SCHOOL NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 SPECIAL EDITION Kick Start Your Program with Fuel Up to Play 60! Earn SNA CEUs!* Fuel Up to Play 60 empowers students to make healthy choices, and winning Healthy Eating Strategies are at the center of their success. As seasoned food and nutrition pros, you can help your school s student teams put winning plays into action! Ideas are designed to transform the cafeteria into a Training Table, inspire students to fuel up with the food groups kids don t get enough of low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains and give them what it takes to get up and play for 60 minutes a day. *See back cover
Get into the Game with Fuel Up to Play 60 Healthy Eating Action Strategies Contact the Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor in your school. His or her student team may be looking for healthy eating ideas that they can bring to life. Offer your expertise in making in-school changes that result in students eating more of the foods they are lacking and have some fun at the same time! Be sure to work with your student teams and other adult stakeholders to put the ideas below into play so everyone is on board. The Training Table for the Big Game! Display MyPyramid posters that show nutrient-rich foods we should consume both on and off the field! This includes low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, whole grains, fruits and vegetables every day! Always start the day with a good breakfast, too! Athletes are recommended to eat about 3 hours before an event. Consuming foods like low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, whole grains, fruits and vegetables can provide energy for activity. Highlight items on the school menus that are excellent as PreGame Foods. Include higher starch and moderate protein foods, and ones that students like to eat and are comfort foods like pizza and macaroni and cheese made with whole grains and low-fat or fat-free cheese. Always consume plenty of fluids, which can include low-fat and fat-free milk/flavored milk. Set up a separate table as a Training Table for students who are active and/or gearing up for an event. Include menu items, for example, that contain carbohydrate and protein, like low-fat and fat-free flavored milk. Milk provides carbohydrate for energy, along with protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A, D and B 12, riboflavin and niacin (niacin equivalents). Drinking milk can be an effective way to help hydrate after a workout. Work with your student team to conduct a Taste and Vote with the student body to determine foods that could be included as part of the Training Table. Include student team members in a meeting with the school s athletic staff, including coaches, trainers and PE teachers to talk about the benefits of low-fat and fat-free chocolate milk, which helps provide the nutrients that are needed after participating in sports and other vigorous activities. Check with your local Dairy Council representative as a possible special guest and resource. Work with the PE department to make low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains more widely available during practice and game day events. Provide a cooler for the weight room to provide an opportunity for chocolate milk to be accessible for students. Provide a copy of the handout Training Table Tips From The Pros to your student team and suggest they use it in their promotion efforts. Whether you are a star athlete or simply enjoy regularly participating in physical activities like dancing, soccer, tennis or biking, you need to get the right balance of nutrients every day to maintain overall performance and health. These tips can help ensure a proper training table diet to fit an active lifestyle. Eat for Activity Depending on activity level, the caloric needs of an active individual may be more than those of a less-active person. It s your choice so pick an activity that fits into your lifestyle. Physical activity can make you feel stronger and more alive. It is a fun way to be with friends and family and improve your overall health. Protein Power Not only does protein help provide energy, it also supports growth and repair of muscle, bone and other body tissues. Low-fat and fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese are a good source of high-quality protein and essential vitamins and minerals. Energy Packed Carbs Carbohydrates are the body s main source of energy during physical activity. Eating foods that include carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables and low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, about three hours before exercising can help keep energy up. TRAINING TABLE TIPS FROM THE PROS Building Bones Although exercise plays an important role in keeping bones strong, calcium and other nutrients play another important role. Most Americans are not getting the recommended amount of calcium in their diet, increasing their risk for osteoporosis. Physically active people should include low-fat and fat-free dairy foods on their training table to help nourish their body and improve and maintain healthy bones. Here are recommendations made by the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine on how much calcium people should be getting each day, based on their age: ages 4-8 need 800 mg of calcium; ages 9-18 need 1,300 mg of calcium; ages 19-50 need 1,000 mg of calcium; and ages 51 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium. Each one cup serving of milk provides about 300 mg of calcium. Growing Years Teens and kids need even more calcium each day during this bone-building period to keep their bones strong and their bodies growing. For adolescents to help meet the 1,300 mg calcium recommendation, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends four servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or equivalent milk products per day. Staying Hydrated It s important to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, especially before, during and after physical activity. Dehydration can affect performance and can be very dangerous. Low-fat and fat-free milk not only contains protein and carbohydrates that provide energy, but is also 90% water, making it a nutrient-packed thirst quencher. For those who want a flavor burst, a single-serve container of flavored milk, such as chocolate or strawberry, has the same nutrients as regular milk and offers a great beverage choice. 2010 National Dairy Council. Fuel Up is a service mark of National Dairy Council.
The Power Behind the Play Help students make the connection between the healthy benefits of low-fat and fat-free dairy foods and physical activity by creating their own themed Get into the Game or The Power Behind the Play poster. Select winners by grade and display the posters around the school or in the dining area. Meet with the school football coach, trainer, or athletic director to talk about the benefits of athletes eating healthy, including low-fat and fat-free dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt at breakfast, lunch, dinner and as snacks. Sponsor an essay contest The Write Stuff about how dairy helps to power their daily physical activities. Select winners from each grade and display the posters around the school and dining area. The winning essays can be included in the school newspaper or submitted to the local newspaper for publishing. Work with the student teams to turn the cafeteria into a football field! Cover one end with green bulletin board paper and add white yard lines and markers to create a miniature field, complete with goal posts. Include the school mascot and school name on the field. Laminate a paper football or helmet that students can move down the field to track their healthy eating and physical activity progress. Celebrate success with a Touchdown Tailgate Party of delicious, nutrient-rich dairy foods, including low-fat and fat-free flavored milk, yogurt and snack cheese. Hold a Spirit Day highlighting the importance of dairy in students diets for healthy and active lifestyles. Have students dress in their favorite team jersey/t-shirt. Have a mid-morning low-fat and fat-free flavored milk, whole grain muffin and fresh fruit break. Feature ballpark foods like lean hamburgers and hot dogs, football-shaped foods, baked chicken nuggets with whole grain breading, and whole grain cookies.
Raise the Bar! Here are some fun ideas to work on with your Fuel Up to Play 60 student team and incorporate Taste and Vote to determine what items students want to see for these different types of bars. Pizza Bar offer toppings for cheese pizza, with whole grain crust and low-fat or fat-free cheese, that students can add, such as jalapenos, black olives, extra low-fat or fat-free cheese, hot sauce, peppers, fresh tomatoes, pineapple or cooked chicken, etc. Investigate and offer fresh prepared and/or delivered pizza options and have students Taste and Vote; based on success, include as a meal item with the potential for increased meal participation. Offer pizza with low-fat and fat-free cheese as a breakfast item. Kids love pizza at any meal! Super Salad Bar offer cherry tomatoes, broccoli, a variety of low-fat and fat-free cheese types and forms (cubed, shredded), jalapenos, nuts, etc. Use the Salad Bar Tryouts survey form. Pro Potato Bar offer a variety of low-fat and fat-free cheeses, broccoli, chives, nuts, low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt mixed with spices, etc. Tasty Taco Bar offer lettuce, tomato, low-fat and fat-free cheese, hot sauce, salsa, low-fat sour cream, jalapenos, etc. Yogurt Bar set up a bar with a few flavors of low-fat and fat-free yogurt with toppings like fruit, whole grain granola, nuts, raisins, etc. Earn SNA CEUs! School Nutrition Association (SNA) members can earn SNA Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by getting involved in Fuel Up to Play 60 and supporting Healthy Eating Strategies. For more information, go to: http://www.schoolnutrition.org/level2_futp60.aspx?id=12938#earn_ceu Resources: Dietary Guidelines for Americans Physical Activity: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter4.htm Raise your Hand for Chocolate Milk: http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/sfs/raise_hand_for_milk.asp Flavored Milk in Perspective: http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/sitecollectiondocuments/child_nutrition/health_kit/fmd09177_flavoredmilk_v13.pdf
TRAINING TABLE TIPS FROM THE PROS Whether you are a star athlete or simply enjoy regularly participating in physical activities like dancing, soccer, tennis or biking, you need to get the right balance of nutrients every day to maintain overall performance and health. These tips can help ensure a proper training table diet to fit an active lifestyle. Eat for Activity Depending on activity level, the caloric needs of an active individual may be more than those of a less-active person. It s your choice so pick an activity that fits into your lifestyle. Physical activity can make you feel stronger and more alive. It is a fun way to be with friends and family and improve your overall health. Protein Power Not only does protein help provide energy, it also supports growth and repair of muscle, bone and other body tissues. Low-fat and fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese are a good source of high-quality protein and essential vitamins and minerals. Energy Packed Carbs Carbohydrates are the body s main source of energy during physical activity. Eating foods that include carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables and low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, about three hours before exercising can help keep energy up. Building Bones Although exercise plays an important role in keeping bones strong, calcium and other nutrients play another important role. Most Americans are not getting the recommended amount of calcium in their diet, increasing their risk for osteoporosis. Physically active people should include low-fat and fat-free dairy foods on their training table to help nourish their body and improve and maintain healthy bones. Here are recommendations made by the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine on how much calcium people should be getting each day, based on their age: ages 4-8 need 800 mg of calcium; ages 9-18 need 1,300 mg of calcium; ages 19-50 need 1,000 mg of calcium; and ages 51 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium. Each one cup serving of milk provides about 300 mg of calcium. Growing Years Teens and kids need even more calcium each day during this bone-building period to keep their bones strong and their bodies growing. For adolescents to help meet the 1,300 mg calcium recommendation, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends four servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or equivalent milk products per day. Staying Hydrated It s important to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, especially before, during and after physical activity. Dehydration can affect performance and can be very dangerous. Low-fat and fat-free milk not only contains protein and carbohydrates that provide energy, but is also 90% water, making it a nutrient-packed thirst quencher. For those who want a flavor burst, a single-serve container of flavored milk, such as chocolate or strawberry, has the same nutrients as regular milk and offers a great beverage choice.