School Nutrition 

Choose MYPLATE.gov

 New USDA Nutritional Guidelines

State and federal requirements are based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines. We provide students with access to a variety of affordable and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students.

Get on track to a new healthier you...it's time to create your own personal nutrition and fitness plan using the new USDA SuperTracker. This new nutrition and fitness tracking tool combines the simplicity of the ChooseMyPlate visual diagram for recommended foods with the importance of getting a healthy dose of physical activity heralded in the Let's Move campaign.

Think of the SuperTracker as your very own personal trainer that helps you put together your personal health plan, setting personal health and fitness goals, and then tracks and coaches your progress. You can track what you eat, record minutes of exercise, watch your weight, and then best of all, track your progress through a series of easy to use graphical calculators and reports. 

The SuperTracker is the complete package. When setting up your personal profile you can customize the activities you like to do and the duration you like to do them.

They key components of the ChooseMyPlate concept is to make sure that half of the plate is fill of fruits and vegetables, with a little less than a quarter being lean proteins, the balance being whole grains and your dairy choices should be low fat. It's that easy!

The new guidelines focus on 3 key areas...

Balancing Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less
• Avoid oversized portions

Foods to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
• Make at least half your grains whole grains
• Switch to fat-free or low fat (1%) milk

Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals
  - and choose the foods with lower numbers
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks

The ChooseMyPlate concept was released June 2, 2011 by First Lady Michelle Obama, and the USDA under the leadership of Tom Vislack, Secretary of Agriculture. The old Food Pyramid has been replaced with new simpler concept of ChooseMyPlate. This simple plate method of meal planning has long been used by dieticians and provides an easy familiar graphic of the dinner plate to help better understand the 2010 Dietary Guidelines of how we should be choosing a healthy diet. Click on www.ChooseMyPlate.gov

Universal Free Breakfast at BHT and Jones Intermediate School 

This school year, Mount Airy City Schools will offer FREE BREAKFAST to all students at BH Tharrington Primary School and Jones Intermediate School. 

The universal breakfast program, part of a national movement, uses federal money to provide morning meals for students, regardless of family income.

The goal is to eliminate the stigma of picking up a free breakfast, which had been offered only to students from low-income homes. Some studies indicate that eating breakfast improves behavior, attendance and academic performance.

Muffins, breakfast pizza, cereal and other breakfast items will be offered, along with 100% fruit juice and 1% or skim milk.

Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry, a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., is promoting the universal breakfast movement, with support from food companies and other corporations. 

Many educators are enthusiastic, saying it provides a healthy start not only for students whose families can’t afford to feed them, but for children who may be too rushed to eat before school.

Breakfast will be served as children arrive to school prior to going to homeroom.

For more information, please contact the School Nutrition Program at 336-789-7514 or cwatson@mtairy.k12.nc.us

 
Thank you!

U.S. Food Recall Information

For the most current information regarding food recalls in the United States please visit the site below. 

http://www.recalls.gov/