A Wellness Committee grows in Hoboken and First Lady Michelle Obama visits Newark!

This blog was started because after I saw what our kids were eating, shocked at the poor quality of food they were receiving, and concerned with their health, I felt that it was important that the Hoboken School district form a Wellness Committee to help address these issues through wellness policies that really impact our kids health in a positive way.  On Monday this committee met for the first time! Today, I reached out to the Hoboken School District with the hopes of serving on this committee even though my child now is in a Charter school.

Patch.com reported on it:  Hoboken Board of Ed Forms Wellness Committee.  The committee is set to focus on nutrition education for both students and parents, exercise, and also food choice. I look forward to following their progress.

And in other exciting news:

In the summer of 2009, Maple Avenue School begun their journey to sustain healthy living and eradicate obesity. And so the 'Growing Minds Program' was born!  With funding and support from Slow Food Northern New Jersey and the Beth Israel Medical Center, they were able to implement and integrate nutrition into the curriculum and also promote the importance of good nutrition.

Slow Food Northern NJ provided grow boxes, seeds, planting materials, and curriculum for three different grade levels which was easily integrated within the curriculum. I am huge believer in making the connection of healthy nutrition through school gardens. Not only is it exciting for them to watch their hard work flourish but they can make a real connection with where food actually comes from! 

The program was so successful it caught the attention of First Lady Michelle Obama and her Let's Move campaign. Tomorrow she will be visiting Newarks' Maple Avenue School, to talk about nutrition and physical education. Mayor Cory Booker will moderate the event which is part presentation and part discussion. According to statistics released earlier this year, one in five Newark children are obese; 43% of the city’s boys and 45 % of its girls, according to the Center for State Health Policy. 

'Go Newark' and 'Go Hoboken' for trying to the change the future of our children!

¡HoLa!

A lot has changed since the last school year. The biggest change for us was deciding to take our daughter out of the public school system and put her in a brand-spanking-new dual language charter school. The school is small; 132 students and 6 classrooms, two per grade (K, 1st and 2nd).
I love the concept of a small school that allows for lots of parent involvement with the added bonus of learning 2 languages. And that's exactly why we are attending ¡HoLa! | Hoboken Dual Language Charter School.

The school has an almost radical approach  towards health and nutrition. For one they chose Revolution Foods as their food service provider. While popular on the west coast, Rev Foods is trying to break into the market on the east coast and so is fairly 'new' in the area.  With school lunches coming in at $3.45 per meal compared to the $2.75 (Hoboken public schools) it can get pricey.  But as we've already seen, cheap food comes with a price far more devastating on our kids and the environment. Rev Foods began delivering October 1st and is going strong. So far I like what I see on the menu- more beans and more vegetarian options. I will start recording the meals next week.

The school is also encouraging healthy snacks not only for everyday, but also for birthday parties and other celebrations.  I like the concept of less cupcakes and more fruit! However, I think a healthy balance between the 2 is necessary: how about banana, blueberry chocolate cupcakes?

The most exciting thing for me (and the kids I think), is that even before the school opened its doors, they had built 3 above-ground planters or grow boxes (one for each grade). The kindergartners planted lettuce and oregano. My child came home with such excitement at the prospect of growing and eating what they had just planted.  And so, a school garden finally grows in Hoboken!

We also donated our worm factory to the school. We decided it was time for them to move out of our small urban home and into a large more open and welcoming environment. While I love the concept of the worm factory, it does come with some drawbacks; mainly the 100's of fruit flies!  At least they now have a home that not only inspires learning but also provides nutrient-rich compost for our schools' garden.  Sadly I do not miss them.

The winter is almost upon us and so until spring arrives and the bulbs flower, the garden will remain mostly barren. Spring will bring with it new life and new adventures and I am looking forward to it already!

Summer Hopes

As the school lunches wind down to a complete halt I have been thinking about what to do to keep up with the conversation of changing and advocating for better school lunches.

This week I met with Avis Gold Richards, Executive Producer and Director of a new documentary exploring the consequences of the junk food culture epidemic. What are children munching on? Lunch, A film by Avis Richards, investigates and interviews parents, teachers, nutritionists, students within the Baltimore school district. Its poignant and relevant. There are some other exciting things happening for bird's nest production, like a TV series, so stay tuned for more details.

Also, at the end of this week Montclair's Health and Wellness Partnership organizers are coming out to meet with us here in Hoboken. My hope is to learn from another school district and to figure out how our very own Health and Wellness Committee can function within our town. I am very grateful for their openness and willingness to share information! Thank you Montclair school district!

There are some other partnerships I am working on and will let you know when plans a little more firm.

School lunch Monday 6/7: Cheeseburger on W/W Bun

The menu reads as follows: Cheeseburger on W/W Bun, Veggie Pasta Salad, Fresh Vegetable, Apple

What they got: Cheeseburger on W/W bun, broccoli pasta, fresh carrots and apple.

As far as school lunches go I think this one has good array of components- broccoli, carrots, an apple, some pasta, and then there's the burger. The beef patty scares me the most. After countless  recalls I simply don't trust the FDA. Contaminated beef is finding it's way into supermarkets and schools more frequently it seems. Scientists believe that E.coli is becoming resistant to the antibiotics administered to cows routinely and therefore making its way into our food chain more often.

A piece in the New York Times last year, describes how a 22 year old children's dance instructor, ate a hamburger her mom made her which left her in a coma and when she awoke found herself paralyzed!  Such a tragic story and....

"Yet tens of thousands of people are still sickened annually by this pathogen, federal health officials estimate, with hamburger being the biggest culprit. Ground beef has been blamed for 16 outbreaks in the last three years alone"

Moral of the story: Don't feed our kids food that could possibly paralyze or kill them! Besides, would you want to eat this? 

School lunch Thursday 5/27: Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

The menu reads as follows: Chicken Broccoli Alfredo over Pasta, Green Beans, Breadstick, Pear

What they got: Chicken patty broccoli alfredo with pasta, green beans, breadstick, a pear and lowfat milk

This is one of those meals that sound great but then don't deliver. I would say that these pre-schoolers were less than happy with this one.  Some tried the chicken broccoli alfredo but most frowned upon the white sauce.

Curious to know what kind of chicken it was made with, I bravely tucked into a piece. Leathery. Rubbery. Basically a chicken nugget without the batter but with grill marks!

It actually didn't taste like much or perhaps I was too freaked out by the texture to even notice any flavor. I have to say that the chicken was totally unappetizing and can't imagine ever enjoying it in any way, shape or form. I could not quite figure out the alfredo sauce; was it 'home-made' or did it come from a bottle? Again, thank goodness for the breadstick, pear and milk, otherwise some kids would have gone back to class hungry. I watched one of the teachers eat a piece of chicken, and as quickly as she took that bite, she put down the spork. End of meal.

On a different note, a teacher approached me and asked if I had been checking out the school breakfasts. Her daughter attends preschool at Brandt and her complaint was that the kids were not being served what the menu states and then on top of that what was being served was basically sugar. No surprise there!

I would like to call upon the parents at Brandt to start checking in on some breakfasts and lunches. I know the school year is coming to an end but let's get started now. Seems to me that when we (parents) get involved things happen!

Wishing everyone a very happy memorial weekend.

School lunch for Tuesday 5/25: Baked Breaded Chicken

The menu reads as follows: Baked Breaded Chicken, Sweet Potato, Fresh Broccoli, Dinner Roll and Fruit

What they got:  Baked breaded chicken, canned sweet potato, fresh broccoli, a dinner roll (white), fruit juice and lowfat milk.

While this meal looks 'OK' I am not sure the kids had the same reaction. In fact one kid broke down into a symphony of cries when he realized that it wasn't chicken nuggets! It seems Tuesday's at school have become 'breaded chicken day'. From nuggets to lemon chicken, rest assured you will find chicken caked in some sort of breading as the main meal. Again, I have to say I am NOT a fan of the breaded chicken.  I think the kids can do without the fake seasoning and/or KFC look-a-like batter.

I also wonder if the school gets raw whole pieces delivered and then breads them on site or whether its been breaded and deep-fried at the manufacturer and then reheated/baked at the school kitchen.  I would obviously opt for the former, at least then the cooks would have control over what goes into the breading and whether or not it gets fried. I asked for real pieces of chicken and we got them, I just wasn't betting on them being drenched in batter.

The dinner roll proved to be popular and at least the kids didn't leave the cafeteria hungry...or did they?  There was some fresh broccoli, which they ran out of, and as for the canned sweet potato, while it may have some nutritional value it looks fake and quite unappetizing.  A dinner roll is definitely not a wholesome meal for growing inquiring minds, so all-in-all I'd say this meal is a fail. Which gives me an idea, I think from now we should start grading the meals! Plus, it would be pretty awesome if you the reader would also grade it from a visual perspective.  What do you think?

Friday 4/21: Pizza!

The menu reads as follows: Assorted Pizza, Tossed Salad, Fresh Carrot Sticks, Fresh Apple

What they got: Plain pizza, tossed salad, fresh carrot sticks, an apple and milk

It seems to me that Friday's Pizza will always be what it is...frozen pizza that's sometimes overcooked and occasionally undercooked, as was the case last Friday.

I do have to commend Chartwells on least making the meals look appetizing and appealing. After all, we all eat with our eyes first!  I wonder what it would take to actually prepare our own pizza in large trays as opposed to just heating and serving a product that has more ingredients than I'd even like to know about. I'm sure there is a slew of reasons why it would not work, with money being the top factor!  Any bakeries in Hoboken feel like selling the school whole wheat dough at a really good price?

Wednesday 5/19: Baked Chicken Wings

The menu reads as follows: Baked Chicken Wings, White Rice, Fresh Broccoli, Warm Apple Slices

What they got: Baked chicken wings, brown rice, fresh broccoli, warm apple slices and Milk.

My child: "Look Mom, real chicken!!"
Me: "Yes! Can you believe it!?"

I now believe it, because I saw it! Real baked chicken wings, and it was awesome to see the kids eating it off the bone. One kid told me how he had never seen chicken wings before and then proceeded to scoff them down! :)

I've also noticed that brown rice is a favorite for many kids. All in all I think this meal is well-balanced, looks appealing and contains essential nutrition- minus the saturated fats and sodium. It seems that the simpler the meals, the more wholesome, the more likely the kids are going to eat them. Maybe that should be the theme for school lunches: Simple, wholesome and of course unprocessed!

Tuesday 5/18: Chicken Nuggets

The menu reads as follows: Chicken Nuggets, Tater Tots, Seasoned Veggie, Wheat Bread, Banana

What they got: Chicken nuggets, tater tots, seasoned mixed veg, wheat bread, an orange and milk

The kids had lunch a little earlier today so I got there when they had already dished up all the food. Picture the above lunch with a few more chicken nuggets.

It surprised me that the kids did not eat their tater-tots. What doesn't surprise me though, is that 98% of them did not eat their wheat bread either. I'm going to assume that Chartwells serves the wheat bread so that they can meet USDA regulation, but for heaven-sakes- how many times do you just grab a piece of dry bread and eat it?  Are the kids supposed to dip it in the ketchup? Are they supposed to slap a chicken nugget on there and call it a sandwich? Either way the bread is landing up in the trash, along side the vegetables and polystyrene trays. To satisfy my interest I tasted the vegetables. They were tasty, a little to onion-ny for me, but at least they were not canned!  I tried to encourage the kids to try the green-beans or even the corn but to no avail.

Speaking of polystyrene plates- I noticed this time that they had the recycling triangle and a #6 on the back. This type of plastic is not easy to recycle and many recycling plants do not even accept it. I looked online to see if Hoboken does accept it as part of their curbside recycling program and found out from the contracted waste management company, that yes they do! Good news indeed! Now the only problem is to get the schools to participate!

Monday 5/17: Roast Turkey with Gravy

The menu reads as follows: Roast Turkey with Gravy, Brown Rice Pilaf, Fresh Vegetable, Applesauce

What they got: Roast turkey with gravy, brown rice, Italian vegetable medley, applesauce and milk.

Watching the kids scoff down their brown rice was awesome. Many of them enjoyed the turkey as well, but a lot of them did not even touch their vegetable medley. Again eggplant and zucchini are tough veggies for little kids to like, especially if it's not something as parents we would necessarily give them regularly. Personally I make eggplant every now and then, and my child does not like it very much.

I do think its important that they keep serving fresh vegetables but I also think it's even more important that we encourage the kids to try new things. My hopes are that with the Wellness Committee will come opportunities for kids to try new foods and explore the natural world around them. Coincidentally eggplants are really easy to grow and they come in an array of beautiful colors from pink, green, yellow, white to violet. I do think the kids will get a kick out of growing them and then eating them! 

From Taco's to Pizza

Last week was crazier than normal for me so I have decided to cram Wednesday (5/12), Thursday (5/13) and Friday's (5/14) school lunches into one post. 

Wednesday 5/12: Twin Taco w/ turkey taco meat, cheddar cheese, lettuce, salsa and fruit. 

Wednesday saw the inclusion of an extra veg (asparagus), which was not stated on the menu...Thank you Chartwells for the lovely surprise.

Later in the week, I just so happened to be passing the high school, and lying on the streets was all the packaging/cardboard boxes discarded by the kitchen. I can't tell you how excited I got because I noticed that the boxes contained ingredients lists and nutritional information.

One of the empty boxes was Jennie-O Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey, the very thing the kids had for lunch on Wednesday, so here are the ingredients as taken off the box:

The picture is a little blurry because it was taken by my iPhone so I'll decipher the ingredients for you: Ground turkey, taco seasoning (dehydrated onion, salt, spices, chili, peppers, garlic powder), potato flour, cocoa, citric acid, autolyzed yeast extract, glucono delta lactone, torula yeast, maltodextrin, wheat, natural flavor, water, contains by or less modified food starch, salt.
There you have it. After the citric acid I get totally lost with the ingredients and have NO idea what any of it is.  A quick Google search reveals that autolyzed yeast extract is actually MSG, and the rest of the ingredients are flavor enhancers/additives as well.  That's the reality.

Thursday 5/13: Pasta w/ meat sauce, breadstick, seasoned peas, applesauce.

Again the kids got an extra component today and were served one vegetable AND one fruit. A definite change has come about and I am truly pleased to see it happen. The meat sauce also was home-made at the school kitchen and smelled delicious. My only concern is the quality of the meat.  Whether it was just purely ground-beef or whether it had added preservatives and flavorings, I don't know. Perhaps if parents called Chartwells and asked for the list of ingredients they would begin to work on getting that type of info to us all.



Friday 5/14: Pizza, tossed salad, carrot sticks, fresh apple.

They served exactly what was stated on the menu. A well-balanced meal, with a vegetable, a fruit and salad. I may even let my daughter start eating some of the school lunches again!

Hoboken Reporter meets EAT Hoboken!

Last week the Hoboken Reporter called to interview me for a piece they were doing. I of course obliged since spreading the word is critical if we want to see any changes come about. I honestly thought it would be a small piece but landed up on the front cover of the print edition! Here is a link to the online article: 

‘Mystery meat’ and strange nuggets Hoboken school lunches exposed by blogger mom

The commentary from the school board is interesting especially the bit about : "We talked to Peta about [joining a committee to create the district policy].” They did!?

As for Superintendent Peter Carter's lack of vision regarding the health of our children, I recommend he start reading the reports on obesity and taking note what's going on on national level.  For what its worth, Mr Carter, the reason there have been no "pediatric concerns and no other parental concerns" is that we will see the effects of poor nutrition in the form of obesity and disease only when these kids grown up- and then its too late! The point is to PREVENT diseases!  I also have to argue that parents are concerned...I'd be interested to check the participation rates of the school lunch program. I'm pretty sure they've declined in some schools.

I encourage parents to email Mr.Carter to tell him that it's not OK to feed garbage to our kids!
peter.carter@hoboken.k12.nj.us

I also just want to thank  all the parents who have vocally showed their support. I urge you to please translate those words into action. Speak up and act out.  We have to change this now, today, if we want our kids to grow up with the best opportunities available to them! 

If anyone is interested in joining the Wellness Committee please email me at:  eathoboken [at]gmail.com

Monday 3/29: Philly Cheese Steak

Menu reads as follows: Philly Cheese Steak on hoagie roll, crispy potato wedges and fresh orange.

What they got: Philly Cheese steak on hoagie roll, crispy potato wedges and whole fresh orange.

I'll start off by saying, thanks to Chartwells for sticking to the menu and also for making sure our fruit basket was full!

The other day when I asked my 5 year old what she wanted for dinner she shouted with great enthusiasm: "Philly cheese steak rolls!" Really?...Not!  In my 5 years as a mother, I have never heard a child ask for philly cheese steak. In my opinion this is another poor food selection for pre-kindergartners. Not only is it bland looking but this meal is all white bread and potatoes! What's with all the bread people? And even more so, what's with the processed 'mystery meat' or 'steak' as they like to refer to it that's all 'dressed up' with some processed cheese?  Indeed a very kid-UNfriendly meal if ever I saw one. Just from looking at it I'd say that nutritionally it is inadequate, unappetizing and not a very well balanced meal for growing minds!  But, I guess we should be happy with the one vegetable, which coincidentally also counts as a starch and one fruit which is at least fresh. I counted 4 out of all the kids eating school lunch actually eating their roll, of those 4, only one ate the bread on the inside and the rest, as you guessed it all landed up in the trash. I believe the stryrofoam trays needed company!

But let's chat about the 'mystery meat' because I am confused. Check out the 'steak' up close and personal:

Doesn't look like steak to me but hey, lets face it, I am a foreigner, what do I know about fake meat?! So, in an attempt to demystify the mystery, I looked up the meaning of steak on www.dictionary.com and this is how they define it:  

steak

(stāk)    n. A slice of meat, typically beef, usually cut thick and across the muscle grain and served broiled or fried. A thick slice of a large fish cut across the body. A patty of ground meat broiled or fried. [Middle English steike, from Old Norse steik; see steig- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Ok folks, I'm guessing that definition number 3 best fits our mystery meat, "A patty of ground meat broiled or fried", but looking at it I am still not convinced that, A. it's meat or B. it's broiled or fried, in fact I'm not quite sure how one would make this stuff. Actually, it looks a lot like lunch meat, but definitely not steak. I am dying to find out what the ingredients are but I can bet you that since it's processed it's preserved and if it's preserved it probably contains sodium nitrites, MSG or some other preservative or flavor enhancer. All I am saying is, is it really necessary??  

 A little update: Last week I met with the food service director who as you know invited me to come and check out their other kitchens and so hopefully this week or early next we'll have a lunch post on how Wallace does lunch. Also on March 24th I emailed Superintendent Carter and the entire school board regarding my findings and also inquiring about a Wellness Commitee. As of now, I have had not one response back. Not so much as a 'Thank for your interest' or 'We will look into it. Nothing. Just silence.
This is the law!!! 

Section 204 of Public Law 108-265—June 30, 2004

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004
SEC. 204 LOCAL WELLNESS POLICY

(a) IN GENERAL - Not later than the first day of the school year beginning after June 30, 2006, each local education agency participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.1751 et seq.) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) shall establish a local school wellness policy for schools under the loca leducational agency. 

In brief, a Wellness Committee is typically and required by law to be made up of teachers, parents, nutritionists, dietitians, food service representatives and also the community. It's all encompassing. The policies are based on nutrition, physical activity, guidelines for all foods and beverages served in school and other school-based activities that promote student wellness. I believe that this committee is integral to happy healthy students, especially in a urban environment!


Can we please get this Wellness Committee started so we can start fixing the things that really matter, like growing healthy, educated and mindful citizens!?