May/June 2003 Alternative Health
A different kind of school lunch

Students in one Midwestern community are enjoying fresh,
delicious food plus a big change in their learning environment.

The Central Alternative High School in Appleton, Wisconsin has undergone a quiet revolution. It used to be a "normal" inner city school with kids out of control and packing weapons. Discipline wasn’t even a hope.

In 1997 Natural Ovens of Manitowoc, WI initiated a five-year project to bring healthy food into area schools. The goal was to show that fresh, nutritious food can make a real difference in the student's behavior, learning and health. They removed the soft drink and junk food machines. Burgers, fries and burritos have been replaced with salads, meats prepared with old fashioned recipes, and whole grain breads. Fresh fruits and vegetables are offered and the students drink water.

The result? According to the results of this project reported in "Pure Facts", "Grades are up, truancy is no longer a problem, arguments are rare, and teachers are able to spend their time teaching.

"Principal LuAnn Coenen, who files annual reports with the state of Wisconsin, has turned in some staggering figures since 1997: ZERO drop-outs, ZERO students expelled or discovered to be using drugs; ZERO carrying weapons or committing suicide.

Mary Bruyette, a teacher, states, "I don't have to deal with daily discipline issues; I don't have disruptions in class or the difficulties with student behavior I experienced before we started the food program."

Principal Coenen sums it up: "I can't buy the argument that it's too costly for schools to provide good nutrition for their students. I found that one cost will reduce another. I don't have the vandalism. I don't have the litter. I don't have the need for high security."

Natural Ovens underwrote the cost for their 5 year study that will eventually impact 200 Wisconsin schools. The price to turn the problem around was $20,000 a year. Natural Ovens President, Dr. Barbara Reed Stitt, noted that "one child arrested would cost the schools more."

Pure Facts, the newsletter that ran this story, is published by a non-profit organization called The Feingold® Association of the United States. It is an organization of families and professionals dedicated to helping children and adults apply proven dietary techniques for better behavior, learning and health. The charity carries on the work of Dr. Feingold whose breakthrough work proved the connection between synthetic colors, flavors and preservatives in food and a host of childhood problems like ADD, ADHD, asthma, ear infections, hives, eczema, headaches, irritability, and more.

Visit their website for the full story: www.feingold.org/home.html