To help families get started, the Nutrition and Fitness Council is coordinating a special nutrition event at Hanshaw Middle School in Modesto on September 28 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. for students in their after school program. In addition, students from Bret Harte Elementary and Salvation Army after school programs will also be attending. The event will include 14 of stations that the students will work their way through as they are introduced to new fruits and vegetables, take the Food Pyramid Challenge, and test their skills in the Pumpkin Relay and Giant Obstacle Course. Groups of 22 children will spend 12 minutes at each station. They will also be able to quench their thirst with a fruity smoothie.

Parents can help reverse the trends in childhood obesity, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes by “leading the way” at home, at their children’s schools, and when eating out. The goal of this event is to help students see how fun and tasty being physically active and eating right can be. Organizers of this event include Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, Stanislaus County Office of Education, Modesto City Schools, Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, Save Mart Supermarkets, Brenda Athletic Club, American Cancer Society and Stanislaus County UC Cooperative Extension. Sponsors include Robek’s, Memorial Hospitals Association, Kaiser Permanente, Vella Farms, Roller King and Boomers.

Reversing Troubling Child Health Trends
Obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades, with one in seven young people now obese and one in three now overweight.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, poor diet and physical activity are
among the leading causes of preventable death in the United States.2

Healthy lifestyles — staying active and eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables — can help reverse this trend. Yet most Americans — adults and children alike — don’t eat the recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. It’s important for parents to “lead the way” to a healthy future for children by eating healthfully themselves. Studies show that parents who encourage their child to eat fruits and vegetables actually eat more fruits and vegetables themselves (4.1 servings vs. 2.7 servings per day).3

At home, parents can:

• Engage kids in the grocery shopping, from putting their fruit and vegetable favorites on the list to bagging their choices in the grocery store’s produce section.
• Keep a fresh fruit bowl on the table or counter, and keep easy-to-grab-and-eat vegetables in the refrigerator.
• Serve two vegetables with dinner.

Making a Difference In Schools
The majority of children eat lunch made at school. In 2003, the National Lunch Program served over 4 billion lunches to children around the United States. In California alone, over 500,000,000 lunches were served.4 Parents and guardians should know what their children are eating at school, where they spend much of their day. Recent programs in schools show that when fruits and vegetables are added to the food choices throughout the day — including salad bars at lunch and snacks in the classroom — children and teens eat them and get closer to eating the amount of fruits and vegetables needed for good health.5 National 5 A Day Month in September is the perfect time of year for the whole family to learn more about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, and work together to meet the 5 to 9 A Day recommendations. For more information, visit the National Cancer Institute’s 5 A Day Web site at www.5aday.gov.

Sources

1. Ogden C, Flegal K, Carroll M, Johnson C. “Prevalence and Trends in Overweight Among US Children and Adolescents 1999-2000. Journal of the American Medical Association 2002, vol. 288, no.14, pp.1728-1732.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors: National and State Perspectives, 2004.
3. Porter Novelli (2003). [Styles Database].
4. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, National School Lunch Program: Total Lunches Served as of May 25, 2004.
   5 4 State Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio.