September/ October 2004

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Partners

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Schools June 2007

News

Nutrition Services to Host 4th Annual Leadership Summit; Announces Plan to Launch the Soda Free Summer Campaign

Did you know that the average person eats almost 175 pounds of sugar a year, which is about half a pound a day! The single biggest source is sugary drinks. It’s no wonder that two out of three Americans are overweight or obese—extra calories from all that sugar leads to weight gain, putting people at risk for lifelong health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

That’s why Nutrition Services is launching the Soda Free Summer campaign and kicking it off at the 4th annual Healthy Living…for life Leadership Summit on June 8. Held this year at the Marina Community Center, 15301 Wicks Boulevard in San Leandro, the Summit begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast. A special performance of “The Best Me,” a musical presentation about healthy eating and active living will be presented by Kaiser Permanente’s award-winning Educational Theater Program. The luncheon program will conclude at 1:00 p.m.

The key speakers for this year’s Leadership Summit are Pat Crawford, DrPH, RD, Co-Director of Berkeley’s

Center for Weight and Health, and Dr. Tony Iton, Director and Health Officer, Alameda County Public Health Department. Their presentations will help us learn more about the damaging impacts of sugar and will provide an update on the health status of Alameda County.

The Soda Free Summer campaign, made possible by a grant from Kaiser Permanente, will educate and empower young people and families to reduce or eliminate products full of sugar/high fructose corn syrup—beginning with sodas. Although sodas are not the only culprit in the obesity battle, they contain alarmingly high levels of sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

“We are excited to have Kaiser Permanente support our Soda Free Summer initiatives,” said Diane Woloshin, RD, MS, Director, Nutrition Services. “With Kaiser’s funding, we are able to reach a much broader cross-section of residents.”

Creative and engaging Soda Free Summer education and collateral materials have been produced to educate and motivate people to make healthier choices. The Soda Free Summer tracking log suggests alternatives to sodas and lets campaign participants—or entire families—record the number of days they are soda free.

In addition, a Soda Free Summer school component will be introduced in 21 Oakland elementary and middle schools that are currently Nutrition Services’ partners as well as other school districts throughout Alameda County. Teachers will receive colorful classroom posters that highlight alternatives to drinking sodas; a “Re-Think Your Drink” handout showing the amounts of sugar in a variety of popular drinks; a “Search for the Sugar” handout which shows the amount of sugar in food items; a student version of the tracking form; and an adult tracking form for students to take home to their families.

Leadership Summit continued on page 2

Have aHave a

Leadership Summit (continued from page 1)

On June 20 at the Jack London Aquatic Center, Nutrition Services will present a Healthy Communities … for life train-the-trainer workshop, featuring a new sugar demonstration that supports the Soda Free Summer campaign efforts. “In addition to learning to present the new nutrition education, we want workshop attendees to serve as Soda Free Summer Community Captains who will help us distribute the tracking logs and premium items to their constituents,” said Woloshin. “We’re looking forward to getting as many community partners involved as possible—it’s the only way the campaign will work.”

For more information about the Leadership Summit or Soda Free Summer, call Nutrition Services at 510.595.6454.

Join us for a

Partners

CX3 Project Partners with West Oakland Adults and Youth for Healthier CommunitiesAlameda County is one of six California counties to pilot “Communities of Excellence in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention” (CX3), a community empowerment tool that looks at a community’s strengths, assets and weaknesses to determine where it is now and where it needs to go to become a community of excellence. CX3 focuses on neighborhoods where food stamp eligible and similar low-income populations live, work, recreate, socialize, go to school and shop for food.

The Public Health Department selected three West Oakland neighborhoods—Lowell, McClymonds and Prescott—for the CX3 pilot. To date, two of the four stages of the pilot have been completed; work is currently being done on the third stage; and work will begin on stage four this summer.

According to Anaa Reese, who heads the CX3 program for the Public Health Department, the first stage involved Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of grocery stores, corner stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and liquor stores. “We also looked at the availability of transportation to food sources, alternative food sources including farmers markets and food banks as well as the density of fast food outlets in the neighborhoods,” said Reese.

In the second stage, neighborhood adults and youth conducted a detailed survey to verify the information provided by GIS mapping and looked at the kinds of products sold in the markets. According to Reese, the survey team also looked at the neighborhood environment including street cleanliness, crime, safety, outdoor advertising, room to walk on sidewalks, trash on the streets, number of parks and playgrounds and other youth oriented physical activity facilities.

“We learned quite a bit from the work of the survey teams,” said Reese. “For example, there are 20 liquor stores in the 12 pilot census tracks which is the highest ratio of liquor stores to markets in the Bay Area. In addition, there were 27 food stores ranging from grocery and convenience stores to small corner markets. We found there were more fruits and vegetables available in the neighborhoods than was expected,” added Reese. “Neighborhood environmental conditions like safety, cleanliness and sidewalk maintenance ranked very poorly. To date, neighborhood “walkability” and sidewalk cleanliness have emerged as primary concerns.”

CX3 continued on page 3

The CX3 community survey team identified neighborhood environmental conditions like safety, cleanliness and sidewalk maintenance as major contributors to unhealthy neighborhoods.

Challenge yourself to make a difference in your health. Instead of soda, commit to drinking:

• Water (every day)

• Non-fat or low-fat milk

• 100% fruit juice (in limited amounts)

• Unsweetened iced tea

• Diet soda (on occasion)

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Partners

Safe Routes to Schools/Alameda County Partnership Receives Funding to Develop Safe Biking and Walking to School ProgramsIn April, the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) -- Alameda County Partnership received 2-year funding from the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority in the amount of $729,000. This countywide collaboration between the Transportation and Land Coalition (TALC), Cycles of Change, the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), the Office of Supervisor Nate Miley, and many other local partners will promote safe walking and biking to school at biking to schools throughout Alameda County. Based on the proven SRTS model developed for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Marin County’s successful blend of the five Es (outlined below), the Partnership will have two primary components.

First, it will lead comprehensive SRTS efforts in Oakland, Berkeley, and the unincorporated areas of Alameda County. Focusing on these very different areas of the County will allow the Partnership to build model programs and task forces within each of these areas to be duplicated throughout the county and state. SRTS task forces made up of school staffs, students, parents, police, elected officials, traffic engineers, planners, local non-profit organization staffs, public health agency staff, and others will identify and coordinate program priorities and ensure success over time. Also, a countywide steering committee will be formed to make recommendations to the Partnership.

Second, the Partnership will make available tailored trainings, curriculum support, and technical support to all county schools. TALC will provide overall project coordination and act as the initial point-of-contact for interested schools. TALC staff will meet with school staff, parent organizers, and others to discuss the specific needs of each school and extent of the program that each school’s staff and volunteer base can support. Various members of the Partnership will then adapt and implement the SRTS approach to adequately meet each school’s need.

The SRTS programs, trainings, and tools include the following five Es:

• Education: Training programs for teachers on how to incorporate SRTS messages and lesson plans into existing curricula; a complete SRTS assembly program offered to interested schools; trainings for parent volunteers on how to run successful events and programs to encourage walking/biking; and a range of educational materials.

SRTS continued on page 4

Safe biking to schools will be a major initiative for the SRTS project.

Don’t forget the Nutrition Services WARM LINE is now available to support Nutrition Services community partners. The LINE

is available on weekdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. It was created to help the

growing number of community partners who are providing nutrition education in Alameda County. Nutrition Services’ registered dietitians are prepared to

answer your calls. The WARM LINE is not an information line for the general

public but is a service Nutrition Services offers its community partners.

Nutrition Services Warm Line 510.501.6650

Calendar of Events

June 16, Healthy Oakland Summer Festival: Celebrating the Power of Health and Well Being at 26th and San Pablo (free)

June 23, Healthy Living Fair at People’s Park, 255 Haste St., Berkeley

July 20, 9:00 a.m. - 2 p.m., 4th Annual Healthy Living Festival at Lake Merritt

July 21, Healthy Living Fair, Lily of the Valley Christian Center, 1010 91st Ave., Oakland

CX3 (continued from page 2)

The neighborhood survey team along with other residents are now meeting to identify areas of concern and to prioritize those issues so the community can act on its plan.

The Public Health Department will provide technical assistance to support neighborhood residents to help make their communities healthier places to live. In addition, the Health Department will also help the community determine how success will be measured.

“The CX3 process can be used in areas of the county where Public Health Departments want to partner with the community in making positive, health change a reality. The process works,” said Reese.

3

Partners

West Oakland Steppers “Walk the World” for Healthy Living For the West Oakland Steppers, “walking” to Hollywood was not a big enough challenge. That’s why they took off for more distant places like New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro and Senegal in Africa.

For the West Oakland Steppers, their home base is the West Oakland Health Center which has provided community-based primary care services to low-income populations since 1969. The clinic has been a partner with Nutrition Service since 2004. Like many walking groups, the Steppers identify cities or other interesting landmarks to “walk” to and then calculate the distance in miles from their location to the chosen destination. Miles are converted to the number of steps (2,000 steps equal one mile) it will take to reach the location.

“Our partnership with Nutrition Services has been extremely beneficial,” said Telia Jones, a health educator at the Clinic and one of the walking group organizers. “Each Stepper received a Nutrition Services Passport and pedometer to track their progress and success which made the walking experience much more fun.”

When the group walked enough to reach their destination, a themed party was held at the Clinic to celebrate.

“We walked to New Orleans and held a madri gras party; after we reached Hawaii, we had a luau; for Senegal we had a safari celebration,”

Walking Team continued on page 6

Healthy Living Council Members Spread Nutrition Information to Alameda County Seniors May is National High Blood Pressure Month and to raise awareness and share the nutrition connection, Lucille Jackson and Lillian Garland, chair and co-chair, respectively of the East Oakland Healthy Living Council (HLC) will co-teach the Secrets of Sodium nutrition education workshop at four of the senior HLCs. The workshop was first introduced by Nutrition Services to its community partners in September 2006 and both Jackson and Garland were in attendance.

The two are great examples of seniors living healthy and active lifestyles. Jackson is very active in the community and not only lives healthy, but also teaches other seniors how to live healthier. She has attended several Nutrition Services-sponsored community workshops and

Healthy Living continued on page 6

“Our partnership

with Nutrition

Services has been extremely

beneficial.”

Telia Jones, Health Educator

West Oakland Health Center

4

SRTS (continued from page 3)

• Encouragement: Outreach to schools without programs or with small programs and guidance of activities such as walking challenges, walking school buses, bike clubs and rodeos.

• Enforcement: Collaboration with law enforcement officers and traffic safety division to create a pedestrian safe environment in school areas.

• Engineering: Coordination of “walk abouts” in which parents, school staff, residents, city engineers and design consultants survey the school’s surrounding area to identify obstacles to safely walking or biking to school and creating a plan to address these issues. Alta Planning and Design, a consultant for the Partnership, will follow up by creating conceptual design plans that can help public works agencies identify infrastructure needs and apply for funding.

• Evaluation: ACPHD’s Evaluation Unit will track and measure changes in child drop-offs and pick-ups at school sites, walk and bike to school rates, pedestrian and bicyclist collision rates near schools, and other indicators at 70 schools in Oakland, Berkeley, and the unincorporated areas of Alameda County.

For more information on the Partnership, contact Sandra Padilla, TALC Project Coordinator, at (510) 740-3150 x314 or sandra@transcoalition.org.

Community

One day. One night. One community. Your Relay For Life® is about celebration, remembrance, and hope.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life® is much more than a walk around a track. It is a time to remember those lost to cancer and celebrate those who have survived. It is a night for people who have shared the same experience to comfort and console one another. By participating, you honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to the lives we’ve lost to the disease, and raise money to help fight it – all right here in our community. You won’t want to miss one moment of this life- and community-affirming event.

Are you ready to get involved? It’s easy! You can put together a team or join an existing team. With the Relay Online Web site [www.relayforlife.org], you can get involved right now by clicking on the “Find Relay events” link on the left-hand side of the page; type in zip code “94619” to find “Relay for Life Oakland”. You can make a donation to a participant online as well. If you’re a survivor, you can participate in the opening ceremony and walk alongside fellow survivors in a victory lap.

So take up the fight and join Relay for Life today®! It will be a fun-filled

overnight activity that mobilizes our community.

Several Relay events are planned for Alameda County. Nutrition Services will be helping to sponsor Relay for Life Oakland, which will take place August 11, (10:00AM) through August 12, 2007 (10:00AM) at:

Skyline High School 12250 Skyline Blvd Oakland, CA 94619

Hope to see you there!

Relay for Life Needs You!

Latrell’s Salmon Burgers Latrell Carradin, an active member of the North Oakland Healthy Living Committee, submitted this recipe for the soon to be released senior cookbook. The salmon burgers serve as a healthy alternative to a cheeseburger and also provide a source of calcium. They’re great for the

grill this summer!

Ingredients1 15-ounce can no salt added pink

salmon, drained

1 raw egg, lightly beaten

1 small or ½ cup onion, chopped

1 medium or 1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped

½ cup plain breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crumbled

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 lemon cut into wedges (optional)

Mixed-grain hamburger bun

Instructions

Flake salmon into a large bowl, and crumble any bones between your fingers, adding to the flaked fish. Add remaining ingredients except oil. Shape salmon into 6 patties. Heat skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add oil and swirl pan to spread the oil. Place salmon burgers in oil, fry on each side. Serve the patty on a toasted hamburger bun with your favorite low fat condiments. Makes 6 servings, 1-3 ounce patty and one bun per serving

Alternate Preparation

Pack salmon mixture into a loaf pan coated with vegetable spray and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Calories 310

Total Fat 13 g

Saturated fat 3 g

Trans fat 0 g

Cholesterol 74 mg

Carbohydrate 28 g

Sodium 328 mg

Fiber 3 g

Protein 21 g

Arnold Perkins (second from right), former Director, Alameda County Public Health Department, leads a team of walkers in the 2006 Relay for Life.

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Schools

Sobrante School Students Taste Fresh Produce In the Classroom and at Oakland Farmers MarketThe first day of Spring found an excited group of third graders from Sobrante Park Elementary School exploring the farmers market in downtown Oakland. “I’m going to buy strawberries!” squealed a student from Teri Hudson’s class. “Oh, I just got to taste a purple carrot!” shouted another.

The field trip was part of a weeklong economics lesson designed to encourage the students to plan for and purchase food in the real world. In addition, Nutrition Service’s Gabi Murillo stopped by the classroom earlier in the week to teach a lesson on the food pyramid and how to build a healthy plate.

After interviewing the farmers about the produce and taste testing everything they could get their hands on, the students were divided into teams and set off to buy healthy contributions for a class potluck lunch. The bountiful result included fresh strawberries, tangerines, kiwis and salad greens, along with whole wheat breads, veggie pizza, roasted potatoes and dried fruits and nuts! The students returned to school emboldened by having tasted so many new fruits and vegetables.

Such experiences not only delight the students, but also serve to strengthen the Harvest of the Month (HOM) classroom connections already taking place each month. “One student thought he wouldn’t like asparagus,” commented third grade teacher Stephanie Turner, “but he tried it at the farmers market and when we had it in class this month, he did like it! Boy did that make me feel good!”

As OUSD Nutrition Services strives to include the featured HOM fruit or vegetable on the school lunch menu each month, students have yet another opportunity to try new things. Added Turner, “I think that bringing us produce [in the classroom] is a great way for the kids to be more accepting of it when it shows up in the cafeteria.”

Healthy Living (continued from page 4)

taught nutrition information classes at the East Oakland Senior Center. She also participated in the African American Health Summit and EXPO in January 2007, by providing nutrition information at the Nutrition Services booth. Garland teaches a fitness class three days a week at the East Oakland Senior Center. She is active in social events at the center and plans to present the Secrets of Sodium nutrition education workshop at her church.

If you would like to publicize your upcoming events and activities, or if you have suggestions for articles for Healthy Living Today, please

call Nutrition Services at 510.595.6454

Sobrante Park students learn about fresh fruit at farmers market in downtown Oakland.

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Walking Team (continued from page 4)

said Linda Horton, RD, who collaborated with Telia on the Steppers project. “We made sure that at each celebration we featured healthy foods,” added Horton.

The number of Steppers reached as many a 75 including staff and patients. Clinic providers recommend patients who were participating in weight management or smoking cessation classes, for example, to join the Steppers. According to Jones, Dr. Robert Cooper, the clinic’s Executive Director, along with several other patients walked as many as 100,000 steps each week.

“People got so involved in walking that they would record the steps in their Passports and would then send us a weekly e-mail making sure their steps were included,” said Jones. “Our experience showed us how important it is to make physical activity fun and exciting to get people involved.”

Jones and Horton have also attended each of the healthy Communities…for life workshops sponsored by Nutrition Services and use the demonstrations to reinforce the things they teach their patients.

“Fat and Sugar, Secrets of Sodium, Trans Fat – we have used each of the demonstrations at West Oakland,” said Horton. “Nutrition Services has made it easy – they do the upfront research and creative work that we don’t have the staff to do. We can then concentrate on presenting the information to our patients. The partnership works.”

Schools

Getting to know OmarOmar Bernabe knows the importance of changing behaviors. He was enrolled at Oakland Tech High School but felt he was headed down the wrong track when he began missing classes. Realizing that he needed to change, he applied to MetWest, a small Oakland public high school with 130 students. Today, he’s not only a MetWest student, but also a Nutrition Services intern and enjoys them both.

“The internship is based on my learning plan and my interests and passions,” said Bernabe. “I’m interested in fitness and the first thing that came to mind was food because you have to eat healthy if you want to be a good athlete.” He has been busy helping Nutrition Services staff with various projects, such as designing nutrition handouts, helping at community events, entering computer data, and observing WIC nutrition counseling sessions.

One of the things Bernabe says that he learned about fast food is that you should only eat small amounts. He discovered that french fries are made with trans fat, a bad fat that causes heart attacks and strokes. He also was surprised to find that sugar comes in many forms with many names.

His advice to potential preceptors of MetWest interns is to have a good relationship with the students and make sure you have enough time to spend with them so they don’t get bored. “More organizations should consider internship programs,” said Bernabe. “We have the chance to learn about different professions and the organizations learn about some of the concerns we have and can provide us with support and advice.”

Thanks Omar for all your help and hard work at Alameda County Nutrition Services!

“More organizations

should consider

internship programs.”

Omar BernabeIntern,

Nutrition Services

Alameda County Public Health Department Nutrition Services 3600 Telegraph Ave.Oakland, CA 94609 510-595-6454

Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp Program, an equal opportunity provider and employer through theNetwork for a Healthy California. For information about the California Food Stamp Program, please call 1-888-999-4772.7

Bay Area Dietetic Association Names Nutrition Essay Contest Winners

The Bay Area Dietetic Association presented its 2nd annual “KIDS on Nutrition” 5th Grade Nutrition Essay Contest in Honor of March’s National Nutrition Month.

Children from schools in the greater Bay Area were asked to write an essay on “Where does your food come from and how do you decide if it is healthy for you?” The contest period was from January 2, 2007 to February 28, 2007.

Children at Allendale School, one of our partner schools in Oakland, won the top three awards! This year’s winners were all from Dewaine Hardee’s classroom.

• 1st - Tracy won a pair of Oakland A’s baseball tickets

• 2nd - Anna won a jump rope

• 3rd - Julie won art supplies

“While many of the students were afraid of not winning, they were encouraged to express themselves, even if they did not win,” stated Nori Grossmann, Nutritionist and Allendale School Site Coordinator for Nutrition Services. “Many of these students saw this essay contest as an opportunity to practice writing for college scholarships.”

Three students also won honorable mention “Nutrition Stars.” These students, Sandra, Amanda, and Lawrence, are from Franklin, another of our partner schools and are taught by Ms. Ma.

Congratulations to these fine students!