Gone are the days of pizza and nachos at school, at least for the most part.
Washoe County School District officials said they are offering a fresher, healthier menu to your children.
According to Catrina Peters, a nutrition programs professional, it's time to change eating habits because 34% of children under the age of 18 are now considered obese in Washoe County.
I asked Peters, why is this becoming such a problem.
"We now have more two parent working households than ever before. Parents are very pressed for time and in our state are very pressed for money. A lot of people in our state struggle to put food on the table on a consistent basis."
Couple a poor diet with the fact children are spending more time in front of screens, like televisions and computers. Peters said it all leads to a lack of exercise and for some, obesity.
To combat the problem, the school district has become part of a national effort to make the National School Lunch Program healthier.
Most the food isn't pre-packaged. All breads are whole grains. Children have six different choices of fruits and vegetables a day.
Also, change begins in the home, so the Washoe County School District is offering Parent University. It's a class once a week, for three weeks.
"We will teach them what makes a quality meal and show them some of the fruits and vegetables they may or may not have seen," said Tony Cook, director of the Nutrition Services Center for the Washoe County School District. "For a lot of our parents, we're bringing home some fruits and vegetables that they may have seen from those that lived in other countries, but are now living in Washoe County as well."
To watch the entire interview, Face the State airs Saturday at 4:30 in the morning and 4:30pm. It also airs at 6:30 in the morning on Sunday.
Written by Chris Ciarlo
