Two Northeast Schools Win Golden Carrots for Their Healthy Meal Programs

Deerfield (NH) Academy and the Active Learning Elementary School in Queens, NY, were awarded 2013 Golden Carrot Awards from the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine for their healthy school menus. Deerfild's school meal approach is based on the theories of Walter Willet, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, who developed the concept of the healthy eating plate in which half of the plate is filled with vegetables and fruits, a quarter with lean protein and another quarter with whole grains. Active Learning Elementary is reportedly the first public school in the nation to serve only vegetarian meals. Both schools invest significant time in nutrition education in the classroom in order to encourage healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.