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!

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 4/26: Hamburger on W/W Bun

The menu reads as follows: Hamburger on W/W bun, veggie pasta salad, apple

What they got: Hamburger on a bun with veggie pasta, salad, steamed carrots and an apple.

Good news; today we received an additional vegetable, namely the steamed carrots! Honestly, I'm not a fan of just steamed carrots, I think they are much more flavorful and nutritious when served raw, plus I think kids are more apt to eat them when they are crunchy and fresh. That said, I welcome and appreciate the addition. The fact of the matter is that at least someone is listening and is trying to offer the kids a much more wholesome and well-balanced meal. What does throw the balance off though is the white bread AND white pasta, both of which lack any sort of whole  grain or whole wheat as stated in the menu. Also, it all seems like a lot of food for a 3/4/5 year old, don't you think?

OK, let's talk about the hamburger patty which scares me the most. It's commodity beef from the USDA which I have to say, I do not trust! Just yesterday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who is fast becoming a leading food safety advocate in the Senate, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the agency to include six additional strands of E.Coli as hazardous adulterants that need to be tested by the USDA.  The fact is that the food coming into our kitchens and cafeterias are not properly tested and E.Coli breakouts are still occurring and people are still dying. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 76 million foodborne illness cases occur in the United States every year.  This amounts to one in four Americans becoming ill after eating foods contaminated with such pathogens as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Campylobacter, Shigella, Norovirus, and Listeria. It estimates that there are 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to foodborne diseases each year! WOW!

This is what Senator Gillibrand had to say:

“In America, in 2010, it is unconscionable that food is still going straight to our kitchens, school cafeterias and restaurants without being properly tested to ensure its safety,”.... “It’s spreading too many diseases and costing too many lives. The laws that are meant to keep us safe from hazardous foods are in critical need of updating. We need immediate action to keep our families safe.” 

Senator Gillibrand's letter follows another recall on Friday April 21st. The USDA recalled 135,500 pounds of beef trim products!  Seriously, this puts me off any and all beef products. Sounds extreme? Maybe, but you know what, I'll survive without eating beef, question is, will you?

Onto some great news: tomorrow I will feature a guest blogger mom who will be reporting on the school lunch served at her child's pre-school here in our district. Can't wait to see how other schools are doing it in Hoboken!

Also, we have finally opened up the dialogue with the school district and they have stated that they hope to have a working and functioning Wellness Committee in place within the next school year! Yeah! Let's get to work!

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!?