Studies show that children who eat breakfast do better in school and have healthier overall diets compared to children who skip breakfast.

Acknowledging the importance of school breakfast, the Dairy Council of California has teamed up with San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Unified School District Food Services Department to provide breakfast placemats to area schools participating in the Breakfast in the Classroom program. The newly launched BreakfastFirst Campaign is a three year initiative to help California's students reach their full potential and California's schools maximize available federal resources by strengthening school breakfast programs. The Fuel Up to Play 60 placemats were introduced earlier this month at Sherman Elementary School at the launch the state-wide BreakfastFirst Campaign.

The placemats feature San Diego Charger Luis Castillo and the USDA’s MyPyramid, and will be distributed to the 46 San Diego Unified School District elementary schools participating in this breakfast program. This placemat provides something fun and visual students can enjoy while eating breakfast in their classrooms.

The production of the placemats is a continuation of the partnership Dairy Council of California and San Diego Chargers formed in 2009 for the Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative, which provides nutrition education and physical activity programs and incentives to elementary and middle school-aged students for free.

“Fuel Up to Play 60 encourages children to make smart choices about nutrition and activity,” said Kimberley Layton, San Diego Chargers Director of Corporate and Community Relations. “Getting in the habit of having a healthy breakfast everyday leads to a more active lifestyle and is an important part of living a healthy life.”

Throughout California, more than 2.2 million low‐income students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price school meals do not participate in the National School Breakfast Program. Sherman Elementary is an example of a school that successfully utilizes the program and the goal is to get more schools to follow.

Dairy Council of California

The Dairy Council of California has a Nutrition Trends Task Force which includes ten staff members, eight of whom are registered dietitians. The Task Force meets three times per year to review the trends in nutrition research, policy and communications. Staff is responsible for tracking over 40 publications that report on nutrition issues. This summary is the result of the meeting conducted in February 2010, to review the issues and determine the top nutrition trends.

1. Obesity prevention continues to be a top priority in political, social and public-health circles

2. Public-health efforts target sodium reduction to improve health

3. Dietary fat may not be the demon once believed

4. Vitamin D’s status as superstar nutrient growing

5. Dietary Guidelines due out in late 2010

6. Sustainability a growing factor in food choices

7. Public policy makers attempt to help control overweight through legislation and regulation

8. Choosing nutrient-rich foods offers assurance of dietary adequacy

9. Satiety as a new tool to address weight management

10. Corporate wellness programs, in-store clinics and social media provide new opportunities for nutrition and

health professionals

The full report is now available on our website. 

Maureen Bligh, MA, RD

Project Manager

It seems these days that the topic of health care reform is taking center stage. No matter which side of the debate you stand on, we can all agree that making people healthier will ultimately prevent long term chronic disease risk and reduce health care costs. Corporations are starting to catch on to this “prevention” concept as a way to reduce costs associated with employee health issues, such as rising insurance premiums and absenteeism. Obesity costs U.S. companies more than $13 billion annually in medical fees and lost productivity. Workplace wellness programs are increasing in popularity as many employers realize that employees who have a healthy lifestyle are less likely to miss work, tend to feel better and have more energy, and ultimately are more productive workers. Workplace wellness programs have a positive impact on both the employees and the bottom line- it’s a win-win! 

Since April is National Workplace Wellness Month, now is the perfect time to take steps toward developing a wellness program in your place of business. Dairy Council of California is here to help your organization create a healthier workplace by offering tools and resources that enable adults to achieve optimal health through balanced food choices and physical activity. If you are interested in learning more about how we can enhance your wellness program, please contact me at arosales@dairycouncilofca.org. If you have used any of our resources in a creative way within your workplace or you have ideas of how we can meet your wellness needs, I would love to hear from you as well. Let’s work together in creating healthy people through healthier workplaces!

Ashley Rosales, R.D.

Project Manager