Posted by Julie Tucker, RD, CDN, SNS, Registered Dietitian for the Broome Tioga BOCES Rock on Café School Meals Programs on August 1, 2013
Fifteen school districts in New York’s Southern Tier are leading the way in creating healthier school environments through its Rock on Café School Meals Program. Through Rock on Café, we’ve consolidated bids, recipes, promotions, and menus, and added a Registered Dietitian who provides nutrition expertise to the school meal programs. Numerous schools under this program have earned USDA HealthierUS Schools Challenge Awards through creating healthy menus and meeting the requirements for physical activity and nutrition education.
A main component of the Rock on Café is our partnerships with community agencies and organizations to provide nutrition education and healthier meals to students. Two of the partners include the Broome County Health Department and United Health Services “Stay Healthy Kids” Center. Through the Broome County Health Department, the Rock on Café has partnered to reduce sodium in school meals. By means of consolidated food procurement with specification for items and taste testing with students, sodium has been successfully reduced!
Posted by Kelly Miterko, Deputy Associate Director, Let's Move! on August 1, 2013
Joining President Obama at the White House this Tuesday to celebrate their second World Series win in three years, some athletes from the San Francisco Giants took a moment to speak with Let’s Move! about the importance of cultivating healthy habits in children. Players Marco Scutaro and Gregor Blanco addressed the role parents play in making sure their kids are making healthy choices.
Posted by Elyse Cohen, Deputy Director, Let's Move! on July 30, 2013
This shouldn’t be something out of left field: health matters. Especially if you’re trying to win a World Series! Visiting the White House yesterday to celebrate their 2012 World Series victory, athletes from the San Francisco Giants shared their insights with Let’s Move! about why eating healthy and staying active are important habits to cultivate at a young age. The players emphasized that helping kids develop a healthy lifestyle is key to their future success, whether on or off the field.
Posted by Roberta Abodeely, School Nurse, Dr. Dr. Norman W. Crisp Elementary School, Nashua, NH on July 29, 2013
Dr. Norman W. Crisp Elementary School is honored to be the first school in the State of New Hampshire to receive a Silver Award from the USDA’s Healthier US Schools Program. As the school nurse at Dr. Crisp, I am proud to say that we have been working on providing a healthy school environment for over nine years.
Posted by Chris Kelly, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Mid-Atlantic Region, Public Affairs on July 26, 2013
Last September I visited Ivanna Eudora Kean High School in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, to observe a unique outdoor “classroom.” At the far end of the school parking lot, a small group of students were carefully testing the pH and temperature of bubbling water in bright blue tanks that contained hundreds of tiny tilapia fish hatchlings. And just a few feet away another group of students were proudly tending the seedlings of lettuce, pumpkin, carrots and other herbs and vegetables thriving in the aquaponic farm.
Posted by Yvette Roubideaux, M.D., M.P.H., Acting Director, Indian Health Service on July 25, 2013
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global program that was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 1991 to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding.
Posted by Kelly Miterko, Deputy Associate Director, Let's Move! on July 24, 2013
Speaking to over 1,800 attendees at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Annual Conference yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama exclaimed, “Food is love… it’s how we pass on our culture and heritage as meals become family traditions and recipes are passed on from generation to generation.”
Posted by AJ Pearlman, Associate Director for Policy, Let's Move! on July 19, 2013
Before you know it school will be back in session and leaves will begin to change.
But, right now, it is still peak summer season! So don’t waste another minute – head outside to celebrate (with sunscreen and lots of water, of course)!
July is National Parks and Recreation Month – and whether you’re spending the summer close to home or far away, we are sure you can find a place nearby to play outside.
Posted by Elyse Cohen, Deputy Director, Let's Move! on July 19, 2013
Facts are facts.
Briefing food industry leaders at the annual Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Policy Summit on Wednesday, Let’s Move! Executive Director, Sam Kass, painted a picture of the health of Americans:
Posted by Tracy Smith, Cook Manager, Sky Oaks Elementary School, Burnsville, Minnesota on July 18, 2013
School meals are quite often the healthiest, and sometimes the only, meals some children receive. At Sky Oaks Elementary School in Minnesota, we believe that encouraging and empowering our students towards a healthy lifestyle is crucial. Once they understand how fantastic certain foods make them feel, students continue eating them. In turn, we are seeing students encourage and empower their peers, as well as their families, to make healthy choices—what a delightful chain reaction!
Getting children to try new fruits is easy. Veggies prove to be a tough sell, but our veggie consumption sky rocketed when we started roasting them. One trick is to offer a “Sprinkle or Scoop.” It gives me great pride to see how many “scoops” we actually serve now. In fact, while ten pounds of veggies used to last the entire lunch service, today we cut it close when we roast up 75 pounds! It’s amazing when you see your students come to the realization of how delicious fruits and veggies truly are.
Posted by Elyse Cohen, Deputy Director, Let's Move! on July 17, 2013
There is something so fun about a picnic, even if it is just taking food outside. Planning a picnic excites people of all ages. So dig out the old wicker basket and the classic checkered table cloth, and head to the closest park or lake front to celebrate National Picnic Month!
Posted by Kam Sripada, Administration for Children & Families, US Department of Health & Human Services on July 16, 2013
From Hyde Park to the South End, child care providers across Boston are making healthier choices for their children by joining the Boston Healthy Childcare Initiative, launched by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in his 2012 State of the City address.
Summer is here and Let’s Move! has some fun ideas for you to enjoy the sun and stay healthy for the next few months.
Take a Stroll – Explore your neighborhood by taking a walk around the block or heading to the woods for a hike as a family.
Wheel Around – Grab your helmet and get ready to move! Whether you’re lacing up your rollerblades, jumping on your bike, or breaking out your scooter, spending your summer wheeling around is a great source of exercise.
Make a Splash — Spending time in the water is not only a great way to cool off on a hot summer day – it’s also the perfect way for you to stay active. Grab your bathing suit and swim some laps in the pool, paddle down the river, or surf the ocean!
Posted by Steve Watson, Southeast Regional Office Public Affairs, Food and Nutrition Service on July 15, 2013
When the Nutrition Standards for School Meals went into effect last year, Whitley County School Food Service in Williamsburg, Ky., was already serving students more healthy meals.
