Indy Children's Museum Launches Healthy Dining Program

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis and Sodexo are offering Kids LiveWell-designated items at all museum dining locations. The Kids LiveWell program is a nationwide initiative led by the National Restaurant Association in collaboration with Healthy Dining to highlight innovative solutions that provide healthier menu items.

The initiative commits the museum and Sodexo to providing youth-oriented menu options such as grilled chicken dippers with graham crackers, fresh sliced apples and low fat milk, whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce, and cheese pizza with fruit cup and 100 percent fruit juice. All of the Kids LiveWell choices align with the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines, as well as other leading public health organizations' dietary recommendations.

"Our mission to provide extraordinary learning experiences extends throughout the museum, including the food choices served to children and families," says Brian Statz, vice president of operations and general counsel for The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. "Through hard work with Sodexo and our collaboration with the National Restaurant Association to bring this program to the museum, we are proud to lead the way as the first museum to join Kids LiveWell. This designation is a wonderful extension of our educational mission by helping families identify healthful menu options and further educate children about good nutritional habits."

The menu items designated as Kids LiveWell options are reviewed and approved by Healthy Dining's team of registered dietitians.

"A year after the program's launch, Kids LiveWell continues to build momentum and expand into new venues," says NRA President/CEO Dawn Sweeney. "We are so pleased to welcome The Children's Museum of Indianapolis as our very first museum to join Kids LiveWell, and we commend the museum's strong commitment to children's nutrition and the education of families."

The National Restaurant Association launched the Kids LiveWell program in collaboration with Healthy Dining to help parents and children select healthful menu options when dining out. Participating restaurants promote the items, which also can be found on HealthyDiningFinder.com and via the new Kids LiveWell mobile app, a free resource for on-the-go parents.