Back to school: Students will see a food makeover

By Janet Helm - Special to the Tribune, August 23, 2006

Our nation's schools have emerged as a primary battlefield in the fight against childhood obesity.

It makes sense. That's where children spend two-thirds of their day and eat one, and often two, of their meals.

"Schools are recognizing their responsibility to be part of the solution," said Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, executive director of Action for Healthy Kids, a national non-profit organization focused on changing the school environment to combat childhood obesity.

The urgency to address the problem has never been greater. About one out of three children in this country is overweight or on the brink of becoming so.

This year when youngsters return to the classroom, schools will be implementing new wellness policies that were mandated by the federal government to help promote nutrition and physical activity for students.

That means schools will be revamping cafeteria meals and restocking vending machines--changes that some critics claim are long overdue.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group in Washington D.C., just handed out a "School Foods Report Card" and gave Illinois a D-. The Land of Lincoln landed in 27th place in the state-by-state school foods evaluation.

And when it comes to childhood obesity, Chicago ranks at the top of the list, according to the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children.

The Healthy Schools Campaign, a Chicago-based non-profit group that advocates for health-related changes in schools, is trying to transform school food in Illinois by rallying the support of policy-makers, parents and school officials.

"We give our kids mixed messages," said Rochelle Davis, the group's founding executive director. Davis said the lessons learned in health or nutrition class are not reflected in the choices available in the cafeteria or hallway vending machines.

New era in school food

But schools are changing. Frying is out, baking is in. The perennial favorite pizza is getting a makeover with whole-wheat crust and reduced-fat cheese. The beloved french fry has a new life as a baked potato wedge.

Districts seem to be cracking down on the sale of soft drinks more than any other item. School vending machines are now being stocked with low-fat milk, water and unsweetened juice instead of sugary sodas--which are at the eye of the childhood-obesity storm.

Greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables is a top priority for Chicago Public Schools, said Susan Susanke, who oversees the district's food-service operations. She helped spearhead several projects to promote fresh produce in school, from salad bars to organic gardening.

Depending on the success of current pilot tests, Susanke will decide on wider implementation of programs.

"The more we test, the more we'll know what's best for our schools," she said.

One thing is sure, "you can't just plop down a salad bar in a school and expect a child to use it," said dietitian Joanne Kouba, who led a Loyola and University of Illinois at Chicago research team that evaluated the salad bar project at Namaste Charter School and Oscar DePriest, both CPS schools on the West Side.

The salad bar at Namaste was supported with nutrition education in the classroom--a chance for the students to touch and taste the veggies, learn how they were grown and why they are good. That helped double the number of students choosing salad compared to Oscar DePriest.

A weekly farmers market at the school allows parents to have access to reasonably priced fresh produce on a regular basis, said Namaste's co-founder and principal Allison Slade. The McKinley Park elementary school also conducts nutrition and cooking classes for parents.

In the fall, a new Organic School Project will be implemented in three Chicago elementary schools, giving students the hands-on opportunity to grow and tend to foods in the organic gardens planted on school grounds. It was the vision of Chicago caterer Greg Christian.

"Today's kids are disconnected from their food source," said Christian, who believes a little digging in the dirt will entice students to eat more fruits and vegetables and steer them away from processed foods.

The cafeterias in the three test schools will feature organic produce supplied by local farmers, and teachers will use the garden as a tool to teach nutrition.

Different views

All agree that schools need to make changes, but there appears to be less consensus on how far they should go.

For starters, where do you draw the line when defining "junk food"?

Some new wellness policies are restricting the kinds of treats sold for fundraisers and served during classroom parties or after-school events--a clamp-down that provokes both praise and resistance.

One vocal opponent of strict policies is dietitian and family therapist Ellyn Satter, author of the new book "Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming."

Satter believes children should have regular access to treats--both at home and at school. Putting a ban on foods makes kids value them even more, she said.

"Restricting children's food intake to get them slim doesn't work," Satter said. "In the long run, this makes children eat more, not less."

Satter also opposes restrictions on portion sizes, which she said makes children lose track of their feelings of hunger and fullness--interfering with their natural ability to regulate food intake.

With the "frenzy over stripping schools of calories," she is concerned there will be less focus on providing children with nourishing, enjoyable and well-timed meals.

"Provide, don't deprive" has become her maxim for schools.

Whatever the approach, now is "when the rubber is going to have to meet the road," said Ruth Jonen, immediate past president of the School Nutrition Association and a school food-service director in Palatine. "The tough part will be implementing, enforcing and evaluating the new policies."

Bottom line, everyone will want to know: Is it working?

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A few ways parents can help

- Request to see the wellness policy at your child's school and volunteer to join the school's health or nutrition council.

- Monitor the school lunch menus and speak up if you have concerns (or compliments!).

- Make sure any brown-bag lunch you pack includes nutritious choices.

- Find out the school's policy before you take in doughnuts, cupcakes or other treats for your child's birthday or other classroom celebrations.

- Check out what other schools are doing and bring those creative strategies to your child's school; learn more at healthyschoolscampaign.org and actionforhealthykids.org.

- Be a good role model at home.