Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Healthy Holidays!



Check out the MyPlate Holiday Makeover from the USDA! Make healthier choices when celebrating the holiday season over the next couple of weeks. You don't have to sacrifice holiday traditions to make your meals healthier- swap butter for applesauce and a mashed banana when baking or drink water instead of sugary drinks!

Also stay physically active by taking family walks, playing a game outside with the children, or enter a local holiday run/walk.

MUSC's Boeing Center for Children's Wellness hopes everyone has a happy and healthy holiday season!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant- due February 2014!

The Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant is due February 14, 2014 OR as soon 1500 applications are received. Apply now for your school and receive up to $5000 towards a school garden, physical fitness area, playground, nature trail and more!

Receive points on the wellness checklist under the "Sustainability" section for applying for and receiving this grant. Many schools in the Charleston area have received this grant from Lowe's in previous years! This year projects that encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit will be favored.

For more information and to apply please visit: http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/index.html.


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Healthy School Vending Options

This week in the Post and Courier, an article highlighting "Getting rid of the junk in school vending machines" was posted. As of July 1, 2014 the USDA's new "Smart Snacks in Schools" standards go into effect. These standards require that snacks:

  • Contain more than 200 calories
  • Total fat must be less than or equal to 35% of calories
  • Snacks must contain less than or equal to 35% of sugar by weight
  • Must contain less than or equal to 230 milligram of salt
  • Contain zero trans fat

Schools in Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester 2 County School Districts are making strides to offer healthier vending options to their students and staff.  Schools receive 5 points on the wellness checklist for replacing unhealthy snacks across the entire campus, including all vending machines!

Two companies were highlighted in the article that specialize in offering these healthier options- East Coast Organic Vending and H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending. Charleston Charter School of Math and Science was also highlighted as using one of these companies to provide healthy options to their school. Great job!

If you are interested in receiving the contact information for either of these two companies please email the leanteam@musc.edu. For more information on the Smart Snacks in Schools standards please click here.