upLIFT Newsletter | SY 2022-2023 | Issue 7 | April 2023 |
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The Arizona Department of Education Health and Nutrition Services (HNS) division is excited to continue the "Serve a Rainbow" initiative for this school year! This initiative aims to urge operators to promote a colorful spread of unique and delicious fruits and vegetables for students to enjoy throughout the school year. Every other month, HNS/upLIFT will announce a new "Serve a Rainbow" produce color for your team to feature and serve in your schools. Service can be as simple as a vegetable plated on a tray, or fruits and vegetables intricately presented to students in a colorful display or salad bar! The creativity is up to you!
Last month, Lake Valley Elementary School in Humboldt Unified School District took several approaches to ensure that students ate produce that was not only the featured produce color, but the entire rainbow! Staff at Lake Valley made sure to offer bright fruit and vegetable choices on their Garden Bar that were sure to appeal to the children. They have noticed that if they cut the fruits and vegetables in various shapes, or switch up the presentation, the children reach for and enjoy them even more. One of the students' favorites is the colored cauliflower because of the fun variety that the colorful spread provides. Lake Valley has seen a big increase in participation since incorporating their Garden Bar at the beginning of the year. HNS is very excited to see the progress students have made in consuming a variety of produce, and especially loves the "Eat a Rainbow" display! |
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The featured color for March and April is... |
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We challenge you to implement what you learn from the monthly webinars and resources to help you serve a unique variety of produce that is rich in color over the course of this school year. Now is the time to show off your oranges, kumquats, carrots, papayas, and more! HNS encourages you to email pictures of your colorful service lines to Ashley.Kennedy@azed.gov so we can showcase your beautiful produce in future upLIFT newsletters! HNS can't wait to see YOU "serve a rainbow" to your students! |
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Join us for our upcoming upLIFT Webinar!
upLIFT Webinar Series: Incorporating Cultural Flavors in School Meals
April 18, 2023 at 1:30 pm
One of the most profound ways families express culture is through food. Serving culturally familiar foods in school nutrition programs provides the perfect opportunity to increase student excitement about consuming foods they are familiar with, and increase the variety of foods served from different cultures! Join us for our April upLIFT webinar that will focus on incorporating diverse cultural cuisine into school nutrition programs. Participants will learn about the benefits of offering culturally diverse meals, strategies for menu planning, and techniques for promoting acceptance and appreciation of new foods. This webinar will feature a guest speaker from Alhambra Elementary School District, who will speak on the success they have had with serving cultural meals and provide resources for further exploration. Learn about their tips for success, meal ideas, and come ready to be inspired to take on the same challenge to serve nutritious, cultural cuisine in your own school meals! |
Queen Creek Unified School District provides fresh salad options!
The students at Crismon High School in Queen Creek Unified School District enjoy several delicious options at lunchtime daily! The staff at Queen Creek prepare and serve three different salad options for students: chicken caesar, spicy chicken, and crispy chicken! As warmer weather approaches, we love to see schools providing nutritious and fresh options that are as refreshing as they are tasty!
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Research Rundown
This month's Research Rundown article investigates the relationship between different levels of consumption of sugary drinks, artificially sweetened beverages, and cardiovascular disease. Check out this Research Rundown to learn about the effects that sugary drinks and artificially sweetened beverages may have on the body over time, and how you can contribute to a healthier school environment by offering alternatives to menu items that are higher in sugar. |
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Together, we can influence positive
dietary behaviors in students! |
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. |
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