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PRESIDENT OBAMA SERVES UP A HEALTHY HELPING OF NUTRITION
10-15-10
By: Lauren Madeja
President Obama signed the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act on Monday, launching a complete overhaul of nutrition in America’s schools.
The $4.5 billion measure will increase funding for school lunch programs across the country, allowing them to include more fresh and healthy foods in meals. The act also gives government more control over nutrition standards in schools, requiring them to follow health guidelines drafted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Barack and Michelle Obama have both been very passionate about solving the growing problem of childhood obesity in America. The first lady recently launched her own childhood fitness program in schools called “Let’s Move”, which provides resources for students and parents to lead a healthier lifestyle.
The goal of these programs is to promote healthy living from early childhood in order to make nutrition and fitness a priority in the lives of the next generation of children. Understanding the need for continued support in this issue, many colleges and universities have created programs to further students’ understanding and appreciation of healthy living.
Washington State University has made great strides in the campaign for healthy living in everything from food to fitness. Chelsey Woods, the Registered Dietician for WSU Dining Services says the goal is to make it as easy as possible for students to fit nutrition into their busy lives.
“Eating healthy on campus is a big concern for many students because they often do not know where to begin,” Woods said. “Our EatWell program in dining halls is the perfect start.”
Part of the EatWell program is creating 500 calorie meals which are both healthy and satisfying. Dining halls also label the healthy options in each food area, so it is simple for students to eat a well balanced meal. Dining services has even created the NetNutrition website, where students can find nutritional information for all the food served at dining halls, as well as ingredients, so students can know exactly what they are putting in their bodies. Woods even makes herself available for weekly discussions called “Dinner with the Dietician” that are free for all students.
“I want to be a resource for students who are passionate about being healthy but just need a little help getting there,” Woods said.
Woods is not alone in the campaign for healthy living at WSU. Brad Stewart, the fitness and Wellbing coordinator for UREC has been hard at work planning workshops designed to teach students about UREC’s eight dimensions of wellbeing, focusing on nutrition and fitness. The workshops, which include Mindful Eating, Happiness through Nutrition and Physical Activity, and Mood Foods, will encourage students to take charge of their health and live a well balanced life style.
“College is a great time to start habits that will keep you healthy for the rest of your life,” Stewart said. “You come here for an education, and how to be healthy is one of the most important things to learn.”
Stewart also recognizes that lack of time is one of the main reasons students don’t take care of themselves. UREC has put out a “30 minutes to Wellbeing” program on their website which details quick and easy ways students can stay healthy, such as effective 30 minute workouts and nutritious 30 minutes recipes.
WSU nutrition student Anissa Garcia plans to use her education to continue implementing health and fitness programs in schools.
“My mom was a lunch lady at out elementary school and she hated that she had to serve kids so much unhealthy food,” Garcia said. “Now I can have the influence to turn that around.”
Garcia said she was inspired both by her mother and the excellent nutrition programs being implemented at WSU. Her education here, along with many others, will hopefully bring a better future in health and nutrition for many generations of schoolchildren.

Contacts: Chelsey Woods: (509) 335-4785
Brad Stewart: (509) 335-7101
Anissa Garcia: (509) 432-9867

Background on Interview:
I interviewed Brad Stewart who is the fitness and Wellbeing coordinator for UREC. He told me about all the new workshops UREC has been planning to teach students about fitness and health. They used to do more broad general nutrition workshops, but they realized that students are looking for really specific details about health and nutrition, so they have created brand new workshops for this year. They also have a lot of information online if you can’t attend a workshop, for example the 30 minutes to wellbeing information about how to implement health into a busy lifestyle. They are also do a Wellbeing Fair at which they will have many nutrition and fitness experts will give students information about living a healthy lifestyle.