Nutrition and Fitness Program for Schools
The National Dairy Council® and SUDIA are partnering with the National Football League® to help students eat right and stay active with a NEW 2009-2010 FREE Fuel Up to Play wellness kit. Through this program, children in more than 10,000 schools in the Southeast will be encouraged to “fuel up” and eat more of the “Food Groups to Encourage” as outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which includes low-fat and fat-free dairy foods.
Milk is a complete nutrient package of nine essential vitamins and minerals and supplies three of the five nutrients the DGA identifies as low in children’s diets: calcium, magnesium and potassium. New studies show that increasing children’s vitamin D intake is not only safe, but can provide life-long health benefits. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children and teens get 400 IU (International Units) every day. Consuming at least three servings of vitamin D-fortified milk, cheese or yogurt is one of the best ways to ensure students get their daily dose.
The FUEL UP to Play wellness activation kit will inspire students to get up and play for 60 minutes every day and to “fuel up” with the foods students don’t get enough of - low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
FUEL UP to Play wellness kit targets grades 4-10 and contains:
SUDIA is providing school nutrition directors, their physical education counterparts, school nurses and other school wellness advocates the opportunity to order these kits for their schools. Go to www.fueluptoplay.com to order a kit for your school now. Kits will ship in mid October. Want to start planning now? Use the downloadable Fuel Up to Play Classroom Pledge to get your schools geared up for fall now. Check the Web site for more marketing tools and bonus items each month.
For more information on the FUEL UP To Play wellness kit or other nutrition programs, contact Molly Szymanski, assistant manager of school nutrition, SUDIA at mszymanski@sedairy.org or 800.343.4693.
Report Proves Breakfast is Key to Student Success
Children who eat breakfast have better school attendance records, are better-behaved and have higher grades and standardized test scores, according to a recent report published by the Harvard School of Public Health. The report underscores the value of school breakfast programs and the importance of a balanced diet, which should include milk, cheese and yogurt.
The "Impact of School Breakfast on Children's Health and Learning" study, commissioned by Sodexho Foundation, analyzed more than 100 scientific articles on the relationship between nutrition and learning, concluded that there are wide-ranging and far-reaching benefits to having children eat a healthy breakfast each day. To see the full report, click here.
SUDIA has been working with schools across the Southeast to expand their breakfast programs. Breakfast in the Classroom allows students to eat breakfast at the beginning of the school day with their classmates. Often, breakfast is brought to the classroom from the cafeteria by students, or served from carts in the hallways by school nutrition staff. Another popular serving format is the Grab ‘N’ Go breakfast. Students can eat in the cafeteria, the classroom or elsewhere on schools grounds. Capture those breakfast skippers by expanding breakfast outside of the cafeteria! It's an effective way to implement your wellness policy.
For more information about SUDIA’s breakfast program, please contact Molly Szymanski at mszymanski@sedairy.org or for more information, visit www.southeastdairy.org.
School Cafeteria Equipment Grants in the Stimulus Package
According to the USDA, milk coolers are eligible for the current Stimulus Grant program. Equipment that can be used in both expanding school breakfast programs and school lunch programs will qualify, as it assists schools with better meeting children’s nutritional needs. Keeping milk cold and attractively merchandised are two critical components leading to increasing student consumption of milk. Check out our online cooler catalog for ideas.
In this issue:
Nutrition and Fitness Program for Schools
Report Proves Breakfast is Key to Student Success
School Cafeteria Equipment Grants in the Stimulus Package