Tag Archives: school food

Tune In: Healthy Eating at Amusement Parks and the Ball Park on the Rachael Ray Show

Tune in this Monday, May 17 to the Rachael Ray Show to learn how to eat healthy at the summertime events like amusement parks and the ballpark.

From corn dogs to soft pretzels, find out the healthiest treats to grab once you get off the roller-coaster. And while you’re spending a summer evening watching America’s favorite past-time, find out which snacks at the ballpark will hit a home run with your diet and which treats strike out.

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Posted on May 17, 2023 by heather

Tune In: Rocco DiSpirito on the Rachael Ray Show

Tune in this Tuesday, May 11 to the Rachael Ray Show when chef Rocco DiSpirito transforms school lunches into healthy and creative meals that will leave kids of all ages making a mad dash for the cafeteria.

When a group of middle school kids are fed up with their constant PB & J sandwiches, they turn to Rocco DiSpirito for a cooking lesson that transforms their lunchtime.

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Posted on May 10, 2023 by heather

Did Jamie Oliver Fail, or Did We?

Anytime someone attempts to make a change, other people will attempt to hinder those efforts through their own behavior or naysaying. Change is uncomfortable for some people, because the world surrounding them is altered, and it may also highlight their own need to change. Thus, it is not terribly surprising to me that the Internet is full of spoilers about Jamie’s “failure.”

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Posted on April 25, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

School Cafeterias Get Healthy Makeover

One school teaches kids to grow and harvest their food.

I love watching Jamie Oliver in action working on the state of emergency we are in when it comes to the health of our children. Obesity rates continue to climb, but I feel a positive change is happening. It will take effort from all of us to make a difference. Jamie Oliver can only do so much on his own.

First lady Michelle Obama has been bringing national attention to the issue of healthy foods in our schools. More importantly, parents are getting involved and letting their schools know they want healthier foods in the school cafeterias.

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Posted on April 24, 2024 by Amy

Chicago Schools Make Positive Cafeteria Changes

Have you been watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution or reading the Mystery School Lunch blog? Are you wondering if changing the menu at your kids school is too difficult to even try. Do you feel like there’s no hope?

One city in America has made drastic changes in the menu plan for the next school year, which begins July 1. The  documents originally released to the Chicago Tribune show that nacho service will be reduced to once a week in Chicago high schools, and once a month in elementary schools; sweet packaged desserts will also be reduced to weekly treats; and donuts and Pop-Tarts will be eliminated in the new school year.

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Posted on April 17, 2024 by Carmen

Teacher Punished for Offering Students Healthy Food

English teacher Mendy Heaps had never given much thought to the food her seventh-grade students were eating. Then her husband, an habitual junk food eater, was diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Suddenly the french fries, pizza, and ice cream being served in the cafeteria at her school began to affect her. Heaps decided to take action.

She began to teach nutrition in her language arts classes. Over and over, she sent emails of articles and news clippings to her colleagues, administrators, and the local school board, urging them to overhaul the school menu. She began selling fresh fruits and healthy snacks to the students on her own, wheeling healthier foods from classroom to classroom on a makeshift fruit cart, doling out apples for a quarter each.

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Posted on April 15, 2024 by Carmen

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Sneak Preview

The sneak preview of Food Revolution opened with Jamie saying goodbye to his wife and children to spend three months in Huntington, WV helping them renovate how they eat. From the start, Jamie spoke positively about the town of 50,000. Jamie’s first stop in Huntington was a radio program where he interacted with an unimpressed host, despite Jamie’s explanation that Huntington was deemed the unhealthiest town in America by a government statistic based on death.

It is not surprising that Jamie chose to start his revolution in a school, given his experience in his own country with Jamie’s Ministry of Food. His first day in the school, Jamie observed and asked questions. As he toured the school kitchen, Jamie stated that many restaurants in England would be jealous of the space and equipment they had, and was shocked to learn that the ovens were used primarily for reheating and rarely for cooking. As he had to ask the cooks to identify the food they serve school children, Jamie said in an aside that children in South Africa are getting better food than American school children. Despite the defensiveness and dissent of the cooks, Jamie remains positive and focuses on their strengths. Right as I was thinking how upsetting the entire situation was, Jamie said that he felt like crying. (more…)

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Pepsi Drops Sugary Drinks from Schools

Maybe the Mayans were onto something with the whole end-of-the-world thing in 2024 after all. Pepsi just announced this week that they plan on pulling all of their fully-sweetened drinks from schools in the U.S., and in more than 200 countries total, by 2024.

In its fight against childhood obesity, The World Heart Federation has been negotiating in recent months with soft drink makers to get them to remove sugary beverages from schools.

Coca-Cola, the number one soft drink maker in the world, has also made some positive moves. This month they changed their global sales policy to not sell any of their drinks in primary schools around the world, unless parents or school districts ask. However, this policy does not apply to secondary schools. (more…)

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Jason

You Can Improve School Lunches During National School Lunch Week

school lunchKids are just getting back into the school groove and you may have noticed that you have started to slack on your intentions to send your child off to school with a healthy and nutritious lunch every day. Maybe the chips were on sale or it was faster to hand your kids lunch money instead of a sack lunch.

So before your well-intentioned efforts of healthy school lunches resemble more and more like your New Year’s resolutions in mid-February, the School Nutrition Association has declared the week of October 12-16 as National School Lunch Week. The organization is dedicated to supporting schools in creating healthy, nutritious and affordable school lunches. (more…)

Posted on October 12, 2023 by heather

How to Prepare Healthy School Lunches

Guest Blogger Terra Wellington is an actress and the author of The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green: Saving the Earth Begins at Home (St. Martin’s Press). In her book, she outlines a Green School Action Blueprint for making greener and healthier changes at your child’s school. terra wellington

For many years I’ve been concerned about the quality of the school lunches fed to my children.

A charter school was my children’s home away from home for several years, and that school didn’t have a cafeteria, so all kids had to bring a lunch from home – one of the best options for most families if you want to improve your child’s lunch diet.

But now that my children are in the regular public school system, it has brought back lots of childhood cafeteria memories … praying my milk wasn’t sour in second grade, shamelessly wishing for tater tots seven days a week as a fourth grader, and watching friends mop up oil off the top of pizza slices with an extra napkin in high school. (more…)

Posted on August 23, 2023 by heather

A Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green

moms guide to growing your family greenGoing green is no longer just about recycling your newspapers and swapping out plastic water bottles for reusable aluminum ones. Today, being green extends to all facets of our lives, including how we raise our children.

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with author and wellness expert Terra Wellington. Terra has just written the book “The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green,” and it is chock-full of practical and engaging information and tips on how to keep your family healthy and happy while also being environmentally-conscious. (more…)

Posted on August 17, 2023 by heather