March goes mad for healthy school meals

As you all know, I’m big on staying healthy and keeping fit. I’ve always thought our schools are great places to teach young people how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Kids spend most of their lives at school - in classes or at an after school program. This means that kids get more than half their daily nutrition from school food. I know how important schools are for helping kids be healthy – I’ve spend a lot of time on that subject with my FitClub34 program. We all need to help support schools that are working hard to make healthy eating and exercise a priority.

I think every school wants to be a healthy, but the truth is that not all schools have the resources to do that. A lot of them are not offering healthier food options because it costs so much and is hard to get. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation – a great collaborator of my FitClub34 campaign founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, has been a great teammate in helping me fight childhood obesity. I’m real grateful for their support – they’ve been the key in making it possible for schools across the country to serve healthier meals in an easy and efficient way. The Alliance worked with other companies too, so that we could all accomplish our goal. The process is simpler now and more cost-effective, so more than 30 million kids in school around the nation can enjoy healthier meals.

I’m real proud to say that ALL Boston Public Schools are participating in the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program. They’re coming up with cool ways to help kids and their teachers eat better and move more. You know Josiah Quincy Elementary? Where I filmed all my videos for my FitClub34 program? I’ve partnered with them in part, because that school has really shown me and the community that they believe in the importance of fitness and they share my vision about kids being healthy and active. JQ offers up so many different physical activity programs – I was so impressed and really wished I could’ve gone to school there as kid!

I’m really proud of our city of Boston for being determined to get healthier and get fit. In 2010, the Alliance honored seven Boston public schools with National Recognition Awards for fulfilling this mission. The winners were: Josiah Quincy Elementary School; Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School; Media Communications Technology High School; Mission Hill School; Nathan Hale Elementary School; New Mission High School and Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School. I hope that some day every school in Boston could be up for this award now that school meals are improving and things are shaping up because of organizations like the Alliance. I know if kids feel good, they will perform better in all areas of their lives, not just sports.

Any school can join the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program at HealthierGeneration.org, so think about having you or your child’s school get involved. Once a school is part of the program, the Alliance will help that school shape up in every way they can. They offer a lot of great advice and information that helps our overall mission of giving kids healthier school food. Get involved now, and trust me: when it comes to staying healthy, there‘s always something to help improve your game.

Paul Pierce's Truth on Health campaign empowers and encourages young people to lead healthier lives by providing them with the information, resources, and tools necessary to become more active and physically fit. To learn more, visit www.truthonhealth.org

Follow Paul Pierce on Twitter @PaulPierce34 and @TruthonHealth and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/paulpierce