Kids’ Healthy Eating May Open Doors to Healthy Careers
ProStart is a national, career-building program for high school students who are interested in culinary arts and restaurant and foodservice management. It offers a two-year career-building program where high school students study in the classroom, participate in mentored work experiences, and test their skills in local and national competitions.
In Maryland, the ProStart curriculum is taught to about 4,500 students in 92 schools. Nationwide, over 83,000 students in 47 states are involved in the program that focuses on front- and back-of-the-house restaurant operations.
“Basic home economics takes a look at food from inside a house,” said LeDeana Wentzel, director of workforce development at RAMEF. “ProStart looks at it from the outside and what you’d look at from a restaurant perspective.” That includes costs associated with individual servings, nutrition and presentation.
Fresh Healthy Vending Foods in Schools
According to Philip Brasher on his report yesterday at The Des Moines Register Online, the government wants children to eat nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables although it seems that they are putting the money where it is advice and expected to be. The U.S. Department of Agriculture spent buying the needs for healthy school lunches in a different manner. For every dollar spent, 55 cents went to chicken, beef and cheese and only 23 cents went to fruits and vegetables.
A group of lowa business leaders were stumped by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack when he asked them what was the single food item for schools that the U.S. Department of Agriculture spent the most on, and was answered, mozzarella cheese!
Promoting Healthy Eating in Schools
In today’s health-conscious society, healthy eating habit is regarded as a vital element to a productive healthy way of living. Among school children, promoting a healthy eating habit is a must because of the increase rate in childhood obesity across the nation. This epidemic is leading children to have diabetes, cardiac problems and more health problems related to being overweight.
The better way to start the education process is at an early stage which not focuses only in eating but on eating the right food choices. And there is no better way to promote this than in school. Study shows that eating healthily will improve a child’s behavior in the classroom and better disposition in school. Parents send their children to school with the hope that they will gain skills everyday and become an active member of the society. It is a place where children start to learn new things for them to use for the rest of their lives. So it is important that schools teach children to eat healthily.
Vending Machines: Consumer Perceptions Are Changing
When we think of a typical vending machine, we conjure up images of salty chips, sweetened sodas and fruit juices, candies and chocolate bars, and ice cream—the kinds of food that give us excess fat that are just so hard to burn and impacts the increasing obesity rate and health care industry of America. But the good news is more and more people are starting to become aware of their health and know that junk foods are killing children’s lifestyle choices. Hence, the clamor for fresh healthy vending machines is increasing, too—much to the positive interest of both the vending machine franchise owners and the consumers who are looking for healthier alternatives.
In the recent findings of the Centers for Disease Control as many as two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. This translates to the fact that almost 200 million overweight or obese people, and the number is expected to increase because the number of overweight and obese children 6 to 19 years old has tripled over the past 25 years. For this reason, President Obama, at the onset of his administration, vehemently called for the overhauling of vending machines in school campuses to include more nutritious products and replace junk foods.
Children Getting Healthier in Schools?
For parents the best you can offer your child or invest in their future is by choosing the best educational institution for them. It is the most important decision a parent can do. As parents, we know for a fact that the school environment affects a child’s growth-emotionally, mentally, physically- making up a unique individual.
The dilemma now is, are we really sure that our child is getting all the needed nurturing and proper healthy foods in schools? Nurturing here means if your child is being offered a curriculum and food necessary to their well-being. Remember that all schools are not the same so it is better for parents to know what the school is offering your children.
Healthy School Lunches for the 2010 School Year
Children are now rushing to schools with their new bags, notebooks, pens and pencils, and books. But what else could be new apart from these usual stuffs they have every school year? Right, never miss reminding them to eat healthy lunches in school cafeterias if packing healthier options is not an option at all.
Ensuring that kids are getting the right nutrients that propel good performance at school should be made mandatory by schools and parents. After all, healthy schools breed healthy minds. This also explains why school districts are strictly implementing a high level of nutrition guidelines to make sure their campus cafeterias are serving the kids all healthy options school nutrition budgets can afford.
Winning the Battle Against Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is a growingly serious problem in the US—literally and figuratively. This explains why there have been several programs and laws that are recently being introduced and implemented to widely combat the issue. Apart from the improved nutrition guidelines in many school districts in different states, fast food chains have also made their move to do some makeover in their ala carte menu. Health clubs and fresh vending machines franchises have likewise started adapting changes in their services to cater health-conscious individuals. Fresh vending products are now front and center in the debate against junk food in schools and the fresh vending business is now the fastest growing segment in the vending industry. This being said and done, are the American people seeing an obese-free nation soon?
In San Francisco there had been a proposed legislation that that curtails the inclusion of toys in kids’ happy meals in fast food restaurants, whereas, in New York, restaurants are restricting the amount of salt on their food. The goal is harmless and simple, but seems so hard to follow for many people. And somehow the answer to what could really be the most effective way to end childhood obesity remains elusive.
Healthy Snacks and Drinks Can Also Taste Good
When we talk about healthy eating, children in particular, cringe at the thought of bland veggies and unsavory soups and dishes. But the truth is healthy snacks and drinks have hugely evolved in the way they are created nowadays. Schools know that it takes time for children to get used to healthier menus and this prompted them to introduce more great tasting food while at the same time complying with strict nutrition guidelines.
Hingham Public School is one good example of this. They take so much pride with their nutritious offerings to their middle and high school students which includes tasty lemon-garlic potato salad, apple coleslaw, chicken, broccoli, and ziti pasta, fresh tomato and basil sandwiches, and corn and black bean salad—to name a few.
School Nutrition Gets a Boost This School Year
Creativity goes a long way. And this is fairly true when it comes to creating healthy meals for healthy students. One of Idaho’s award-winning elementary schools discloses that pureed beans would make great fillings in baked goods, replacing three-quarters of greasy fats, and students won’t even know the difference. Likewise, even pizza crust can be served in a healthier version by using nutritious whole grains. What’s more, even salads are becoming healthier and more appealing for kids, and so are those sausages which can be made using healthier meats (turkey or chicken breasts).
Kids may be hard to please when all they see are greens, greens, and more greens. But with the combined efforts of dietitians, school district administrators, and health and wellness coordinators, we are seeing newer and healthier versions of food in school cafeterias. And these healthy and appetizing menus are aimed at filling our children’s stomach than that of garbage bins—good news to all parents who want nothing but good health among their kids.
Making School Lunches and Vending Machines Healthier
Good nutrition is very essential for good learning. What your children eat affects everything from his/her behavior, mood, concentration, health and growth. Some schools that have replaced the unhealthy food menu at lunch with healthy and fresh foods show improved behavior and academic performance of students in their schools.
For the past years, school food programs have been examined closely due to the alarming cases of obesity in America. Serving salty, sugary and unhealthy food and drinks in school cafeterias and vending machines has been considered the culprit in this epidemic. As the number of overweight children increases, the government has stepped-in to do something about this issue. The Senate has passed the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization bill that includes many policy provisions that promote health.