On October 17, 2011, school nutrition professionals and administrators from El Monte City School District, California, were honored to join First Lady Michelle Obama at a special White House reception honoring HealthierUS School Challenge winnersfrom across the country. Fourteen El Monte schools have earned the Silver award by meeting rigorous standards for healthy school meals, nutrition education and physical activity. These schools join more than 1,600 schools nationwide that have become HealthierUS Schools.
El Monte school cafeterias only serve whole grains, and much of the bread is baked from scratch using whole wheat flour, including this month’s special Sweet Potato Bread. At lunch, students can choose from at least four different fruits and vegetables (more than half of these choices are fresh) and fruit is served with every school breakfast. Salads are offered each day, ranging from the “Iron Man” spinach salad to the Chinese Chicken Salad. Nothing on El Monte’s menus is fried, and El Monte has switched to lean meats and low-fat dairy products.
El Monte schools are encouraging students to try these healthier choices too. The school nutrition department works with teachers to weave nutrition education into the curriculum – from language arts to math and art.
Thanks, SNA!
Congratulations Dr. Lewis, will be checking your site for ideas.
Hi Dr. Lewis,
I would like to get some pointers on how to get the children to eat all this nutritious food we prepare. They will eat the sweet potatoes, whole grain cereal, whole wheat buns, etc. More food go into the garbage than in the children’s stomach.
Congrats, Robert! Sounds like it was a wonderful event!
Ms. Snowden,
In El Monte, we involve students in a number of healthful activities including Veggie Fear Factor, Healthy Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt, Fruit and Veggie District Art Contest, Superintendent’s Helathy Essay Contest, Nutrition EXPO, Bring your Parent to Breakfast, Pumkin Decorating Contest, and Kids Get Cooking Camp. We work with a cadre of teachers to integrate wellness and nutrition education into existing curricula including math, science, and language arts. Lastly, our kids get to sample a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables everyday from the USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
Robert Lewis
Mr. Lewis,
My daughter currently attends San Rafael Elementary in Pasadena and this is exactly what we are looking for. I would love to speak to you on implementation.