Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
The Dexter Community School district is committed to improving the health of it’s students by promoting healthier lifestyles. One of the recent initiatives toward this goal was the implementation of the Move Forward Program in the district’s K-6 buildings. The program was grant funded by the CWF, and oversight is provided by a committee made up of parents, staff members, a pediatrician, school nurse, and the coordinator of the program.
Under the umbrella of this program, exciting things have been happening in the K-6 buildings, such as:
~ fruit and veggie try-it’s (introducing new fruits and vegetables) to children
~ fitness stations and Fit Fridays lunch time activities
~ assemblies such as Iron Chef at the 3 – 4 building
~ farm-to-school field trips learning about where food comes from
~ chef Alex presenting at the schools about healthy foods and snacks
~ policy changes encouraging healthy snacks and treats in the schools
~ the installation of Project Fit America equipment at 2 of the buildings
~ the Healthy Me Poster / Poetry competition
~ developing ways to encourage walking and biking to school
the list goes on.
The grant is for 2 years but the sustainability of the program lives on, through overall increased awareness of the importance of healthy lifestyles in disease prevention and happier healthier lives, and through changes in the school’s policies and environment.
Aileen Kernohan is the district school nurse for DCS. She has a strong interest in health promotion / illness prevention activities and behavior.
Monday, February 13th, 2012
Day in & day out our real life gets in the way of making good food choices.
Enter the Clementine. In about 15 seconds this little, portable, dynamo of a fruit is peeled & sections are popping into your mouth.
According to one nutrition fact source, a Clementine has 35 calories (virtually none from fat), 60% of our daily requirement for vitamin C & even a little calcium and iron. It provides fiber, thiamin & potassium.
Now is the time to buy them, too. So buy a box & set them on a refrigerator shelf where everyone can see them. The Clementine will take care of the rest.
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
There is no better time or place for preparing meals than August in Michigan. No better time or place in the entire world!
This week at the Farmer’s markets you have your pick of fresh blueberries, raspberries or peaches. There were even some apples.
Heirloom potatoes and summer squash from the tiny, cute petit pan to some as long as your arm (they are the ones to use for zucchini bread or cut length-wise, hollowed out & stuffed with something you can bake).
The tomatoes range from yellow to orange to red in shapes little, big, pear shaped & bumpy.
The corn on the cob comes in white & yellow & multi-colored.
There are purple & red & yellow & green peppers of every shape & level of heat.
Here’s a farmer’s market benefit I’ve enjoyed for over a decade. When you buy at the local farmer’s market you won’t have fruit flies!
Bon Appétit, everyone.
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
As warm weather approaches, so will an abundance of produce! The freshest, prettiest and tastiest fruits and vegetables available during the year will come from the many farm markets we are fortunate to have available to us.
Some of the luscious fruits offered are antioxidant rich, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, low in fat, carbs and calories but high in fiber, vitamins, minerals. Tart rhubarb, rich in calcium and vitamins C and K (there is debate as to whether it is a fruit or a vegetable – feel free to weigh in!). Plump juicy peaches packed with vitamin C, potassium and fiber and tomatoes containing lycopene, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants!
Tasty vegetables include sweet corn, rich in folate, iron as well as vitamins B and C. A variety of colorful peppers loaded with antioxidant vitamins A, C & K and hot peppers with capsaicin which has been shown to boost immunity and reduce the risk of stomach ulcers by killing bacteria. You will also find plenty of fresh leafy green vegetables that have a host of powerful antioxidants, calcium, iron, beta carotene and much more! You can even buy the plants so you can grow your own powerfully healthy food.
Many of these farm markets also offer a variety of honey, jams, jellies, fresh baked goods and herbs. So what are you waiting for? Lets’ get out there and support not only our health but our wonderful local farmers!
Chelsea Farm Market – Downtown –Park Street
Saturday – 8:00 am – Noon
Chelsea Bushel Basket Market – Chelsea Fairgrounds
Wednesday – 2:20 – 6:30 pm
Dexter Farm Market – Downtown Dexter – Alpine Street
Tuesday – 3:00 – 7:00 pm
Saturday – 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Manchester Farm Market – Adrian Street in front of the Red Mill
Thursday – 4:00 – 7:00 pm
Stockbridge Open Air Market – Corner of Wood and Elizabeth Streets (across from Stockbridge Middle School)
Friday – 4:00 – 7:00 pm
Monday, February 14th, 2011
Did you ever think about the size of our glasses? The glasses in my kitchen hold 14 ounces of fluid. That’s nearly 2 cups of juice or milk or ice cream soda! Remember those tiny little juice glasses your grandma used? She barely drank 14 ounces of juice in a week.
Did you read the Foundation column in your local paper that said a 12 inch plate holds more than 70% more food than a 9 inch plate? In the 1950s our plates averaged 9 inches wide. Now they average 12 inches. The surface area is much bigger on a 12 inch plate.
According to the CDC, in the 1960s the average woman weighed 143 pounds. Now the average woman weighs 168 pounds (for men it’s 170 to 196 pounds).
Gee, I wonder if there is a correlation…
Thursday, February 10th, 2011
Yesterday someone tossed most of a perfectly good liverwurst sandwich because someone else in the room started talking about the down side of liverwurst (fat, calories…).
Condemning liverwurst may be in the CWF spirit of ‘eat better’, but it sure isn’t in the CWF spirit of ‘connect with others’. There’s plenty enough guilt around the food selections we make. There is no need for us to heap it on one another at every turn.
Enjoy the darn liverwurst on occasion. Make a healthier choice at dinner.
Saturday, February 5th, 2011
Demographics for Boulder County Colorado & Washtenaw County are very similar (per capita income, level of education, population density…).
The editors of Bon Appétit recently named Boulder America’s ‘foodiest city’.
They selected Boulder because of its first rate restaurants and a community of food lovers. Bon Appétit also concluded Boulder has one of the best farmer’s markets in the entire country and is populated by “fit, smart … citizens who seem to embody a new ethos in American cuisine – one based not on gluttony or excess but on moderation.”
We should send a message to Boulder:
Watch your back. Here come 5 Healthy Towns!
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
Did you know…
- The ancient Greeks had fast-food, take-out restaurants
- We’re more hungry when we’re cold
- Because of the vitamin A in carrots they really do improve night vision
- Americans eat 31% more processed than fresh food
- Each of us eats an average of 1500 pounds of food a year
- Fewer than 30% of Americans eat the correct ratio of meat to vegetables
- It takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound
Just like the Chelsea elementary school kids in January, 5 Healthy Towns are going to make an effort to Eat Better in February. The kids ate almost 30,000 fruits & vegetables during their school days in January. They set the bar high but I think we’re up to it.
Bon appétit.
Friday, January 21st, 2011
Guest Column by Lisa Nickel and Carly Groves
To start the New Year and January off with a fresh, healthy living start, our Elementary Schools are promoting more fruit and vegetable eating. In January children from North & South Schools are competing against each other to see which school can eat the most servings of fruits and vegetables in the Fruit & Veggie Challenge.
Only servings eaten at school for snacks and lunches count, but students are of course encouraged to still eat them at home. The goal is for both schools to make it to 7,500 servings for a total of 15,000 servings for Chelsea Elementary Schools. As an end celebration, and to tie in with promoting exercise and movement along with healthier eating, the staff of both North and South Schools will compete against one another in the “Wacky Winter Olympics Challenge”. On Friday, January 28th, North students and staff will ride buses to South for the challenge in our new gym. We have funny relay races and games incorporating fruits and vegetables for competing teachers and support staff. Points will be awarded to the school with the highest serving total from this past month and the winners of each of the relays. Our principals will be going against one another in the final event of the day dressed as fruit in a face off battle! The school that wins will receive a fruit and veggie trophy, fruit and veggie medals made by the students, and bragging rights for this year until we meet again the following year.
Students and staff from both schools have had a fun time joking with one another about who will be crowned champion this year! We see a huge increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables being eaten at both schools and the kids are doing an excellent job. We also had a lot of wonderful feedback from parents. They’re stocking up on more choices in their homes and their children are really enjoying eating more healthy foods. We hope our efforts with this challenge will ensure that these types of snacks and lunches will continue after this month to become part of student’s everyday eating habits.
Go South!
Friday, December 10th, 2010
Last spring the CWF provided funds for a community garden in Dexter.
Did you know the Dexter Rotary managed a plot? Yep – Rotarians, with their oxford shirt sleeves rolled up & their loafers scuffed, planted half a plot next to the other residents who had garden plots in the Dexter Community Garden.
True to element 4 in their motto (Will it be beneficial to all concerned?) when fall rolled around the Dexter Rotary did the coolest thing. They donated their produce to Faith in Action.
How’s that for connecting with others in a healthy way (element 3 in the CWF vision statement)?
The Dexter Community School district is committed to improving the health of it’s students by promoting healthier lifestyles. One of the recent initiatives toward this goal was the implementation of the Move Forward Program in the district’s K-6 buildings. The program was grant funded by the CWF, and oversight is provided by a committee made up of parents, staff members, a pediatrician, school nurse, and the coordinator of the program.
