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Nutrition News
Chartwells Healthy Choice option with Balance Choices!
Chartwells is committed to making healthy food choices available to all students in the communities we serve. We have always been able to meet or exceed federal nutrition standards, yet this program takes it further.
Balanced Choices increases the better-for-you snacks, beverages and meals available in both elementary and secondary schools and, equally important, educates students on how to identify foods that are truly healthy, rather than appear to be healthy.
Balanced Choices Meal Parameters:
• No more than 200 total calories
• No more than 35% calories from fat per package
• No more than 10% calories from saturated fat per package
• No more than 35% sugar by weight per package (excluding whole foods).
• No more than 480 mg sodium per package
At a minimum, 20 percent of snacks and beverages in Chartwells schools will fit our Balanced Choices parameters. Posters, tags and stickers make it easy for students to identify these healthy choices.
BETTER-FOR-YOU SNACKS, including baked chips, pretzels, cereal bars and yogurts, must meet these parameters:
• No more than 200 total calories per package
• No more than 35 percent calories from fat per package
• No more than 10 percent calories from saturated fat per package
• No more than 35 percent sugar by weight per package
• No more than 480 mg sodium per package
BETTER-FOR-YOU BEVERAGES, including low fat milk, 100 percent juice, bottled water and flavored water without any added sugar. Beverages must meet these parameters:
• 100 percent fruit and vegetable juice limited to 12 oz portion
• Fat free and 1 percent milk products, 8-16 oz portion size
• Beverages must be caffeine free except flavored milk
Each meal meets precise nutritional parameters and is highlighted on each serving line. This meal program goes beyond the USDA meal requirements because it provides the recommended nutrients in a single meal instead of an average of all meals served in one week.
The Chartwells Menu Logos:
Balance Choices meals are available daily. Look for this icon or an (*) asterick to identify meal components. All Balanced Choices Meals are served with specific side items and 1% or less milk.
 This initiative is part of Chartwells continued commitment to the health & welfare of the students we serve. It is also an opportunity for us to contribute to the local economy. Our monthly locally grown menu features are indicated on the menu.
Our menus recognize the positive impact whole grains can make on the health of children. We strive to make half our grains whole.
For all ages Grade K-12
Chartwells 10-Minute Nutrition Lessons Plans
Chartbusters is a year long program that includes special cafeteria promotions and events developed to maximize student participation in our healthy breakfast and lunch meals. This year we will focus on the following:
EAT BREAKFAST from September through December
EAT LOCAL from January through March
EAT FOR ENERGY from April to June
The Chartwells Team of registered dietitians has developed lessons for lower elementary, upper elementary, middle and high school students for each Chartbusters topic for each month of the school year. Each lesson includes a suggested teacher-guided EAT cafeteria connection, a LEARN 10 minute classroom lesson and a LIVE home activity. Teachers may download the Chartwells 10-Minute Nutrition Lesson Plans from our new Chartwells Teacher's Nutrition Education Resource Site at
www.eatlearnlive.com/TeacherResources
Dr. Ann's Parent Tips........
1. As a parent, the single-most powerful means to improve you child’s eating habits is to be a good role model. When it comes to healthy eating, children respond more to your actions than your words.
2. Regular physical activity is essential for good health and brain function. Ensure that your child accumulates one hour or more of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity daily to include vigorous activity at least 3 days a week.
3. Take charge of your kitchen! Ensure that your cupboards and refrigerator are filled with a variety of healthful choices like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Limit the availability of fast foods, junk foods and sweets. After all if its not there, it is not an option!
4. Be vigilant in limiting your child’s intake of sugary beverages like soda, fruit drinks, and sports drinks. Sugary beverages have emerged as the most fattening of all forms of calories. Provide water, low-fat or skim milk, calcium-fortified soy milk and 100% fruit juice. (100% fruit juice should be limited to 4-6 oz daily for kids under 12 and 8-12 oz daily for teens)
5. Sit down for “family meals” as often as possible. Studies confirm that this tradition enhances healthful eating. Kids who sit down regularly for family meals consume more fruits, vegetables and calcium and less sodium, sugar and unhealthy fats.
6. Include your child in both the selection of foods and the preparation of “healthy” meals. Studies confirm that the more engaged kids are in the planning and preparation of foods, the more apt they are to eat and enjoy the meal. I always get my kids to help prepare the dinner salad.
7. At dinner time, make the starch (carb) offered a healthy one. Great choices include corn, beans (any type), brown rice, small new potatoes with the skin, multigrain pasta and sweet potatoes.
8. Recognize that both color and variety stimulate appetite and use it to your nutritional advantage. Serve a medley of fresh, colorful cut up fruit for a snack or as part of your child’s breakfast. Offer a pre-dinner appetizer of fresh, colorful veggies – carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers etc with a healthy dip like hummus or low-fat ranch dressing.
9. Kids are very sensitive to and responsive to the presentation of food. Keeps things fun, lively and creative for best results. For example, make fruit and veggie kabobs; roll up a banana cut lengthwise in a whole grain tortilla, spread with peanut butter; make a quick homemade pizza with whole grain English muffins, bottled tomato sauce and shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese.
10. Kids love finger foods! Keep a variety of healthy finger foods in your kitchen at all times. Great choices include pineapple chunks, berries, watermelon wedges, part-skim mozzarella string cheese sticks, 2% milk cheese cubes, baby carrots, raisins, sunflower seeds and nuts.
11. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, encourage and challenge your kids to “eat from all colors of the rainbow.” Brightly colored produce offers the highest levels of nutrients and each color provides special attributes. The superstar fruits and veggies for health include: all cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards), carrots, garlic, onions, leeks, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, tomatoes, winter squash, asparagus, red/orange/yellow bell peppers, berries, cherries, plums, any whole citrus, cantaloupe, kiwi, mango, peaches, pears, red grapes, apples, and dried or fresh apricots.
12. To get your kids to eat more veggies – exploit their sweet tooth! Kids have a highly developed innate love for things that taste sweet. Offer the “sweeter tasting” veggies – baby peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, red or yellow bell peppers, cherry/grape tomatoes and sugar snap peas.
13. Sneak more veggies in your kids’ meal by going stealth!
· Shred veggies (or buy them already shredded) carrots, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, etc. and add to meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, and baked goods like muffins.
· Add canned pumpkin (high in fiber and loaded with vitamin A and other carotenoids) to soups, baked goods and pancakes. I always add canned pumpkin to my corn bread!
· Add finely shredded kale or spinach to soups, stews and smoothies.
· Make “mock-mashed” potatoes from cooked cauliflower.
14. Whole grains provide powerful disease protection and whole grain cereals are a quick, easy and convenient way to get more whole grain goodness into your kids. To select a healthy cereal, refer to the “Nutrition Facts” box and be sure it provides 3 grams or more of fiber per serving and 12 grams or less of sugar per serving.
15. Have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for trans fats in your home. Trans fats are a toxic form of fat found in stick margarines, shortening and processed foods that contain “partially hydrogenated” oils. Check labels so you can keep it out!
16. Some vegetables are healthier cooked and some are healthier raw. Your best bet is to include some of both in your family’s diet each day.
Other helpful nutriton related Web sites:
Action For Healthy Kids
www.actionforhealthykids.com
The American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
The American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org/
American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org/
HealthierUS
www.healthierus.gov
International Food Information Council (IFIC)
www.ific.org
KidsHealth
www.kidshealth.com
My Pyramid
http://www.mypyramid.gov/
MyPyramid Tracker is an online dietary and physical activity assessment tool that provides information on your diet quality, physical activity status, related nutrition messages, and links to nutrient and physical activity information.
www.mypyramidtracker.gov
National Eating Disorders Association
www.edap.org
National Institutes of Health
www.nih.gov
National Lunch and Breakfast Program
www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/
United States Department of Agriculture
www.usda.com
U.S. FDA interactive food label educational tool
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/hwm/labelman.html
Vegetarian Resource Group
www.vrg.org
 
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