Students get creative with spinach
By Angela Greiner Community Reporter

Hudson High School students (l to r) Elizabeth Noguiera, Lindsay Kenney, Kelsey Rich and Nicole Barry fill healthy choice snack packs to sell to other students during the Healthy PHOTO/ANGELA GREINER Wellness Group.

Hudson - Baby spinach, smoked Gouda cheese and nitrate-free turkey breast equal a delicious panini, according to the 20 girls involved with the "Healthy Eating" special interest group at Hudson High School (HHS). The group, which meets weekly on Wednesday mornings, is one of about 50 special interest groups run by students and overseen by a teacher at the school.

Science teacher Julie Snyder, who is overseeing the Healthy Eating group, said that the students in the group want to learn to make good eating and shopping choices.

HHS student Belka Mongeau said that she has learned to make four new recipes.

"I have learned what kind of nutrients and vitamins … we need and now I know what to buy when I go to the store," she said.

During the year, the students have learned to scan labels to avoid additives like nitrates and sodium, which are in foods such as cold cuts and hotdogs. The group has also learned the importance of measuring and comparing the amount of calories and fat within similar products.

Snyder is not surprised that the group contains only girls.

"The majority of major chefs are men," she said, "but in the home life, it is women who do most of the cooking."

Snyder was motivated to make paninis after she took students to visit and evaluate other schools' food programs. What she and the students discovered were recipes like paninis made from processed meatballs and served on white bread were construed as a healthy choice.

As the students munched on paninis stuffed with fresh cheese and vegetables on Tuscan bread, they discussed how they found substitutes for their favorite processed foods. This included choosing chips like Veggie Root chips from Traders Joe's; a serving has 35 grams of sodium, rather than the 200 grams in a serving of sour cream and onion chips.

In addition to learning nutrition, new recipes and how to cook, the students also write a series of flyers called "Stall Talk." The flyers, which are posted in the school bathrooms, give students tips for healthier living.

The students also put together three-ounce snack packs that are sold during school to other students for $1.50. The packs include various nuts, dried fruit, shredded wheat and dark chocolate. The goal is to provide an affordable nutrient-filled snack. The proceeds from the snack pack are then donated at the end of the year to a charity or program of the students' choice.

The money to purchase the group's food creations comes from Snyder's pocket and a one-time $5 contribution from the students in the group. With all of the food made from scratch, Snyder said, "you would be surprised how far $5 can go."

Some of the students' favorite new recipes include whole wheat pasta and pesto, tofu curry, and goat cheese and sundried tomatoes.

"We don't just sit around," student Olivia Rogers said. "We are learning cooking and shopping skills so when we go to college we know how to cook and what to buy."