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PR-02/29/2008: Health Department Puts Dragon Eggs on the Menu during National Nutrition Month

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 29, 2008 San Mateo County Health Department Contact: Tami Whelen, (650) 573-2510 San Mateo County Health Department Puts Dragon Eggs on the Menu during National Nutrition Month SAN MATEO, Calif. -- In celebration of National Nutrition Month in March, the Health Department Nutrition Team has developed a fun, easy and engaging nutrition campaign that promotes healthy eating in families. The campaign centers on Power Foods, a booklet of quick and easy nutritious recipes, authored by Nutrition Team members. In developing the recipes, the dietiticians focused on fruit and vegetable dishes that were appealing to kids and convenient for parents. For example, broccoli is transformed into dragon eggs in less than 10 minutes. "Our campaign is simple and straightforward. We are encouraging families to try at least one simple, fruit or veggie recipe in March," said Tami Whelen, a Registered Dietitian. "Power Foods offers a great strategy for making meals that are both quick and healthy and helps get finicky eaters (both young and old) to eat more fruits and vegetables." The Health Department is partnering with the Office of Education to make the Power Foods recipe booklet available to elementary school students countywide. Teacher and student incentives will be offered to select classrooms in the Bayshore and Ravenswood School Districts to encourage families to try recipes at home. All seven of the County's WIC (The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) sites will promote the Power Foods message using posters and the recipe booklets to their more than 17,000 clients. Mothers clubs and local pediatricians will also receive recipes as part of the outreach campaign. Interested residents can download the Power Foods booklet from the San Mateo County Health Department Web site at http://www.smhealth.org/nutrition. ### The National Nutrition Month campaign is aligned with Get Healthy San Mateo County, a coalition of local community, education and medical care organizations, devoted to reducing the prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the County. Get Healthy San Mateo County is in the second year of implementation of the Blueprint for Prevention of Childhood Obesity. For more information, go to http://www.smhealth.org/blueprint. Through National Nutrition Month, created in 1973, the American Dietetic Association promotes healthful eating by providing practical nutrition guidance and focusing attention on making informed food choices and developing sound physical activity habits.