Redwood City School District joined many school districts across the nation by celebrating National School Breakfast Week by organizing special events that promote healthy eating habits for their students. National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) was launched in 1989 to raise awareness of the availability of the School Breakfast Program to all children. For more information about school celebrations held across the country check the School Nutrition Association’s website.  

For the Redwood City School District, fostering a healthy school environment and reaching high student achievement is of utmost importance for teachers, administrators and parents. Earlier this week I met with Redwood City School District’s Food Service Director, registered dietitian Anna Lague. She shared with me how their schools planned to celebrate National School Breakfast Week. Students participated in Lucky Tray Day at breakfast, in which students who receive a tray marked with a special sticker receive a prize. This year students received a coloring book with crayons and stickers. Another popular event is the A-Z Salad Bar. At this event, students who participate in school lunch have the opportunity to see and taste 26 different fruits and vegetables. It is a fun time as the students really enjoy their favorite fruits and vegetables like watermelon and some are brave enough to try something new.

As a territory manager with the Dairy Council of California, I have been able to support Redwood City schools by providing nutrition education curriculum to elementary, middle and high school teachers. I am also a member of their district’s school wellness committee and have enjoyed being a part of their mission to create awareness and spark enthusiasm for health and wellness in their schools and community.

Check out our online educational game that teaches students how to eat a healthy breakfast, BreakFAST & Jump To It. Students build a healthy breakfast by selecting foods from a virtual kitchen to put on their breakfast plate. In addition, Dairy Council of California also offers this free downloadable handout, Parents…Get Straight A’s With a Healthy Breakfast which offers specific suggestions parent resources that encourage healthy breakfasts.

Let us know what your school is doing to celebrate National Nutrition Month or National School Breakfast Week in a healthy and fun way!

Nicolina Mulcahy,

Territory Manager

 

 

 

 

 

Almost 900 middle school teachers, administrators and facilitators attended the California League of Middle Schools annual conference on February 26-28th, 2010 in Sacramento.  The theme this year was, Accelerating Student Achievement in Tough Times. In spite of slightly lower conference attendance compared to last year, a current trend at conferences statewide due to budget cuts, the conference was a resounding success with excellent presentations and networking opportunities.  

Many positive and energetic teachers and administrators visited Dairy Council of California’s exhibit booth. What a pleasure it was to chat with loyal customers and meet principals and teachers, many of whom were eager to learn about our free nutrition education curricula and how it meets California content standards.

A Physical Education teacher from Cupertino Middle School, Judson Sickler, graciously joined me to co-present a nutrition education workshop. After first adapting the Dairy Council of California Exercise Your Options program to work with his sixth grade classes two years ago, Judson has successfully implemented his model of nutrition education in the entire sixth grade. The audience appreciated his practical strategies to engage students in making lifelong healthy choices. Check out his website, Mr Stickler's Physical Education Page. 

Dairy Council of California congratulates teachers like Judson and thousands of others who make nutrition education work in their classrooms. We are proud to provide teachers with free nutrition curricula and to encourage wellness in your schools and homes. Teachers, if you have adapted our programs in a creative way, please let us know. 

For extra support, contact your local territory manager or watch our free professional development training.

Tracy Witmer, R.D.
Territory Manager

March is National Nutrition Month ®, when the American Dietetic Association reminds us about the importance of healthy eating. This year’s theme is “Improving your nutrition from the ground up”. Now is the time to go back to the basics and build a healthy diet that includes healthy foods from all food groups.  

Despite the variety of nutrition messages over what not to eat plastered all over the media, Internet and from family and friends, many people still don’t have a clear idea of what foods they should be eating. By focusing on the positive components of foods you can help your clients develop a healthful approach to eating that will lead to a well-balanced and sensible diet.  

One way to help your clients make healthy choices is by encouraging them to include nutrient-rich foods into their daily eating pattern. Nutrient-rich foods have large amounts of key nutrients for fewer calories. These foods provide essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs to promote healthy growth, fight illness, increase energy levels and prevent chronic disease. Plus, being lower in calories helps individuals achieve maximum nutrition while still maintaining a healthy weight. Some nutrient-rich foods to focus on are:

• Whole grains, which are high in dietary fiber, B vitamins, iron and magnesium
• Fruits and vegetables, which are a great source of potassium, dietary fiber, folate and vitamins A,C and E
• Low-fat milk and milk products, which provide calcium, vitamin D, protein and potassium
• Lean meats, beans, nuts and seeds which supply protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins, vitamin E and magnesium

The “nutrition from the ground up” theme conjures up images of a backyard vegetable garden which certainly can be an element in a healthy lifestyle. However, you don't have to be a gardener to have a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables are plentiful in your local grocery store or a farmer's market. Frozen, canned and dried produce provides greater variety and easier storage of foods particularly in winter when availability and access are limited. We can feel good about eating a wide range and variety of fruits and vegetables. 

This March take a new approach to purchasing, preparing and eating foods for a healthier you. For more information on National Nutrition Month, visit www.eatright.org and peruse Dairy Council of California’s downloadable handouts for information you can share with adults and children. 

Trina Robertson, M.S, R.D.

Project Manager

 

The CTA Good Teaching Conference – North 2010 was held in Burlingame, CA, January 22-24.  Dairy Council of California was one of many wonderful exhibitors providing the latest resources to support excellent teaching and learning practices for classroom teachers.   The conference kicked off Friday evening with lively music, dancing and fine dining energizing over 800 attendees to stop by exhibits and attend workshop sessions until 9 pm.  Both Friday and Saturday we continuously greeted teachers enthusiastic about ordering our programs for the first time.  They appreciated the ease of ordering and the availability and convenience of our new online Teacher Training Certification Program which gives hands-on and practical implementation strategies for each grade level program.  This was also an opportunity for teachers already using our curriculum to re-order their student workbooks for their current class this year.  Their many positive comments and words of appreciation for our programs made the conference a particularly rewarding experience for us.  We look forward to attending the Good Teaching Conference – South 2010 in Los Angeles, CA, coming up March 12-14.

I recently attended and exhibited at the 28th Annual California Kindergarten Conference in Santa Clara, CA. There were exciting workshops throughout the weekend and exhibits especially designed for the early primary grades.  The theme of the conference was - Celebrating Creativity in Early Childhood Education.  They accomplished this beautifully with student artwork displayed throughout the conference hall and a special evening reception highlighting the Young Children's Art Exhibit.
 
Kindergarten teachers were very pleased to see Dairy Council of California in attendance and showcasing our Kindergarten nutrition education curriculum - Building a healthy me! Our booth display highlighted the components of our six-lesson, standards-aligned nutrition education program and activities such as creating Peter and Patsy Pyramid and The Old Lady who Swallowed a Cheeseburger. Both of these activities foster creativity and teach students the foundations of a healthy diet. Students color MyPyramid learning the colors associated with each food group. Kindergarten students are introduced to the importance of physical activity, what a healthy breakfast is and learning how to create a combination meal.
 
Teachers commented on how much they appreciated the availability of the free program and how much their students and parents enjoyed it. They also appreciated the parent newsletter available in English and Spanish included in the program kit.
 
In the Educators section of this website, you can learn more about how to receive the Kindergarten program and/or participate in a 30 minute online teacher training that provides success tips for teaching nutrition in a kindergarten classroom.
 
Nicolina Mulcahy
Territory Manager

The beginning of the New Year is a time when your clients may be more focused on making healthy resolutions. Losing weight, healthier eating and increasing physical activity are always popular New Year’s resolutions. Many people believe these goals are best achieved with a "quick fix" or drastic plan or program. However, research supports that long-term weight loss and sustained healthy lifestyle changes occur slowly over time. Taking small steps toward goals will yield the greatest results. With the proper guidance, accurate information, realistic goals and personal commitment your client's resolutions can become a reality.

In order to get off to a good start for the New Year, have your clients sign up today for our free Meals Matter Nutrition and Fitness Challenge. This four-week Challenge, beginning January 12th, is designed by registered dietitians to help reduce holiday weight gain and renew healthy lifestyle routine with expert guidance on nutrition, fitness and meal planning. It can be offered as a tool to complement the information you provide in individual couseling or group settings such as worksite wellness.

The Meals Matter Nutrition and Fitness Challenge will help establish a pattern of healthy food choices each week by providing a range of features to make meal planning easier, such as nutrition articles, access to healthy recipes and a meal planner to help plan meals over time. Over the course of the Challenge, participants will complete our interactive healthy lifestyle tools, which allow for customized nutrition and physical-activity recommendations based on your client's unique needs and preferences.

Although the Challenge begins January 12th, clients can register now and connect with others through social-networking Challenge pages found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These venues help clients connect with other participants for social support before, during and after the four-week Challenge. In addition, members who complete each aspect of the Challenge by Feb. 19th are eligible for a reward so encourage your clients to join today.

Trina Robertson, MS, RD

Project Manager

I uploaded this blog post the other day, then accidentally deleted it. So this is a "repost".  

Time is a limited commodity in health care. Those involved in health education are trying to improve patient behaviors in the least amount of time. That is why I especially enjoyed a presentation about effective counseling techniques at the 2009 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) held in Denver last month. Using Evidence-based Strategies for Nutrition Counseling outlined the most effective counseling strategies based on published research in the American Dietetic Association's Evidence Analysis Library. I found this information especially useful since I am involved in the development and evaluation of the Dairy Council of California nutrition education programs.   

The health theory deemed most effective is Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT). It attempts to change learned behaviors while addressing internal factors such as thoughts and feelings. Goal setting is central to this theory and is most effective when the client focuses on personalizing small steps toward healthier living. Computerized CBT is another option that is found be be effective. The strongest evidence for CBT relates to specific dietary interventions, diabetes prevention and management and cardiovascular disease. CBT works best in group settings and most evidence of success is with short-term interventions lasting six months.

I was pleased to learn that there is strong evidence to support the behavior change techniques included in Dairy Council of California programs. Strategies that received high marks for effectiveness include:

• Self-monitoring, such as using food records, received the highest rating for weight loss interventions. Dairy Council of California programs employ self-monitoring in our upper elementary, middle school and high school nutrition education programs and in the Calcium Connection and Activity & Eating adult programs. 
• The use of open-ended questions, affirmations and exploration of barriers via Motivational Interviewing (MI) is no more effective than usual treatment when used alone. Adding MI at the beginning of a CBT program improved results. MI requires a great deal of training to be used successfully. 
• Meal replacements or structured meal plans that dictate to patients what to eat helps patients control food intake as they attempt to modify their eating habits. Creating a meal plan along with your client to help them plan healthier meals might be a more realistic long-term solution. 
• Interestingly, extrinsic rewards and reinforcement was not effective even in the short-term. Although not studied, the presenters thought internal rewards could be useful.
   

There is a great need for ongoing research to investigate the effectiveness of current and potential counseling methods. Although not as much research is available to show effectiveness, strategies such as problem-solving, collaboration, social support and goal setting all seem appropriate to incorporate to improve client outcomes along with the bulleted strategies with more documented success.  

Dairy Council of California is committed to embedding evidence-based strategies in our print and online programs to help health professionals achieve behavior change with their clients. We strive to create quality, afforable programs that fit the needs of time crunch professionals that value helping patients improve their food and activity choices. I welcome and appreciate comments of what would make our programs more effective in your practice.

Trina Robertson, M.S., R.D.

Project Manager

On Thursday, November 5, Dairy Council of California was recognized at the California Fit Business awards ceremony held in Sacramento. The award, established by the organization in 2003, recognizes California employers that promote healthy workplaces. In all, 71 employers were honored statewide, ranging from organizations with more than 70,000 employees to those with less than 100. Dairy Council of California received the Honorable Mention award for our outstanding commitment to promoting workplace wellness. This recognition was remarkable given this is the first year of our employee wellness program. The criteria to qualify were extremely difficult this year and many companies went unrecognized. 

Being a nutrition- and health-based organization, it was only natural to promote wellness within our workplace. Some of the key highlights of our wellness program include:

• monthly newsletters with health and physical-activity tips and recipes
• policies for healthy food and beverage choices at Dairy Council of California-sponsored meetings and events
• interactive staff competitions such as the Meals Matter Nutrition & Fitness Challenge
• opportunities for physical activity at work.

We look forward to growing our wellness program by continuing to create a healthy workplace and supporting healthy employees.
 
Ashley Rosales, R.D.
Project Manager

This year, California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom held their statewide conference in Rohnert Park, California, on October 23-24th.  This was my first year attending the conference, which I found to be very informative and useful. Kicking off Friday’s activities was keynote speaker David Pegos, CDFA Assistant Secretary of Public Outreach. He shared the importance of ag literacy in his keynote address, along with providing an overview of agricultural production throughout the state. 

Many interactive workshops were offered to attendees; I chose to attend the Milk Matters! workshop, which highlighted Ag in the Classroom’s newest curriculum. During this hands-on workshop, participants performed activities that related to the many different dimensions of the dairy industry. Mandi Bottoms, Curriculum Coordinator for California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, did an excellent job facilitating this workshop. Here are some of the useful resources that were provided: 

Dairy Feeds
Ultimate Efficient Recycler
Milk Matters! Discovering Dairy

After workshops were completed, participants were given the opportunity to tour local farms and businesses such as wineries, dairies, a compost operation, organic vegetable growers, flower growers and a restaurant.

I feel fortunate to have been able to participate in such an important educational event. I left with a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing California’s educators and farmers. This dialogue between educators and farmers will encourage future opportunities for working together to better the health of California through classroom education.

Nicolina Mulcahy

Territory Manager

 

On October 22nd– 24th, the California Teachers Association organized the California Science Education Conference, which was held at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Science teachers traveled from as far as San Diego and Los Angeles to participate in workshops and short courses, as well as network with colleagues and shop for education materials from various vendors.

While perusing the booths in the exhibit hall, teachers came by our booth to learn about and order our free, scientifically sound nutrition materials that support school wellness policies. During our three-day visit, we enjoyed meeting the large number of teachers that came by the booth. Many teachers that visited had already ordered materials, but stopped to chat about our Mobile Dairy Classroom assembly or simply just to let us know how much they enjoy implementing our nutrition programs in the classroom. Other teachers just yelled, “Great programs!” as they passed by the booth.

In addition to displaying our programs, the exhibit included a Sugar and Fat display, which made many Science teachers realize how much fat and sugar they consume on a day-to-day basis. We also brought our nutrition education wheel, which helps educate on the importance of a balanced diet and physical activity.  

On October 24th, Candice Sainz-Lau presented the workshop Making a Difference: Healthier Achievement Through Nutrition Education. At the workshop, teachers learned that students who make healthy eating choices perform better in the classroom. Science teachers also learned that Dairy Council of California supports academic achievement by providing materials that are aligned to education standards and school wellness policies. They also had the opportunity to view the new e-teacher training module that demonstrates success strategies for implementing nutrition education in the classroom. As a result, teachers expressed confidence with teaching the materials in the classroom.