Schools continue push for healthier foods

Morgan County Schools are continuing their campaign to provide healthier meals and snacks for students. They are also educating staff and parents about nutrition and its connection to optimal learning.

The school system held trainings for service personnel, coaches and counselors at the beginning of the year on the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids and their link to behavioral health with Captain Joseph Hibbeln, MD from the National Institute of Health, said School Superintendent David Banks.

Omega 3s are well-known anti-inflammatory agents, Banks said. School social worker Gary McDaniel started a sardine club last year at Widmyer Elementary with some students to get kids interested in eating fish that was high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Child Nutrition Director Kristie Randall has been working in Dr. Bill Lands of FAST and Captain Hibbeln’s recommendations to “eat the three and nix the six” by reducing the Omega 6-containing foods and adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to the school meals.

Since 2008 the school system has received annual grants for serving fresh foods at different schools. This year Paw Paw Schools was awarded the grant, which is based on the numbers of students getting free and reduced meals.

Twice a week every grade has a tray of fresh fruit or veggie snacks served in the morning. The idea was to expose kids to fruits and vegetables with which they weren’t familiar, Randall said.

Schools are also using more whole grains in meals and are baking whole wheat dinner rolls, she said.

Party snacks
All schools have eliminated homemade items at classroom parties because of students that may have life-threatening food allergies, she said.

Randall has been working with schools and parents on label reading and determining what’s appropriate to bring and what isn’t.

Randall said there was a nutritional calculator on the West Virginia Department of Education website that parents could use to enter information on snacks. The calculator will kick out foods that aren’t acceptable.

Randall has been doing workshops on basic nutrition and healthy eating as part of the Parent Child Academy. She also works with PTOs and local school improvement councils to raise awareness of the importance of nutrition.

Making food from scratch
Warm Springs Middle School head cook Debbie Wilson said that the schools are trying to make all meals healthier. Randall designs all the menus and checks everything for fat and salt content, she said.

They knocked out a lot of the processed foods and are making foods like meatloaf, sloppy joes and Salisbury steak from scratch, Wilson said.

They are offering more steamers and homemade soups, chef salads and whole wheat pasta. Ham and cheese wraps come in whole wheat wraps, she said. They bake everything and do no frying.

Breakfasts are healthier too. Cereal, yogurt, juice and milk are offered everyday in addition to the breakfast on the menu, Wilson said.
Breakfasts can be oatmeal with fruit, omelets and whole wheat toast or yogurt parfaits.

They also have fat-free milk and 1% milk. The 1% chocolate milk is good, she said. Salad dressings are all fat-free or light.

Early in the year there was so much watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, kiwis and other fresh fruit.

“It was wonderful,” Wilson said.

Whole grains, salad bar
A lot of kids have acquired a taste for wheat bread and now devour it, she said. They love the brown rice they serve too. The middle school also offers a salad bar a couple of days a week as an option.

Pizza Day happens about once a month now. They used to have pizza every Friday and a pizza line three days a week before that, Wilson said.
Wilson said she loved Captain Hibbeln’s talk, takes Omega 3 supplements and stays informed on health.

Students like it
Students are enjoying the healthy food choices. On a recent visit to the middle school on Pizza Day, most sixth graders were seen with a large helping of fresh carrot and celery sticks and a carton of milk on their tray with their pizza.

Student Abby Wood said she likes the fruit and fresh vegetables and Maddy Kyne likes the fresh veggies too. Ryan Brandenburg likes the salad bar and all the fresh food.

Isabella Ambrose said she loves the fresh fruit. Elizabeth Clark likes the spaghetti and pizza. Leah Hovermale didn’t care for the meatloaf. However, Chaston Clatterbuck, Ian Fitzgerald and the entire group of students seated in their section liked the pizza.

Randall said that Wilson has really embraced the change to more nutritious meals. She is really innovative and creative making different desserts with plum and pumpkin, Randall said. Other schools are getting on board too.