National Nutrition Month 2016

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

The theme for 2016 is "Savor the Flavor of Eating Right," which encourages everyone to take time to enjoy food traditions and appreciate the pleasures, great flavors and social experiences food can add to our lives.

How, when, why and where we eat are just as important as what we eat. Develop a mindful eating pattern that includes nutritious and flavorful foods – that's the best way to savor the flavor of eating right! For more information and materials, visit the following web site at http://www.nationalnutritionmonth.org/nnm.

BREAK THE FAST!

This upcoming week is National School Breakfast Week. Studies show that eating breakfast and refueling your body can make a world of difference not only for adults but for kids too! Eating breakfast is believed to impact test scores, trips to the nurse's office, and behavior. If breakfast is too rushed at home, don't forget about trying school breakfast. Not only is it an easy option, it can also be a social opportunity. Here are some tips for teaching students or your children about breakfast. 

1. Have your student/child make a list of breakfast ideas.
2. Explain that when we do not eat breakfast, our body goes 16 hours without fuel (time estimated from about dinner to the next day's lunch). Our body needs fuel to play hard, work hard, and be successful. Breakfast jump starts our bodies with the energy it needs to feel and do our work hard, and be successful. 
3. Describe a well-balanced breakfast. A well-balanced breakfast should have at least 3 of the 5 food groups. Ask the student/child to list the 5 groups: fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein.
4. Breakfast should include protein, complex carbohydrates, and little fat. Complex carbohydrates (starch and fiber carbohydrates; ex: whole grain English muffin) help us feel energized and the protein and fat (minimum) help keep us feeling full.
5. Explain that eggs can be part of a healthy breakfast and demonstrate a couple of ways to cook an egg (e.g., scramble, boil, poach, etc.).
6. At home, flavor the eggs with herbs and spices and allow your child to try each type of cooked egg.
7. Ask how to make a well-balanced breakfast out of eggs (e.g., eggs, whole grain toast, and grapes) achieving 3 of the 5 food groups for breakfast.
8. Encourage your student/child to eat breakfast and try the school breakfast for a healthy start to their day.

Meal Charging Policy Takes Effect February 8, 2016

A new School Board approved meal charging policy goes into effect on Monday, February 8. This is the same protocol that has been followed in past years, but it is now a board approved policy.

Any student who has a negative balance of $20.00 or more on their account  will receive a "safety meal" consisting of cereal and a milk instead of the breakfast or lunch meals listed on the menu for that day. This safety meal will continue until the student's lunch account returns to a positive status and will resume again anytime the account reaches a negative balance.

Letters have been mailed and will continue to be mailed home to families on a weekly basis explaining the procedure. Emails have also been sent if a valid email address is in the system. 

The full policy, Fiscal 129: Meal Charging Policy,  can be found on the Board of School Committee web site: http://bosc.mansd.org/policies/policies-fiscal. A link is also located on the Food and Nutrition Services web site. Look on the left menu for Meal Charging Policy.

Community Eligibility Provision to be Offered at Bakersville School

At their meeting on October 26, 2015 the Manchester School District, Board of School Committee voted to allow Bakersville School to participate in the National School Lunch Program’s Community Eligibility Provision. Under this program all students attending Bakersville School are eligible to eat school Breakfast and Lunch for free regardless of their current meal benefit eligibility status. We will implement this program beginning on January 4, 2016.

 We are excited to be able to offer this program as a pilot program with the intention of expanding participation to other eligible schools in the next school year if this venture proves to be a success. 

There is no paperwork to be completed by parents for participation in this program. Siblings of Bakersville students who attend other Manchester Schools will not be affected by this and their current meal eligibility status will still be in effect. Families will still be able to file a new benefits application on behalf of their non Bakersville students if their current financial situation changes during the year.

Upon written request any funds in a Bakersville student’s account can be refunded or transferred to the account of a sibling at another Manchester school.

Moo're Milk Matters

The most recent Dietary Guidelines recommend 1300 milligrams of calcium for ages 9­-18 and 1000 milligrams of calcium for ages 4-­8. Most children do not get enough calcium in their diets. Most people reach their peak bone mass by their late twenties so investing in their bone mass now with adequate calcium intake and exercise can prevent osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become less dense and more prone to fractures, later on. Check out the chart below for foods that contain calcium.

FOOD                                                 CALCIUM CONTENT*

Milk, 8 oz, nonfat                                                                 302 mg

Yogurt, Plain, low fat                                                           300 mg

Cheese, cheddar, 1 1/2 oz                                                  306 mg

Milk, lactose reduced, 8 oz                                                 300 mg

Cottage cheese, 2 cups, 1 %                                              276 mg

Orange juice, fortified with calcium, 6 oz                            230 mg

         

Kale cooked, 1 cup                                                              94 mg

Frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup                                                       103 mg

Pudding, prepared, 1/2 cup                                                153 mg

Almonds, 1 cup sliced                                                         243 mg

*mg=milligrams

FRUIT & OATMEAL SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS: ½ cup rolled oats 1 cup fat-free milk (traditional or lactose-free) ½ banana, ¼ cup strawberries, fresh or frozen, drop of vanilla flavoring,  3 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS: In blender, combine cooked oatmeal, banana, ¼ cup strawberries, vanilla, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately with strawberry garnish if desired.

Calcium content: 300 mg