healthy bodies healthy minds PRESENTATION BY Chef Greg Silverman Managing Director
why WITS? our children at risk unless something is done to reverse this trend, the next generation of children will be the first to not outlive their parents, reversing over a century of public health progress -2-
why WITS? our children at risk Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. Approximately 23 million youth (1 of every 3) in the U.S. are either obese or overweight. 1 in 3 U.S. children (and 1 in 2 minority children) will develop diabetes in their lifetime. American spends over $147 billion on obesity related issues annually. -3-
a look inside our schools LUNCH 32 MILLION CHILDREN IN THE U.S. EAT SCHOOL MEALS DAILY OVERLY PROCESSED FOOD IS THE NORM SCHOOL LUNCH BUDGET: LESS THAN $1 PER DAY PER CHILD RECESS 40% OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HAVE EITHER ELIMINATED OR ARE CONSIDERING ELIMINATING RECESS 64% OF CHILDREN DO NOT MEET DOCTORSʼ RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY 1 IN 4 CHILDREN DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY FREE-TIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
back to class, ready to focus and learn Elementary school students who took part in a dietary and physical activity intervention showed enhanced math and reading scores compared to the control group. (Hollar et al. 2010). Sixth graders who participated in a 5-week nutrition and physical activity program showed enhanced math and language scores compared to the control group (Shilts et a. 2009). Among high school students, participation in physical activity and sports team was associated with better grades (Fox et al. 2010). -5-
what is WITS? Founded in 2005 Mission: to inspire healthy eating, environmental awareness and fitness as a way of life for children in public schools. Non-profit partner to departments of education and agriculture, acclaimed NYC restaurants and accredited culinary schools. Currently serving over 30,000 children in 65 schools across NYC, Kentucky, and Florida. Part of the 10-chef task force and panel group responsible for designing Michelle Obama s Chefs Move to Schools initiative. -6-
healthy bodies make healthy minds COOK FOR KIDS WITS CAFÉ WITS LABS WITS BITS COACH FOR KIDS FAMILY FITNESS FUN NIGHTS GREEN FOR KIDS TOWER GARDENS -7-
Due to organizations like WITS we are able to expand the food experience of our school communities and enrich their learning experience, while they enjoy a delicious meal. Eric Goldstein NYC DOE CEO, Office of SchoolFood
WITS Café training overview WITS places culinary school graduates in schools to train on the implementation of the Alternative Menu. Hands-on training takes place daily in the cafeteria together with SchoolFood. Monthly SchoolFood Alternative Menu and Salad Bar Requirements serve as guides. Participants will learn the following skills: Storage and Organization Knife Skills Use of Tools and Equipment Menu Planning Mise en Place (prepping in advance) and Prioritizing Batch Prepping Basic Cooking Techniques and Timing Use of Herbs and Spices Sanitation and Cross Contamination -9-
WITS Café goals Provide a salad bar daily. Provide salad dressings made from scratch. Provide at least one fresh fruit daily (not canned or in syrup). Ensure that vegetables served are fresh (frozen only when necessary and never canned). Offer only whole grains. Ensure access to water daily at lunch. Eliminate sweetened milk in the cafeteria. Support sustainable cafeteria practices such as composting and waste reduction programs. Eliminate the service of meat products at least one day/week. -10-
WITS Café continued PROVIDED BY WITS A WITS Chef to attend monthly wellness committee meetings, communicate with school community, address individual needs of school and ensure the quality and progress of the program. Training of SchoolFood staff. Interfacing with NYC Department of Education s Office of SchoolFood. Regular review of recipes and menu options. A restaurant chef partner. -11-
WITS Café continued REQUIRED FROM SCHOOL A school-based wellness committee that meets monthly. A designated liaison on the school wellness committee. A commitment and desire to making your school a healthier place for students to nourish their minds and bodies. Optional: parent volunteers to help in cafeterias. -12-
improved lunch options
the WITS way WITS ALTERNATIVE MENU (COOK FOR KIDS) Meatless Mondays Italian Chickpeas over Whole Grain Rotini with Garlic and Herbs Roasted Zucchini Vegetarian Chili Sofrito Brown Rice Corn Salad Pico de Gallo Sandwich Creations Assorted Sandwiches - Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Red, White, and Green Panini Lemon Roasted Carrots Marinated Tomato Salad Sweet Potato Wedges Itʼs A Carnival Roasted Organic Tofu Savory Roasted Chicken with Jerk Barbecue Sauce Red Roasted Potatoes Asian Chicken and Noodles Steamed Fresh Broccoli with Toasted Garlic Chicken Thursdays Tender Chicken Strips With Jasmine Rice and Seasoned Black Beans Collards with Black-Eyed Peas Pizza Party NY Style Pizza Slice Oven Baked Pizza Bagel French Bread Pizza Chickpea Salad Cucumber Salad Green Garden Salad WITS RECESS (COACH FOR KIDS) Trained WITS Coach works in recess yard of public school WITS Coach engages least active children in active play WITS Coach helps to prevent playground bullying WITS Coach trains school aides to implement program Sample games include: Steal the Bacon, Sharks and Minnows, Kick-Basketball, Soccer and Recess Pac-Man
WITS Labs Seasonal tasting classes for children, taught by a WITS Cook or a WITS Lab Instructor. Teaching lessons about the essentials of nutrition. Exploring the fundamentals of cooking. Making the connection with menu items served in the cafeteria. Teaching the importance of eating locally and seasonally grown ingredients. Partnering with Whole Foods Market. CBS NEWS Story -15-
With varied programming that provides nutrition and education to New York Cityʼs students, WITS will help bring important resources where they are needed. Kirsten Gillibrand United States Senator, New York
WITS BITS Simple and hands-on nutrition lessons for children, taught by a WITS Cook. Teaching the importance of healthy eating by seeing, listening, and doing. Sample lessons (~20 min long) include: Blubber Burger Sugar Overload Eating the Rainbow -17-
thank you so much for all of your help in making the launch of chefs move to schools a success your involvement is essential in solving the childhood obesity epidemic. from michelle obama 2010
WITS Parents how you can get involved Volunteer during WITS Labs and WITS Café Days. Volunteer to help at the salad bar during lunch periods. Fundraise to purchase olive oil. Help facilitate and plan special events at the schools. Eat with your kids during lunchtime. -19-
meet our NYC chef partners Blue Water Grill, Luis Jaramillo Butter, Alex Guarnaschelli Chipotle Mexican Grill, Mariana Cotlear Chopʼt Creative Salad Company, Catherine Lederer Dean Sheremet, Professional Chef Ellie Krieger, Professional Chef Epicurean Management Group, Gabe Thompson Gramercy Tavern, Michael Anthony Henryʼs, Henry Rinehart Jenifer Lang, Professional Chef Jessica Delaney, Professional Chef Juice Generation, Nazli Kfoury & Eric Helms Metaphor, Jehangir Mehta Natural Gourmet Institute, Elliott Prag Parish Hall, Egg, George Weld Plated, Elana Karp Print Restaurant, Charles Rodriguez Rouge Tomate, Kristy Del Coro & Peter Esmond Sweets for Every Season, Jenny McCoy Telepan and Telepan Local, Bill Telepan Tertulia, Gil Avital & Seamus Mullen Union Square Hospitality Group, Camilla Marcus -20-
playtime may be America's best investment for healthy kids and healthy schools. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Recess Rules
look who s talking P.S. 29 students are lucky; their school participates in Wellness in the Schools Three-star chef hits the school cafeteria WITS [Cook for Kids] provides an example of change for the better Telepan and Easton are Food Revolution Heroes Wellness in the Schools not only changes a school menu but the minds of everyone involved
Sometimes one person plants a seed and then another comes along to water it you all planted many seeds by informing the students of PS 65 about the importance of healthy eating My students are bursting with ideas and ways to encourage others to eat healthy. from PS 65 South Bronx
healthy bodies healthy minds www.wellnessintheschools.org Chef Greg Silverman Managing Director greg@wellnessintheschools.org Twitter: @gregorymark72