Oliver Foundation Newsletter September 2024

September 2024

Volume 20 Issue 6

It’s Back-to-School

Getting back in the school routine and meal changes from summer can be difficult for both kids and parents. Snacking, sleeping late, and irregular eating and sleeping patterns need to change for the school year.

There is some good news:

School lunches are usually healthier and fresher than foods brought from home. The Oliver Foundation with Baylor College of Medicine completed a two- year study of the school lunch eating habits, plus other anthropometric measurements of second graders through third grade. We found school lunches to be healthier, more nutritious, and a weight protection factor as compared to home packed lunches.

Why? The school lunches included fruit, vegetables, milk, protein and a complex carbohydrate source such as whole-grain cereals ( pasta, pizza, breads, tortillas, rice). They were also low-sugar and higher fiber.

This two-year study and other studies have documented the nutrition value of school lunches for elementary age students.

If you pack your kids’ lunch, key thoughts:

A colorful lunchbox is key.

A fresh fruit.
A fresh vegetable.
A dairy item such as milk, yogurt, or cheese.
Lean meat or protein alternative.
A complex carbohydrate source such as whole-grain crackers, low-sugar, whole-grain cereal, or wheat bread.
A palette cleansing low-sugar drink, such as water.

If you do not include the milk, kids can purchase or receive at school. The most important factor whether it's school lunch or a packed lunch, is that they do eat the healthy food. So, talk with your kids about what they will “eat” from a packed lunch and not “trade” with other kids.

Remember, your kids are little growing engines and need fuel to start their day and get their brains and bodies energized. Try to take time for breakfast, even cereal with milk, fruit or juice. If you have time to cook, eggs with tortillas or toast, fruit, milk or a sandwich and yogurt on the run. Perhaps their school also serves breakfast in the classroom.

The most important factor is to eat something to start the day, so let’s try to make it healthy! Remember water throughout the day, fruits and vegetables and low-fat milk. The other food groups seem to follow. Limit salty snacks, chips, sweet drinks which provide “empty” nutritional benefit, are higher in calories and sodium.

Plus, remember to have healthy snacks and beverages readily available for after school. Most kids are hungry when they get home because they had lunch so early, were distracted at lunch and ate little, or wanted to go play outside. Cut up veggies and fruit ready to grab in the refrigerator, plus cold water.

Oliver and Baylor found this in our research.

Deborah L. Woehler, MS, RDN, LD

Executive Director, Oliver Foundation

Oliver Foundation Healthy Choices Grant

Next Deadline October 15, 2024

Apply Now

Strengthen Your School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)

Webinar Sept 18, 2024 – 11:30am – 12:30pm

Join us and explore ways to make you SHAC more effective, gain a better understanding of the scope of work that SHACs are engaged in focused on child health and learn where to find the best resources and supports for you and your SHAC team.

Healthier Texas Summit

Join us for the Healthier Texas Summit, where Texas’ leading voices in public health and wellness convene to address our communities' evolving challenges and opportunities for change.

The 2024 Healthier Texas Summit will take place in Austin, TX

on Oct. 10-11, 2024

For more information and registration

0-11, 2024.

Texas Action for Healthy Kids Virtual Summit

School Health – It’s Academic!

October 22-23, 2024

Agenda will include:

• How School Health Impacts Student Success

• SHAC 101/ Wellness Policies/WSCC for Administrators

• How Local Foods can Improve Your Program

• The Youth Voice - Hear from some of our active, engaged youth how they are

coping and helping their peers.

• Mental Health/SEL – Student and Staff

• Physical Education, Physical Activity and the Whole Child

• Youth Risk Prevention

The Oliver Foundation Teen Advisory Board is a 15 member organization represented by students across the Houston area. Each month you'll meet a different member who will share their perspective on living a healthy life.

Sophia Burnett, Teen Board Member

St. John's School - Houston, TX

Teen Board Member 2022 – Present

3 Mindset Tips on How to Stay Healthy and Productive This School Year

Hi everyone! I hope you have had an amazing summer so far. It honestly is a little disappointing how quickly our break has gone by, but hopefully we all had a great time and made amazing memories these past three months.

Our minds now must shift from swimming, shopping, and ice cream to early mornings, new teachers, and - hopefully - studying.

After being a high schooler for two years, I’ve made up some tips for you guys that always make a tough week at school easier for me to get through. These might not be conventional study tips- because truly, anyone curious enough could pull up a YouTube video and learn how to make flashcards- but depending on whatever scenario occurs during school for you, these could be very helpful.

Romanticize your school life. History lesson: the romantic period (1798-1837) is one of many examples of how far the human imagination can go; in this era of time romanticization was at its peak. Romanticization is defined as “to think about or describe something as being better or more attractive or interesting than it really is”. So, if you surround yourself with positive, or aesthetically pleasing stimuli, school will feel a lot more engaging. For example, if you dislike taking notes in class, use gel pens and highlighters to make the note taking into an artistic project. If you care more about fashion than your classes, buy a stylish backpack and pencil bag that will lift your attitude every day. If you are into drama, pretend you’re attending the high school of one of your favorite TV shows. Our ability to adapt to our surroundings and persevere through stressful situations makes humans unique; so, when you can't change your surroundings, change how you view your surroundings. You might start looking forward to class.
Be productive… then be unproductive. Sometimes life is all about who is the most productive, disciplined, and motivated. Are you productive enough to have high grades? Are you productive enough to work hard in your sport? Are you as productive as your classmates? The true key to maximizing your productivity is focusing on yourself; sometimes you must be unproductive. If you practice a sport, or train at the gym, every single day, you might feel productive at first. But if you are constantly working, a burnout is 100% guaranteed. ‘Burning out’ is essentially being overworked to the point where you simply have no energy left to use. That is why it is crucial to take a break from time to time. After all, what is the point of concepts such as the weekend, sabbath, and rest days from the gym? Be sure to wind down and be “unproductive” for a little while so you can recharge and get back in the game with plenty of productivity. Pretend you are a cellphone. No, not the iPhone 16- try an old cellphone, maybe even one of the first ever models. When you use a cellphone, you can either charge it from time to time when the battery gets low, or let it die out. When you recharge it before the battery dies, it only takes a few hours for the phone to go back to 100%. But if you let the phone die, while you may have the benefits of using the entire 100%, you now have to wait extra long for the phone to recharge again! Imagine all the missed calls and texts you must wait on answering now. You see the point- don’t let yourself be a dead phone. Make sure to take good care of yourself and give yourself a break when you need one. If you want to ‘recharge’, a good place to start is by planning yourself something to look forward to once a week. It could be binging a Netflix series, spending time with your friends, or reading. As long as it boosts your energy, prioritize it!
Have strong boundaries. Have you ever heard of an ‘energy vampire’? Sometimes, you aren’t burning yourself out- your friend is! An energy vampire is someone whose attitude seems to put a negative spin onto any situation. This type of person is constantly complaining, creating arguments, or making your achievements seem unimportant. People like ‘energy vampires’ seem to suck all the positive energy out of their friends, possibly because they envy them. This is why we must create boundaries. Not everyone can be your close friend, and that’s okay! It’s important to stay friendly, but be very mindful of who you confide in and spend the majority of your time with. Eventually, being with a friend like this will make you feel unmotivated- so make sure you are setting boundaries with people who seem to make you feel negatively. You can uplift their mindset with your own positive attitude, and if this doesn’t work, politely refuse to spend time with them. Remember: you are never in the wrong for protecting your time and energy. It is yours to give others access to, not the other way around. If your only friends are ‘energy vampires’, this is your sign to focus on yourself and take a month or two to go on solo-dates and explore your personality and interests. Trust me, eventually you will find the right people for you to spend time with after you get to know yourself better.

I hope you enjoyed reading all of my advice. Remember that the key to a great school year is staying responsible: stay on top of your homework, make good choices, and have fun from time to time.

Sophia Burnette

September 2024

Teen Board Recipe

Matthew Chaun

Co-Event Coordinator

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Stacks

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Stacks are a very healthy yet satisfying dish. The sweet and salty taste of tomato and mozzarella, combined with a touch of basil and other spices is simply irresistible. So, whether you are having them as an appetizer with your dinner or just quickly whipping up a few to eat as a snack, they always hit the spot!

Ingredients:

4 Tomatoes

12 oz Fresh Mozzarella

¼ -1/2 cup fresh Basil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Recipe:

1: Wash the tomatoes, slice ¼ inch thick

2: Lay the tomatoes on a serving platter/plate

3: Slice the mozzarella in a similar style, lay each disc of mozzarella on a tomato disc the same size.

4: Add fresh basil on top of each stack, and dress with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to your taste. Easy!