let's move

This time of year brings back fond childhood memories. Fall’s increasing chill and leaf-covered ground take me back to elementary school, where nature and the changing seasons served as learning material. A favorite lesson I learned was how to create a book of pressed leaves.

In McLean, a community tucked inside Fairfax County, not everyone can access the food they need for good health. I interviewed Julie Mendoza about her efforts to connect hungry families in McLean with fresh produce.

Julie knew that Share McLean, a food pantry that serves hungry families in the area, often lacked fresh produce. As she was walking through the McLean community garden one day, she noticed that there was an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. She decided she would try to facilitate a relationship between the garden and Share McLean, calling it The Gardeners’ Share of McLean.

North Beach Elementary School in Miami Beach, Florida was recently recognized by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service as a HealthierUS School Challenge award winner for their outstanding school meal service.  While there, we learned about the school’s wellness program which contributes significantly to a healthy learning environment.

“The school wellness activities have helped lead the way in the fight against obesity,” said Michele Rivera, Physical Education/Wellness Coordinator for North Beach Elementary School.  “We have countless activities in our school led by students, parents, administrators and community members who share a passion to make our school a healthier place to learn.  Students have numerous opportunities, beginning in Pre-K, to learn how to eat healthy and to understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.”

As a new school year begins, I’m proud to say that the Obama Administration is taking historic steps to make the school day healthier for kids in schools across the country. I’m excited about the changes showing up in cafeterias this school year – more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; low-fat and fat-free milk choices; and fewer salty and fatty foods.

In addition to those changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is working with parents, teachers and school cafeteria managers to ensure our kids get the right amount of food. Menus are planned for grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 and the meals are “right-sized” so that kids get the appropriate amount of calories and the correct portions of different foods.  To further improve menu changes, we’re increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of sodium, saturated fat and trans fats available in those meals.

Do you know what a Malanga is? What about a Chocolate Pepper? The “Fruit and Vegetable Ambassador ” (F&V Ambassador) students of Slater Jr. High School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island learned about these unusual vegetables and more during their Summer Food Service Program fruit and vegetable taste testing. For the less adventurous vegetable eater, a Malanga is a root vegetable that has a nutlike flavor and when cut open looks similar to a sweet potato. A Chocolate Pepper is a purple Bell Pepper.

The students at this summer food program are nicknamed the “F&V Ambassadors” of their school. Along with this prestigious title, students get cool t-shirts and, most importantly, the responsibility of encouraging fellow students throughout the school year to make healthier decisions at lunchtime.

With gas prices on the rise and the trip to the nearest large grocery store clocking in at 50 miles, Mark Platten realized an opportunity much closer to home. Platten, the Colorado State University Extension Director for Teller County, began brainstorming and came up with the idea for a program that would engage young people in gardening, put fresh food on the table, and facilitate community service opportunities in the town of Cripple Creek, Colorado - a small town situated in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 9,500.

This year, more than 80 volunteers worked together to plant 20 trees, 117 native and edible understory plants, and more than 600 butterfly garden plants as part of the Cesar Chavez Community Garden Day celebration at the Edible Forest garden on the Richmond Greenway, a 2.8-mile trail in Contra Costa County, Calif.

The Louisiana State 4-H Food and Fitness Camp is joining the Let’s Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity through improved nutrition and increased physical activity.  As a camp for fourth and fifth graders designed and run by high school 4-H teens, the program motivates campers to eat healthier and move more.

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog:

The winners of the Communities on the Move Video Challenge have been chosen!  Since First Lady Michelle Obama announced the Video Challenge in February, Let’s Move Faith and Communities has been inspired by every congregation and community that submitted a video highlighting how they are promoting healthy lifestyles for kids.  From putting on nutrition-themed puppet shows in Connecticut to advocating for safer play spaces in Colorado and preaching healthy living from the pulpit in Florida, the ideas in these videos demonstrate the commitment that communities across the country have to reversing the trend of childhood obesity within a generation.

The Video Challenge encouraged faith-based and neighborhood organizations to create one-to-three minute videos highlighting the work they are doing to make their communities or congregations places of wellness. The challenge recognized efforts that promote healthy lifestyles for kids in three areas: encouraging nutritious eating through USDA’s MyPlate icon, increasing physical activity, and ensuring access to healthy, affordable foods. The winners and honorable mentions will be invited to Washington, D.C. for a Let’s Move! event.

Goya, la compañía hispana de comida más grande en los Estados Unidos, es parte de la campaña de la Primera Dama Michelle Obama ¡A Moverse! (Let’s Move!) la cual está enfocada en motivar a los padres de familia a tener una vida saludable para ellos y sus familias.  Al asociarse con el nuevo ícono MiPlato del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, diferentes compañías recuerdan a sus consumidores sobre la importancia de crear platos balanceados y nutritivos durante las comidas. Goya, un asociado nacional estratégico, apoya MiPlato al promover mensajes que instruyan e incentiven a familias a tener una dieta balanceada.  Al asociarse con la iniciativa  ¡A Moverse!  y con el USDA, Goya se ha comprometido a proveer al público varias herramientas para mejorar su salud.

Para apoyar a la iniciativa de la Primera Dama, Goya ha creado una gran cantidad de recursos para combatir la obesidad infantil.  Goya ha producido un folleto en inglés y español con seis recetas nutritivas, diez consejos de cómo crear una comida balanceada, y un cupón para frijoles con un bajo contenido de sodio que está siendo distribuido organizaciones asociadas con el programa A Moverse: Iglesias y Comunidades (Let’s Move Faith and Communities) a través de la nación.  La Dr. Luz Myriam Neira, Directora de Nutrición del Banco de Comida de  San Antonio,  dijo que “los folletos fueron tan bien recibidos por participantes del programa de SNAP/Ed”, que su organización va a usar la versión electrónica del folleto, sin el cupón, para satisfacer la demanda de recetas nutritivas y consejos de salud. Este banco de comida también está trabajando con una cadena de supermercados local para utilizar los materiales de Goya en sus esfuerzos de educación nutricional.