That is almost 15 years old!

The Institute of Medicine convened a committee to provide recommendations to revise standards and requirements so that school meals are more healthful.

In its 2009 report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, the committee made the following recommendations to the USDA which included:

• Increasing the amount and variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
• Setting a minimum and maximum level of calories
• Focusing more on reducing saturated fat and sodium

Here is a comparison of the current requirements and the recommendations:

This is so important because you can see how many kids rely on these meals as one or two of the main meals for the day.

Click here to read the full school nutrition report.

What do you think about school nutrition and the new study? Share your opinion by leaving a comment about school nutrition policy and your ideas for healthier school food for kids!

If you make your own lunches at home, here are some resources from our website to help you pack a healthy lunch for school:

Healthy lunch ideas pdf

Helping your child to choose healthier cafeteria foods

Healthy lunch box notes for kids! Fun printable eating healthy reminders!

Today is National Walk your Child to School Day.

Today communities around the world are walking or bicycling to school. This international event was created to:

• To enhance the health of kids
  Increased physical activity can combat a host of health problems facing kids today.

• To improve air quality and the environment
  Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can help reduce air pollution.

• To create safer routes for walking and bicycling
  Sidewalks, education programs and traffic calming measures are some of the ways to improve conditions.

In 1997, the Partnership for a Walkable America sponsored the first National Walk Our Children to School Day in Chicago, modeled after the United Kingdom’s lead. Back then, it was simply a day to bring community leaders and children together to create awareness of the need for communities to be walkable. By the year 2002, children, parents, teachers and community leaders in all 50 states joined nearly 3 million walkers around the world to celebrate the second annual International Walk to School Day.

Check what events are happening in your area.

Resources to keep your kids active.

Be active tips for families.

Family Fitness Tips, Being Active and Fit

Be active kids’ goal sheet

Be active tracking sheet

To help you keep your child on track after the event, we have a list of fun indoor and outdoor activities

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) has developed a one day course to train nurses in the assessment for childhood obesity and to provide them with tools for school nurses to use to assist students, families and the school community to address obesity.

The name of this program is S.C.O.P.E. which stands for “School Nurse Childhood Obesity Prevention Education.”

As a nurse, I know that School Nurses have been spread too thin to be able to do the type of community and outreach programs that are necessary to help families. I am glad to hear that the NASN is taking an active role in helping School Nurses take a leadership role in addressing this issue through the school system.

Check with your child’s school to find it if their School Nurse is participating in this very important program.
Share your thoughts and ideas for effective childhood obesity prevention strategies.

Resources from Nourish Interactive:

Find out your child’s BMI score- online bmi calculator

Learn more about children’s BMI score

Nutrition education tools and resources for schools

As part of the “Go Back to School Early” series, chef and mom Domenica Catelli, author of the cookbook “Momalicious,” shared on “The Early Show” a few fun and innovative ways to make brown bag lunches tastier.

I thought this one was very interesting and so wanted to share this lunch idea with you!

Freeze your sandwiches. According to Domencia, you can save time during the week by making sandwiches on Sunday for the next week and freezing them.

You can do this with the following sandwiches:

• turkey and cheese
• roast beef
• chicken
• PB & J
• AB & J (almond butter and jelly)

You can’t freeze lettuce or tomato, so bring these on the side. Keep the sandwiches in a sealable plastic bag or wax paper bag. They will be thawed out by lunch and not in the least bit soggy. Get the kids to help and make an assembly line Sunday night, one can spread mayo, someone else stacks the turkey & cheese, someone to cut and bag. Read her other list of fun lunch tips

Other Back to School healthy lunch ideas from Nourish Interactive:

Printable fun “healthy message” lunch cards

Healthy Kids- Lunch Food Tips Article

Back to school time can signify hectic schedules, homework and lots of eating on-the-go, but it doesn’t mean your family can afford to slack off on their physical fitness or healthy lifestyle. Jango Mango, official mango ambassador for the National Mango Board (and overall health nut), shares his tips to help keep your family in tip-top shape for back-to-school and all year long.

1. A fresh start: A new school year is a landmark that can bring new traditions, resolutions and decisions. All you have to do is make them. Make a list of goals for you and your family to get ahead of the game. Some great ideas include a central chalkboard in the house to track which chore each family member is responsible for, or get a calendar marking down family nights to ensure you get together at least once a week.

2. Stick to the pyramid: Mangos are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and good source of fiber. Energize your children with the healthy diet they need by avoiding junk food and offering nutritious options such as some Mango Oat Breakfast Bars to start your day off right or Sweet and Savory Mango Roll Ups for a fun after-school snack.

3. Meals at the ready: Need to get dinner on the table quick? There are quick and healthier alternatives to takeout that take the same amount of time to prepare. Try this Mango and Bacon Barbecue Pizza for starters which can be prepared in 20 minutes! You can also prepare snacks and meals a few days in advance to relieve some of the pressure. Try serving some baked tortilla chips with a fresh and healthy Cinco de Mango Salsa and storing it in the fridge for when hunger strikes.

4. Find the time to get active: Things can get busy, but try to set aside time each week to get the whole family together for an active day of fun. Play soccer, hold your own family marathon or get the whole family singing and dancing the Mango Fandango.

5. Make Learning Together Fun: Learning doesn’t have to stop when the bell rings. Try quizzing your child about geography and other fun facts in unique way with the Jango Geography online game.

I grew up on many fruits and vegetables.  Mango was one of my favorites.  It is so sweet and a great substitute for candy!