Smart
Spring
2009
Foods
f
lifetime o
Equal Smarter Kids... Starting a
Mountain State
abits...
healthy h
MealTIMES
The Spice of Life
Most people are familiar with the saying, “Variety is the spice of life.”
Well, that’s certainly true when it comes to healthy eating.
A variety of foods provide a different
assortment of nutrients. Your body needs
more than 40 different nutrients for good
health, and since there’s no single food
that contains all of these, they need to
come from a variety of food sources.
You and your family should eat food
from all five of the food groups each
day—grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy,
and meat. Try to vary your choices
within each of these groups. Also, look
for foods that are low in fat, sugar, and
salt. Some ways to encourage variety
include:
•
Encourage children to help prepare
at least one meal a week using a
variety of foods. Also, get their
opinion on certain foods, “Does this
need more pepper?”
•
Try a different food each week.
•
Conduct a family taste test of
different foods, particularly ones
they’ve never tasted before.
•
Take children shopping with you so
they can see what’s available. For
example, they might be surprised at
the variety of fruits and vegetables in
the produce department of the
grocery store.
•
Encourage picky eaters to “try just
a bite.” Set the example by also
joining in on the food tasting.
Children’s eating habits are often
reflected by those of their parents.
•
Teach children how to read food
labels to determine the nutrients
they get from their food choices.
eG
h
T
overnor’s Cor
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r
What is your favorite school lunch
memory?
Going down to Papa Joe’s grocery store
and having a sandwich and chocolate
milk. They did not have school lunches at
that time and we could walk from school.
What is your favorite family dinner menu?
Mom’s spaghetti and meatballs as well
as her pizza.
School Breakfast & Lunch Standards
As you may have heard, West
Virginia recently changed the
standards governing the school
breakfast and lunch program. This
new school nutrition policy, known
as the Standards for School Nutrition
(Policy 4321.1), is one of the most
progressive policies in the nation and
makes our state a leader in child
nutrition. The policy affects the breakfast and lunch program, as well as
other foods served, sold, or distributed
to students during the school day.
Some highlights of the new policy include:
• The school menus are based on fresh
fruits and vegetables, lean meats,
whole grains, low-fat milk and plenty
of water.
• Foods served or sold in school cafeterias
must contain lower sugar, lower fat,
and no Trans fats.
• Other foods sold or served outside of
the school’s breakfast and lunch
program should be nutritious without
adding unnecessary fat, sugar, calories
or sodium.
Research has shown that schools play an
important role in shaping students’ health
behaviors. Students spend a major part of
their day at school. It is important to
support the development of a healthy
lifestyle and other opportunities for
students to make healthy and informed
selections in order to prepare students
for academic success. The intent of the
new standards is to encourage and
enable schools to provide students with
nutritious food and beverage choices
that will enhance learning and provide
healthy behaviors that can be maintained throughout life.
d Health
oo
Bu
The Yellow Jackets of Moorefield High School in Hardy
County named their cafeteria “The Hive,” with the
theme “Buzzing for Good Health.” A fruit and salad
bar was initiated as part of their school lunch
program. A scrolling marquee markets the daily
menus, and every computer in the school has
zzing for G
WV School Wellness Success Story: Moorefield Yellow Jackets
nutrition information on the screen. The teaching staff
helped in teaching wise decision making skills based
on the posed nutritional information. The school’s
food service implemented more menu choices with
greater variety of foods and samples for students to
help improve the nutritional environment of the school.
Mountain State
MealTIMES
Here’s a great snack recipe
that encourages a variety of foods:
How to
Read a Food Label
• Look at the serving
size and how many
servings you are
actually eating.
If you are eating
more than one
serving, you need to
multiply the calories
by the number of
servings.
Calories Per Serving
• Low - 40 calories or
less per serving
• High - 400 or more
calories per serving
• First check the
calories and then
check the nutrients
to see what you will
be getting from the
foods you are
eating.
Sodium
• Important to look for
less sodium (<5% is
low, and >20% is
high) in order to
reduce the risk of
high blood pressure.
• Snack items should
have no more than
200mg of sodium
per serving.
Fats
• Look for foods low in
saturated and trans
fat, and cholesterol.
Most fats should be
poly or monounsaturated.
• Food should have no
more than 30% of its
calories from fat and
no more than 10% of
its calories from
saturated fat exclud-ng nuts, seeds,
peanut butter, and
other nut butters.
• All foods should have
less than 0.5 grams of
trans fat.
Sugars
• Look for foods low in
added sugars. Read
the ingredient list and
make sure that sugar
is not one of the first
three items on the list.
• Names for added
sugars include:
sucrose, glucose, high
fructose corn syrup,
corn syrup, maple
syrup, molasses, and
fructose.
• A food should have
no more than 35% of
its total calories from
sugars.
1. Which President established the National School Lunch program?
a. Barack Obama
c. Grover Cleveland
b. Abraham Lincoln d. Harry Truman
2. What is the name of the governing agency that
oversees the National School Lunch program?
a. USDA
c. CIA
b. FDR
d. FBI
3. What historic event spearheaded the beginnings of a
school lunch program in West Virginia?
a. The Great Depression
c. First Man on the Moon
b. The Civil War
d. Thanksgiving
•
•
•
•
1 large container low fat vanilla
yogurt
Variety of fresh fruits—blueberries,
strawberries, bananas, kiwis,
pineapple, etc.
Whole grain cereal or granola
Clear plastic party cups
and spoons
Wash and prepare fruit in bite-sized
pieces. Place each type of fruit in a
separate small bowl. Also have a
bowl for the cereal and one for the
yogurt. Each person makes his/her
own dish by filling the party cup in
layers with yogurt, then fruit, and then
topped with cereal or granola.
Encourage them to try each
choice—the amount they choose is
up to them, but be prepared to
provide seconds.
This is a great snack or dessert, and is
especially fun when you have several
mouths to feed. It’s also very colorful.
Encourage the children to help
prepare the fruit.
Studies show that students who eat
breakfast at school:
• Are more alert and perform better
in class;
• Have higher standardized achievement test scores;
• Are less often absent and tardy; and
• Have improved psycho-social
behaviors
4. Which of the following statements is true about school lunch?
a. Only 1 % or skim milk is served.
b. At least a serving of dried beans, dried peas or
lentils is offered per week.
c. A serving of fresh fruit or vegetables is served at
least 5 times a week.
d. All of the above.
School
Lunch
Trivia
5. How do school meals contribute to learning?
a. Students perform better in school.
b. Students are better behaved.
c. Absence rate decreases when meal counts go up
d. All of the above
Answers: 1d; 2a; 3a; 4d; 5d
Serving Size
and Servings
Per Container
Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal
funds from the US Department of Agriculture. The contents of
this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policy of
the US Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade
names, commercial products, or organizations imply
endorsement from the US government.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.