Food and Nutrition Services will promote healthy eating by highlighting a fruit or vegetable each month at the elementary school. The goal of this promotion is to increase student’s appreciation for and consumption of fruits and vegetables. A 1998 USDA study revealed that fewer than 15% of elementary students eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.The promotion will include serving the featured fruit or vegetable. During the month the food service staff will share jokes and nutrition facts about the food. The cafeteria will be decorated with pictures and food art featuring the food. A book about the food will be given away each month.

Food and Nutrition Services will host a tasting party for the class winning a monthly contest. The contest will be designed by each school. Theme suggestions for contest are cafeteria behavior, eating fruits and vegetables, or reading. The winning classroom will be served foods featuring the monthly fruit or vegetable. The food and Nutrition Services website will feature kid friendly recipes with the month’s fruit and vegetable for students to enjoy at home with their families.

The promotion will demonstrate that fruits and vegetables are both delicious, fun and are an important part of healthy eating.

The featured foods and books will be:

1. September    Watermelon   Icy Watermelon by Mary Sue Galindo

2. October          Zucchini         I heard it from Alice Zucchini by Juanita Havill   

3. November     Grapes           First Day in Grapes by L. King Perez

4. December     Oranges        The Three Golden Oranges by Alma Flor Ada

5. January          Apples             An Apple for Harriet Tubman by Glennette Turner

6. February        Raspberries   Stella and the Berry Thief by Jane B. Mason

7. March            Green Peas   The Pea Blossom by Amy Lowry Poole

8. April               Cauliflower    The Trouble with Cauliflower by Jane Sutton

9. May                 Strawberries The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac

Recipes