Nutritionists start early to win the fitness fight with kids

YAKIMA, Wash. -- School nutritionists have all sorts of tricks to encourage healthy eating among students.

They hide chocolate milk behind plain milk. They strategically place salad bars by the cash register, and they add pureed vegetables to soups.

Still, getting students to choose nutritional foods is a challenge. If they go too far, students will revolt by dumping the food in the trash. And if they don't do anything, Yakima County's adult obesity rate -- now at 32 percent -- won't likely change.

"It doesn't matter how nutritious it is, if they won't eat it at all, there is no point," said Kristen Blair, child nutrition director for the West Valley School District. "We're making small modifications, and we keep trying new, little things."

Tackling childhood obesity is a priority nationwide. Through first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign, she hopes to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation -- so children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.

The United States Department of Agriculture, too, has joined the fight by giving food behaviorists $2 million to investigate how psychology can be used to improve kids' use of the federal school lunch program.

Researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., have already identified some successful strategies. One method is keeping ice cream in freezers without glass display tops, so the treats will be out of sight. They also recommend moving salad bars next to checkout registers -- where students linger to pay.

Psychologists say the presentation and placement of food is paramount -- as is the appearance of cafeterias themselves.

Cassie Davidson, food service program manager for the Yakima School District, knows of these psychological influences and is using them to design the kitchen and cafeteria at the new Eisenhower High School, slated to open in 2013. There, she hopes to install a station where students can make their own meals. The theme would change daily and would include sandwiches, salads and baked potatoes.

Already, Davidson said Yakima schools have made some food substitutions without complaint. Many beef-based products, such as corn dogs, have been replaced with lower-fat poultry, and numerous vegetables are included in soups -- more than what students might expect.

Jessica Brown, obesity prevention coordinator for the Yakima Health District, said every little bit helps. According to 2008 statistics, the latest available, Yakima County's adult obesity rate is five percentage points higher than the state's average of 27 percent.

Obesity is determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the body mass index. A BMI of 30 percent or more is considered obese, which equals about 30 pounds overweight.

Among the county's 10th-graders, 30 percent are either overweight or obese, compared with only 25 percent statewide. When these students were polled, many admitted to drinking excess amounts of soda, getting little exercise and not eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, Brown said.

Schools can combat some of these problems in the selections they make for their lunch menus. For example, they can meet their whole-grain guideline by offering brown rice over donuts. Fruits should also be presentable, because kids won't eat bruised produce, Brown said.

However, Brown maintains solutions to obesity won't be found by holding only schools accountable.

"Schools are pressured to offer everything, and they don't have the funding or the time to do it all," Brown said.

Although each school decides the menu, those that participate in the federal lunch program must meet standards set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of a person's calories come from fat and less than 10 percent of that fat be saturated.

The lunches must also provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories.

In the West Valley School District, Blair devotes much of her budget to choosing enticing and healthy options for kids. She uses low-fat cheese and 100 percent whole-wheat flour in baked goods. Students can choose between a wide variety of produce, and nutrition information is printed on menus.

"Little changes work best," she said, noting students will more likely choose healthy foods if introduced to them at a young age. "Exposing the kids to healthy choices is what we do."

Tom Power, who heads the Department of Human Development at Washington State University, agrees the problem of childhood obesity is complex.

Families are more reliant on prepacked and fast foods because they're convenient and cheap, and kids are leading more sedentary lifestyles by spending hours watching television or playing video games, he said.

The biggest mistake parents make is what Power coins "an indulgent feeding style," where kids can eat what they want when they want, and often in large amounts. What's proven to work, though, is enthusiastically modeling good eating behavior and repeatedly exposing children to different foods.

"If it's bitter or has an unusual texture, kids tend to be hesitant about even trying it," Brown said. "It could take 10 to 15 times before they like it. ... Familiarity breeds acceptance."

This approach is routinely performed in the Toppenish School District, where the cooks encourage students to try new foods, said Food Services Director Renee Miles. She's also received positive feedback by offering homemade selections and letting students make some of their own food choices.

Her budget is $1.76 per meal for breakfast and $2.74 per meal for lunch, similar to that of other school districts. She receives an extra 2 cents for each lunch and 28 cents for each breakfast because of the high number of students eligible for free or reduced meals in her district.

To qualify for additional aid, at least 60 percent of a district's student population must be financially needy. The budget for meals is independent of districts' operations budgets.

Offering fresh produce and whole-grain options are more costly, Miles said, but she believes the expense is justified.

"I want to provide them something that is attractive and healthy for them," she said. "I feel it's my job to give them a healthy meal, not just a meal."

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.