Many American diets leave room for improvement. Nationwide, only 28 percent of the population consumes two or more servings of fruits daily, and only 49 percent of Americans eat three or more servings of vegetables. A diet high in fat can lead to numerous cardiovascular problems and some forms of cancer, yet only 33 percent of Americans eat a diet where less than 30 percent of calories are derived from fat.

Nutrition and food service at Job Corps varies among centers. In recent years, many Job Corps centers have been improving food service delivery with small steps. Several centers have shared their strategies to help students eat better. The most popular strategies include:

• An expanded salad bar that includes dark green lettuce or choices of greens, fresh vegetables, and reduced fat salad dressings
• A seasonal variety of fruit served with every meal
• Moving away from convenience products and towards more home-cooked meals
• Nutritional information displayed on menu items
• Healthier items denoted by a heart or other icon
• Serving smaller portions or purchasing products, such as juice, salad dressing, or condiments, in small individual servings

As Health and Wellness Managers and nurses, you play a vital role in promoting health throughout your center. However, you cannot improve nutrition by yourself. Centers who serve overwhelmingly healthy meals have had staff work together toward the common goal of improving student health. It is vital to plan these changes with all involved, including the Food Service Manager, Center Director, members of the health staff, and the Recreation Director. Some centers have found it helpful to contact outside resources, such as a local dietician or nutritionist. The company from which your center currently purchases food may also have resources to assist in healthy menu planning and information to assist you in analyzing the nutritional content of menu items.

Many public school districts, individual schools, and colleges have begun to rid their cafeterias of the fast food establishments. Often, the greasy, fried fair is replaced with whole grain breads and grains, fresh salad bars, and home-cooked meals. School food service has paved the way for others to improve nutrition in cafeterias. A review of several school policies and research articles was conducted to develop the following best practices.

Best Practices

• Set nutrition guidelines for all food served, including cafeteria food, snacks, and vending
• Work with companies that hold food service contracts to order comparably priced healthier food items
• Explore other purchasing options, such as farm-to-cafeteria programs and instructional gardens
• Employ portion control strategies, including a choice in portion size, use of appropriately sized serving utensils, and allow self-service
• Involve students in decision making and menu planning
• Ensure that healthy foods are available in vending machines. Consider indicating which foods are healthier and adjusting prices so that healthy choices are approximately 10 percent less expensive.
• Incorporate nutrition education into the standard curriculum
• Offer cafeteria foods that complement classroom lessons
• Focus on behavior change instead of nutrition facts
• Display reminders where food is served, such as nutrition information and reminders to eat healthy
• Ensure that the food service staff is knowledgeable about nutrition and invested in the new menu
• Enlist teachers and staff to act as role models
• Focus on attractive presentation of healthy meals
• Place healthy foods at eye level, at the beginning of the cafeteria line
• Include a physical activity component

Remember to make changes a collaborative effort and be creative!

If you would like to share what your center is doing, e-mail us.

Resources:

Free Publication! Food and Nutrition Service, US Department of Agriculture; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services; and US Department of Education. FNS-374, Making it Happen, School Nutrition Success Stories. Alexandria, VA, January 2005.

US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010.

French SA, Jeffery RW, et al. Pricing and promotion effects on low-fat vending snack purchases: the CHIPS study . Amer Jour of Pub Health. 2001;91:112-117.