Via www.healthyvending.com

When given a choice, students at a Long Island high school opt for chips over carrots and soda over smoothies. Vending machines filled with junk food have been a staple in school hallways for decades. But now, childhood obesity and healthy school food are the subjects that government and school officials are focused on, and the United States Agriculture Department must set nutrition standards for school vending machines in public schools by the end of next year.

In the eyes of the average teenager, apple slices and baby carrots can hardly compete with the flashy packaging of junk foods when placed side by side. How do schools make healthy snack options in vending machines appealing to students?  When “healthy snacks” receive a bad rap, CEO of Human Healthy Vending Sean Kelly credits promotions like digital messages, free samples and contests to his machines’ sales increases over the past year.

 “You cannot just take a standard vending machine, throw graphics on it, put some healthier options in there, and expect everything to work out perfectly,” says Kelly in a New York Times article.

Some kids are catching on, however. As quoted in the Times article, Zach, a junior at Commack High School, opted for baby carrots over potato chips and said, “It’s a good idea,” and senior Marissa said she tells her mom her snack choice instead of the usual “don’t worry about it.”

For more info on how to help your kids make healthy choices at school, see our recent post 90 Percent of Moms Agree: Pack a Healthy School Lunch for Your Kids.

Healthy bodies make healthy minds, and so it makes sense that serving kids junk not only makes their bodies unhealthy, but affects their academic abilities as well. Add to that the alarmingly high (and rising!) obesity rate and the fact that overweight and obese children often become overweight and obese adults, it starts to become clear: something has to change.

In the last year a lot of noise has been made about changing the way children are fed in American schools. First Lady Michelle Obama and organizations across the country have been pushing to reduce the amount of fat, sugar, and salt in the foods schools serve. They are also working to regulate what can be sold from vending machines on school grounds. 

The good news is things do appear to be changing. In a recent New York Times article, Mark Bittman discusses 6 things that are going right with food in America. One of those things is “the edible school lunch.” He cites the federal child-nutrition bill, which was recently reauthorized to regulate school meals and vending machines, as well as a USDA program called “Chefs Move to Schools,” where culinary experts revamp the lunch programs of individual schools. Non-governmental programs have been busy at work too. 

Organizations like Wellness In The Schools (founded by an Integrative Nutrition graduate), have been working in their communities to improve the way children eat and encourage them to learn about cooking and healthy foods.

Do you know what your kids are eating at school? What do you think about the state of food in America?

This March, Integrative Nutrition is teaming up with Wellness in the Schools, in honor of National Nutrition Month. For every student who embarks on a new career path at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in March, we’ll donate $100 to Wellness in the Schools.

Wellness in the Schools is a nonprofit, grassroots organization manned by concerned New York City public school parents who believe healthier bodies make healthier minds, and conversely, unhealthy school environments interfere with student health, school attendance and academic achievement. During the 2005-06 school year Wellness in the Schools launched several pilot programs, including “Chef-in-Residence” and “Clean, Green Schools” to promote healthier places of learning for students. Now, Wellness in the Schools offers its program as a model for other classrooms and schools.

Nancy Easton, co-founder of Wellness in the Schools, is an IIN graduate, a Health Coach, a former New York City public school teacher, mentor and principal. She founded Wellness in the Schools with the goal of providing children with the best possible learning environment. Students at Integrative Nutrition are committed to making a difference by improving the health and happiness of their friends, families and communities. We’re so honored and excited to be able to give back in this way.

Federal legislation banning junk food from schools is soon to be introduced.  Will something as powerful as the federal government work to keep junk foods out of schools?  Or is the answer to childhood obesity a more traditional approach with parents teaching their kids good eating habits?  Parents want nutritious foods served, but removing vending machines and candy sales cuts into a major source of revenue for schools.  Are there more creative ways to raise money for sports uniforms and school trips?

When kids spend the majority of their day at school and are left to make their own choices about what to eat, many will choose a high sugar, high calorie option over one that is more nutritious.  Do we leave these choices up to the students or let the government make these choices for them? 

Read this article from the New York Times for more info.  Please comment and let your opinion be heard. 

IIN Grads are on the cutting edge of nutrition reform, so, what better way to bring attention to the Healthy School Food movement, than to have a contest?

Kris Moon, IIN Graduate and Director of House Operations and Events at The James Beard Foundation, is coordinating a recipe contest that will bring real change to the NYC Public School food. The James Beard Foundation is teaming up with the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food, and Candle Café/79 to develop healthy, plant-based, and meatless entrées to be served at NYC public school lunches. New York Coalition for Healthy School Food is looking for main dish entrée submissions to qualify for the contest. If you would like to participate, send a recipe to info@healthyschoolfood.org by November 30.  

Anyone who has a little eater in their life knows it’s challenging to instill them with an appreciation for a healthy meal.  Think you’re up to the task? All qualifying entries will be judged by a panel of food experts and discriminating students at the James Beard House, and the winning recipes will be made available to all New York City public schools early next year. Their ultimate goal is to see system-wide inclusion of plant-based dishes on school menus every day.  For guidelines and more info visit Healthy School Food.

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of school nutrition, but this interview with Dr. Arthur Agatston, guest speaker at Integrative Nutrition and creator of the South Beach Diet, suggests that there is more to look at than just whole foods.

Can you remember back to your school cafeteria? Or maybe you’ve even visited your kid’s cafeteria during lunch time. It’s not the most peaceful environment. Kids sitting around trying to eat their entire lunch before the bell rings.

Dr. Agatston believes that along with looking at what kids are eating we should also look at the environment. He suggests making lunch time a real sit-down meal with tablecloths and even having the teachers join them. He believes that kids will be happier and do better if they have a leisurely meal in a positive atmosphere. “It’s a huge learning opportunity for kids,” says Agatston.

By sitting down and slowing down, kids will be more conscious of the food they’re consuming. Agatston suggests that kids can take these habits home with them as well.

What do you think? Is it possible to transform not only school lunches, but the environment kids eat in? Maybe it’s not possible to bring tablecloths to cafeteria tables around the world, but what are some other ways to make the school lunch experience more enjoyable?

Share with us and get IINvolved.

The executive director of school food in New York City, David Berkowitz, has left his position. Under his administration the school district hired a consulting chef, created salad bars and added dozens of healthier options while replacing the whole milk with low-fat or skim milk. He was also part of an effort to get more produce into the schools. The jury is still out as to whether or not he will be replaced.

The good news is authorities recognize the importance of healthier lunch options for kids and are making every effort to improve cafeteria food, like putting a tax on soda. All of this change is great, especially as new research indicates that an adult’s propensity to put on weight is directly affected by early childhood diet.

A lot more needs to be done and that is why this year Integrative Nutrition is starting a Healthy Schools/Healthy Children Program. We are offering scholarships to school principals and food service directors and each of our students will have a chance to adopt a school in their area and work to make healthier changes. Hundreds of our graduates are already out in their communities cleaning up school food and teaching children and teachers about whole foods because they have a passion to keep our future America healthy.

Let us know if you’re interested in being part of this change.

School vending machines and cafeteria lunches have long been blamed for being the No. 1 cause of childhood obesity. To satisfy the concerns of many parents almost 600 school districts nationwide now have policies that limit the amount of fat, trans fats, sodium and sugars in food sold or served at school.

It’s great that schools are making vast improvements to clean up the cafeteria food and vending machines, but they still have a long way to go. Even the schools that serve healthier options still sell sugary sports drinks and hundreds of schools have not even begun to remove junk food from vending machines.

Many communities are concerned that by cutting back on sweets, schools also have to eliminate bake sales which help fund sporting events and other extracurricular activities. This isn’t necessarily true.

Baked goods do not have to come in the form of processed brownies or cookies. Try this healthier dessert for the next bake sale.

Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

rolled oats, almonds, spelt flour (1 cup each)
½ cup corn or safflower oil
maple syrup, brown rice syrup (1/4 cup each)
Fruit-sweetened jam

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine oats and almonds in a blender or food processor and blend until they have the consistency of flour.
3. Add to a large bowl with spelt flour.
4. In a small bowl mix together the oil, maple and brown rice syrup.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well.
6. Make 1-inch balls with your hands and press flat onto a cookie sheet.
7. Make an indentation with your thumb into the center of each cookie.
8. Fill each cookie with a teaspoon of jam.
9. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

What is your school doing to clean up their food?