- Author: Brittanny Zweigle
- Editor: Emily Harris
UC CalFresh Fresno/Madera MCP enjoyed being a part of the Fresno Unified Food Expo that took place on Saturday, May 14th.
The cafeteria at Roosevelt High School was filled with food vendors from throughout the valley, providing a variety of tasty foods for everyone!
The Dairy Council's Mobile Dairy even came to join the fun!
Alongside other community partners, UC CalFresh team members Brittanny Zweigle and Evelyn Morales were able to share information on MyPlate and provide easy tips and recipes showcasing how to add a variety of healthy foods into one's diet. The pair also provided an apricot taste test; after all, it was a Food Expo! Evelyn taught participants the benefits of dried fruit and the appropriate serving size to consume.
UC CalFresh hopes to see even more vendors, community partners and participants next year!
- Author: Nath Say
Did you know that cotton is a food crop?! I didn't, but Mrs. Anderson's TK class at Rowell Elementary did!
According to the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations, cottonseed oil is used in products such as margarine, salad dressing, toothpaste, ice cream and cosmetics. Cotton production in Fresno County averages almost a million bales a year. (Fresno County Farm Bureau)
Cotton is just one of the many commodities that the TK class learned about when discussing agriculture in Fresno County and California. They also learned that Fresno County continues to be the top producing agricultural county in the nation. (Fresno County Farm Bureau)
Mrs. Anderson's class took the learning process a step further by creating a spectacular wall titled, “We Grow Food in Fresno County.” The wall showcased a Farmer's Market with a variety of fruits and vegetables such as grapes, tomatoes, and berries. Mrs. Anderson shared that this project was a great way to both inform students about the abundance of local foods that grow in their county and allowed them to connect the healthy foods to MyPlate.
Take a look at these impressive pictures of the classroom's Farmer's Market!
Wow- Look at the variety of delicious foods!
What fruits and vegetables do you see?
I see grapes, tomatoes, carrots, blueberries, and cotton!
Can you spot MyPlate?
Thank you to Mrs. Anderson and her students for their extraordinary work!
- Author: Emily Harris
On Friday, March 18th, 2016, third graders throughout Fresno County made their way to Farm and Nutrition Day at the Fresno Fairgrounds. According to the Farm Bureau, Farm and Nutrition Day, “allows students to participate in activities that showcase both the agricultural industry, as well as focus on the benefits of making healthy eating choices.”
In order to encourage students to choose “anytime” foods, like the abundant produce available here in California, the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program put on a nutrition play titled, “Be Strong with ‘Anytime' Foods.”
In the play, Sometimes Sam (played by Kristi Sharp) brought “sometimes” foods high in fat and sugar to eat for lunch at school, but thanks to the help of Anytime Anne, (played by Consuelo Cid) she learned that “anytime” foods are full of vitamins and minerals that make us feel good.
Anytime Anne crosses the finish line in first place, proving to Sometimes Sam that "anytime" foods have given her strength and energy.
By the end of the play, Sometimes Sam learned how to make healthy food choices, and so did the 3rd graders! By using MyPlate as a healthy eating guide, the students are now better equipped to make food choices that are great for their bodies.
Want to experience more of Farm and Nutrition Day?
Check out our Facebook page for even more
nutrition fun!
- Author: Consuelo Cid
- Contributor: Emily Harris
Hamilton Elementary students learn that exercise and calcium-rich foods with Vitamin D, from the dairy group, keep their bones strong for life.
What better way to learn about where milk comes from and what foods are made from milk, you ask? A story about a magical cow of course!
Childhood and adolescence is a critical time period for bone building and consuming calcium-rich foods with Vitamin D to keep bones strong for life! Did you know that strength-building and weight-bearing activities keeps our bones strong too? Hamilton Elementary students try Shape of Yoga to get their bones strong for life.
Pre-kindergarten students try a modified Apple Tree pose!
1st grade students try the Fruit Smoothie pose!
2nd grade students try the Standing Carrot Stick.
Want to give yoga a try? Follow our UC CalFresh Nutrition Staff as they demonstrate a few Shape of Yoga poses.
Standing Carrot Stick
Folding Quesadilla
Broccoli Lunge
Fruit Smoothie
Apple Tree
If you give Shape a Yoga a try, feel free to share your pictures with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @UCCalFreshFC.
March is National Nutrition Month!!!
Click here for tips and handouts to make this month and this year the healthiest yet!
- Author: Nath Say
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program provides free fruits and vegetables to participating schools every single day. Schools enrolled in this federally assisted program are "encouraged to develop partnerships to help implement the program, such as with local universities, extension services and local grocers."
The University of California CalFresh Nutrition Education Program has been partnering with Fresno Unified Food Service and Nutrition Center to provide support to Fresno schools participating in the program.
For the month of November, UC CalFresh provided indirect nutrition education to nine Fresno Unified sites participating in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Edison Bethune, Lincoln, Pyle, Del Mar, Holland, Power-Ginsburg, Phoenix Academy, Fremont, and Webster each received a colorful nutrition board for their cafeteria. All nine Nutrition Corners display the importance of eating different color fruits and vegetables so that students can learn the benefits of how each color helps their bodies become healthy and strong. Over 60 Fresno Unified school sites are receiving direct nutrition education from UC CalFresh by receiving nutrition lessons in the classroom and food tastings on a bimonthly basis.
Pictured above is head custodian, George Solorzano, at Pyle Elementary modeling our Nutrition Corner display. Mr. Solorzano assisted in hanging the nutrition corner in the school's cafeteria. He shared how valuable our program is for students in Fresno Unified. UC CalFresh appreciates all the support we receive from our community extenders!
Thank you, Mr. Solorzano!
Below are a few pictures of the nutrition boards placed at the elementary sites.
