Back to School Nutrition 2011-2012 Resource Guide

All over the country, children and parents are getting ready for the new school year to begin. With so much information about food and nutrition available on the Internet and in the news, Dietitians-Online has prepared the 2011-2012 Back to School Nutrition Resource Guide.

Resources
Organizations, Associations, and Programs
School Nutrition Experts, Articles, and Videos

Graphics

Lunchbox Safety
Planning School Lunches Using MyPlate

Back to School Foods

The skit starts out in the kitchen; the day before the first day of school. The parents have planned and prepared their child's lunch box using the MyPlate recommendations. The next scene is in the lunch room where the foods discuss the importance of eating healthy. When the Lunch box arrives back home, she reminds us to wash and clean the lunch box to remove any germs that came from school. After dinner, the lunch will be made for the next day. The Final slides show excellent Back to School Resources you can locate online and are listed below.

Resources

Organizations, Associations, and Programs
	American Dietetic Association is your source for trustworthy, science-based food and nutrition information. The worlds largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, ADA is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
	Kids Eat Right your source for scientifically-based health and nutrition information you can trust to help your child grow healthy. As a parent or caretaker you need reliable resources and you can find them here, backed by the expertise of nutrition professionals.
	Home Food Safety Tips The American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods public awareness campaign, Home Food Safety, is dedicated to providing home food safety statistics, information about foodborne illness and safe food handling information and tips. Safe Lunch Guide
	Choose MyPlate.  The website features practical information and tips to help Americans build healthier diets.
	Let’s Move  is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices. Providing healthier foods in our schools. Ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. And, helping children become more physically active.
	Choose MyPlate: Vegetarian Diet. Healthy Eating Tips for Vegetarians (pdf) Vegetarian diets can meet all the recommendations for nutrients. The key is to consume a variety of foods and the right amount of foods to meet your calorie needs. Nutrients that vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12
	Vegetarian Resource Group Vegetarian Kids, Teens, and Family
	Action for Healthy Kids, believe there are ways to reduce and prevent childhood obesity and undernourishment. Learn how Action for Healthy Kids is working with schools, families and communities to help our kids learn to be healthier and be ready to learn.
	Healthy Children  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its member pediatricians dedicate their efforts and resources to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Healthy Children - Nutrition Food Allergies in Children
	Team Nutrition 10 Tips Nutrition Education Series Menu Planner for Healthy School Meals Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Materials. Campaign launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to encourage and teach children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active every day. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ is about making America's children healthier. It's about practical suggestions that will help you motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be active. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Campaign messages and materials are fun for children and informative for caregivers. Building Blocks for Fun and Healthy Meals Fact Sheets For Healthier School Meals
	We Can The We Can! GO, SLOW, and WHOA Foods fact sheet (pdf) can be posted on the refrigerator or used when grocery shopping. The We Can! Parent Tips - Snack (pdf) 100 Calories or Less tip sheet can help consumers choose vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk for healthier snacks.
	Fruits and Veggies More Matters Gearing Up for Back to School
	National Dairy Council® (NDC) Child Nutrition Fuel Up To Play 60 sponsored by National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school program that encourages the availability and consumption of nutrient-rich foods, along with at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
	The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
	The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides cash assistance to States to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions. The program is administered at the Federal level by FNS. State education agencies administer the SBP at the State level, and local school food authorities operate it in schools.

  

School Nutrition Experts, Articles, and Videos

Dayle Hayes, MS, RD
Nutrition for the Future (Eat Well at School)

School Meals That Rock (Facebook)

Dayle Hayes is an award-winning Registered Dietitian, author, and educator. Dayle developed a program for parents, FIT KIDS = HAPPY KIDS; created 5 A Day BINGO; and produced several videos. As a parent and member of the School Nutrition Association, Dayle is dedicated to improving school environments. She collected success stories for Making It Happen; wrote a chapter on communicating with students in Managing Child Nutrition Programs: Leadership for Excellence; and developed Enriching Family Mealtimes, a kit for school leaders and educators. In 2008, she co-authored the Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition Guidance for Healthy Children Ages 2 to 11 Years.

Building Healthy Lunches for Kids

Registered dietitian Angela Lemond gives tips on providing

healthy lunches for your kids this school year. 

Kids in School Yet??!! What to Pack for Lunch
Pamela Ofstein MS, RD, LDN

Healthy School Snacks, CSPI

Wondering What to Pack for School Lunches? Here are 15 healthier brown-bag lunch options now available in your supermarket. by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

Back to School: Lunch Box Bootcamp Betsy Bingham Ramirez, M.Ed., RD

Feeding Vegan Kids by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Vegetarian Ideas – Creative Back to School Lunches by Kim Galeaz, RD CD 

Child Nutrition - Lunch Line Choices PSA

As an adult you are a role model for the children around you. Kids follow

 the lead of the adults they see everyday. So remember,

healthy choices start with you.

Priceless: School Lunch

"Priceless" launched the One Tray campaign depicting the

cafeteria tray as the conduit for a reformed school food system that

supports healthy children, local farms, and smart schools.

 

National School Breakfast Week March 7-11, 2011

Rise and Shine with a Healthy Breakfast
A Special Thank You to Raffi and the Centre for Child Honouring for
providing permission to use "Rise and Shine" to encourage a Healthy Breakfast.

*Children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight.

*Children who eat breakfast have more energy.

*Children who eat breakfast concentrate better.

*Children who eat breakfast have higher grades in school.

*Children who skip breakfast may have learning and behavioral problems.

*Children who skip breakfast may develop nutritional deficiencies.

*Children who eat breakfast are

Alert, Energized and Ready for a Brand New Day.

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) created the School Breakfast Detectives Campaign to promote awareness about the benefits of school breakfast.

Resources and Tools
SNA’s Member resource website www.schoolnutrition.org/nsbw has menus, checklists, logos and activity sheets to help get your NSBW celebrations started.

"School Breakfast Detectives" Book Cover Contest
This year students have the opportunity to design their own school breakfast detective in the form of a book cover. Students also need to give the book a title with a healthy eating message e.g. "The Case of the Missing Breakfast".

All local contests end on March 11, 2011, and national entries are due March 31, 2011. Find out more and download contest forms at www.schoolnutrition.org/nsbw.

Raffi" (Raffi Cavoukian), C.M., O.B.C.

Founder and Chair, Centre for Child Honouring

He is known to millions as "Raffi", a beloved songwriter and performer, author, ecology advocate and founder of Centre for Child Honouring. Child Honouring is a vision for creating a humane and sustainable world by addressing the universal needs of children.

In his career, which spans three-decades, Raffi has refused all commercial endorsement offers, and Troubadour Music, his own company, has never directly advertised or marketed to children. He is a passionate advocate for a child’s right to live free of commercial exploitation.

"We invite you to be a part of the global movement that views honouring children as the best way to create sustainable, peacemaking societies."  - Raffi

To learn more about the Centre for Child Honouring, please visit the
Centre for Child Honouring and join "the compassion revolution."

Student Dietetic Association at FIU is Spreading the Word about Healthy Eating

The Student Dietetic Association (SDA) at Florida International University (FIU) are eager to share with the community the importance of eating healthy and creating awareness of the obesity epidemic. 

FIU SDA visits Coconut Palm Elementary School and shows the kids new fruits and vegetables they didn't know existed.

FIU SDA students participate in a "healthy protest where they walked around the FIU campus with posters about alarming statistics about obesity, as well as healthy tips.

SDA teams up with the meditation club and creates healthy snacks for stressful times during finals and midterms.

The future of Dietetics and Nutrition

are in Good Hands.

Back to School Nutrition A Collection of Articles, Blogs and Videos

School nutrition: Healthier ingredients, more education for 2010-11. Among the new menu items schools are serving up for 2010-11: jicama, star fruit, sweet potato puffs, collard greens, edamame, egg-white omelets, and fish tacos. A new website from the SNA, www.TrayTalk.org, educates parents about healthy school meals and highlights innovative approaches around the country.

Let’s eat healthier, and get ready
When it comes to getting the day off to a good start, research shows that most youngsters aren’t eating a good breakfast before they head out the door. A new study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that 20 percent of children and 32 percent of teens skip what’s known as the most important meal of the day.

Experts: Get kids involved in lunch-making process. With creative menu ideas, parents can pack healthy school lunches that their kids will actually eat. ``People eat with their eyes. Children get bored, just like adults get bored,'' said Donna Kinney, a registered and licensed dietitian/nutritionist with Gordon Food Service, which helps South Florida schools develop healthier menus. ``We don't want to eat the same things every day and neither do they.''

Back to School - Eating Healthy
Florida Hospital Dietitian, Tamara Dorway, talks about getting your kids ready for school with healthy breakfast and lunch ideas.

Little Kids, Big Appetites
Can little kids be food addicts or binge eaters? Take a look at the behavioral factors of children's eating habits and how parents can influence healthier eating in their families.

Child Nutrition - Lunch Line Choices PSA
As an adult you are a role model for the children around you. Kids follow the lead of the adults they see everyday. So remember, healthy choices start with you.

School lunches: the allergy debate
Food allergies and intolerances run the gamut and lunchtime at school can be tough to swallow for kids with special dietary needs.

Remember 'food groups' when packing school lunch
Packing a school lunch might seem like a daunting task to some. But, Miami-based dietitian Claudia Gonzalez, author of “Gordito Doesn't Mean Healthy,” says eating nutritious meals is easier than you think.

10 Easy Breakfast Recipes for Kids
Feed your children and get them out the door in a flash with these kid-friendly breakfasts that take 20 minutes or less.

Priceless: School Lunch
"Priceless" launched the One Tray campaign depicting the cafeteria tray as the conduit for a reformed school food system that supports healthy children, local farms, and smart schools.

Lunch Encounters of the Third Kind
Every child deserves the opportunity to eat food in school that ensures their health and well-being and Farm to School programs are one solution to incorporating healthier foods into school meals.

Sarah Hortman, RD is a feature writer for the Omaha Examiner. She has written a series of article to help parents and children get ready for the new school year.

  Top 8 kid friendly cereals. The top 8 kid friendly healthy cereals are based on a one serving size portion that contains 6g or less of sugar, 3g or more fiber, 100% whole grain as the first listed ingredient, no artificial colors & preservatives and are fortified with iron.

  Back to School Nutrition Part 1: Breakfast.  When it comes to children, a well nourished child who consumes a healthy breakfast is ready to learn as they have more energy, stamina, self-esteem, especially if they are physically active on a daily basis.

  Back to School Nutrition Part 2: Brown Bag Lunch Basics. A successful brown bag lunch will include a variety of a child’s favorite choices of whole grains, proteins, fresh fruits or vegetables and a beverage, ideally milk or water. To increase appeal there should be a variety of colors, textures and flavors. Make foods fun such as creating small kabobs from fruit, meat and cheese.

  Back to School Nutrition Part 3: Top 10 Strategies for Healthy Kid Friendly Brown Bag Lunches.  Plan the upcoming week of lunches together. Consider their likes and dislikes by having them write a list of foods for the month that they would like in their lunches and foods

  Back to School Nutrition Part 4: School Lunch Legislation. We have all been hearing the buzz around childhood obesity and the connection with a need for healthier school lunches. According to the CDC, childhood obesity rates in children aged 6-11 have increased from approximately 6% in 1980 to approximately

  Back to School Nutrition Part 5: School Lunch Strategies. While our schools begin to plan for implementing healthier food choices due to the new Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the following are additional guidelines for us to help score school lunches.


Resources
The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides cash assistance to States to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions. The program is administered at the Federal level by FNS. State education agencies administer the SBP at the State level, and local school food authorities operate it in schools.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.

Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ The Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Campaign was launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to encourage and teach children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active every day. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ offers resources and tools to convey and reinforce healthy eating and lifestyle behaviors that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ is about making America's children healthier. It's about practical suggestions that will help you motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be active. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Campaign messages and materials are fun for children and informative for caregivers.

Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity.

Recipes for Healthy Kids. The USDA is creating a nationwide challenge which will bring together teams of school nutrition professionals, chefs and students to develop nutritious, delicious, and kid-approved recipes for use in schools. Your school could have an award-winning recipe and a chance to compete in the national cook-off.