Healthy + Happy #1: The State of School Food
Friends of Life Time Foundation,
We are pleased to share that Life Time Foundation is launching a brand new newsletter. We're calling it Healthy + Happy.
Our aim with Healthy + Happy is to support leaders and changemakers focused on youth nutrition and physical activity — including parents, teachers and professionals — by providing the latest news, resources and inspiration related to our shared mission.
This first edition is being sent to our whole email list — you can manage your communication preferences through the links in the footer.
Now, let’s get to it!
In the News
Flavored milk in schools
New York Mayor Eric Adams is in food news again. He’s begun a quest to remove flavored milk from New York City Public Schools. This attempt has been met with scrutiny from the dairy industry, farmers and Congress who claim that chocolate milk is the best way to assure kids get necessary nutrients for healthy growth and development. Adams disagrees.
New York City Schools serve 1.1 million students, of which 40 percent are obese or overweight. Adams believes chocolate milk isn’t helping; rather, it’s establishing a path to future health problems. He suggests water as a better option. Harvard agrees.
Eating disorders on the rise
Eating disorders are on the rise for teenagers. Teenage girls' visits to the ER for eating disorders doubled during the pandemic. Isolation, desire for a modicum of control and social media are thought to be reasons for the surge. Teenage boys have coped in destructive ways as well. Bigorexia, a version of body dysmorphia, is a condition fueled by TikToks made by teenage boys striving for an archetypal male physique. Viewing this content, many boys have become worried and distraught that they are not muscular enough. Isolation has hurt kids in so many ways, and they need our support.
Infants need movement
The littlest ones need exercise, too. Ditch the devices and “containers” that keep infants confined and let them move. Sedentary infants do not reap benefits like improved motor development, bone health and personal social development in confinement or in front of a device. The American Society of Pediatrics discourages screen time for infants except for video chat.
Fitness trackers and kids
Food for thought before a purchase of a digital fitness device for a kid. Consider who your child is and their tendencies before you buy. What might be right for one family, may not be right for the next.
Leader
The State of School Food
As we kick off National Nutrition Month, let’s start by getting everyone on the same page on the state of school food. Pre-COVID-19, school nutrition services served 7 billion meals a year, making them an entity with enormous purchasing power, a massive influence on youth nutrition, a safety net for food insecurity and a key factor in students' academic outcomes. The professionals who provide and serve children school meals are unsung heroes of the pandemic. They have revealed a commitment that goes far beyond their job description and reinvented what it means to be a school nutrition professional.
School nutrition is big business and an imperative social service with school food professionals center stage. The pandemic upended food service, forcing an emergency response that required these saints to innovate and work long hours in order to continue service. Curbside pick-up and mobile meal delivery, packaging food to go and staffing pick-up sites all to assure the nation’s children were fed. The USDA just released a report, revealing the many challenges facing America’s school food professionals. In short, the difficulty and devotion continue as supply chain issues, inflation, staff shortages, and increased stress and workload are producing additional challenges for those in these roles.
Operations continue in pandemic mode with the government supporting child nutrition through waivers that allow schools to offer meals at no cost to all students. Advocates for school food hope the pandemic has shed a light on the need for universal school meals and increased support for school nutrition programs. It is abundantly clear that by offering universal school meals during the pandemic, schools played an important role in combating food insecurity for the nation’s youth. The USDA is requiring a higher standard for school nutrition for the 2022-23 school year - though universal meals is not currently a part of that plan.
Events, Happenings and Opportunities
Project Play Summit, May 4 in Washington, D.C.
Project Play Champions, applications due by March 31
Aspen Institute Food Leaders Fellowship, applications due by April 15
Outride Riding for Focus Program, applications due by April 15
Have other national events or grant opportunities you'd like us to highlight? Let us know.
We hope you enjoyed our kick-off Healthy + Happy. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or thoughts you have.
Sincerely,
The Life Time Foundation Team