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 Physical Fitness and Sports Month

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN)

The Council was originally founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 as the President’s Council on Youth Fitness. Since its beginning, the Council has been vital in getting Americans physically active through a range of programs, events and initiatives including the establishment of May as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

PCFSN was most recently known as the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. On June 10, 2010 President Barack Obama authorized in an Executive Order the name change and expanded the mission of the Council to include “nutrition”.

The Council seeks to promote good health through fitness, sports and nutrition for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities through partnerships in national, state and local organizations, programs and initiatives. The Council plays a key role in the development of priorities, outreach and awareness efforts to improve the health and quality of life for all Americans. Among the Council's responsibilities are to encourage:

         1. Regular physical activity
         2. Participation in sports
         3. Healthy eating

The President’s Challenge

The President’s Challenge is the PCFSN signature awards and recognition program and includes the following:

* Youth Physical Fitness Test
* Adult Fitness Test
* Two School Recognition Programs
* Two Physical Activity Awards Programs
*  Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA)

*  Presidential Champions Award, available to people aged 6 and older.

PCFSN utilizes and promotes efforts associated with the following guidelines:

1. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans
3. National Physical Activity Plan

There are many national, regional, state and local programs and initiatives that aim to get Americans active and healthy. Below is a review of three programs:
"Let's Move", "Kids Eat Right", and "We Can".

Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.

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.

First Lady Michelle Obama has been active with many groups in promoting the Let's Move program. Recently, she joined the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) to announce a new fitness effort to support our military families.

South Lawn Series:
Military Families Wellness

Beyoncé in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) created "Move Your Body" video for the Let's Move! Flash Workout. Here you will find First Lady Michelle Obama making a surprise visit to Alice Deal Middle School to join students in a Lets Move! Flash Workout. Over 600 schools across the country participated in similar workouts at the same time.

Kids Eat Right

Kids Eat Right is the first joint initiative from the American Dietetic Association and American Dietetic Association Foundation, that supports the efforts of the White House to end the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation.

The goal of Kids Eat Right is to educate families, communities, and policy makers about the importance of quality nutrition. The Kids Eat Right campaign provides resources to help ADA members become recognized leaders in childhood obesity prevention.


We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) is  a science-based national education program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We Can helps children ages 8-13 stay at a healthy weight. We Can! offers materials to help caregivers and families encourage children to become more active.

60 Second PSA for We Can!

The We Can! materials provide simple suggestions for easily getting more physical activity.
We Can!® Tools and Resources
We Can! Make Physical Activity Fun
We Can! Try Tips to Eat Well and Move More

Resources

1. President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN)
2. The President’s Challenge
3. Let's Move
4. Kids Eat Right
5. We Can