upLIFT Newsletter | SY 2022-2023 | Issue 1 | September 2022

Inside This Issue...

Welcome to upLIFT for School Year 2022-2023!

upLIFT was created for you, the child nutrition professional, to provide you with materials to help you LEARN about nutrition, INSPIRE you on what to feed your participants, FEED your participants healthy meals, and TEACH others in your community about your programs! Whether your operations have shifted back to normal, are slowly transitioning back, or you are still experiencing difficulties, you can expect to see materials and monthly webinars that will provide you with some original upLIFT resources, spotlight Arizona child nutrition professionals, and inspire you throughout the year so you can upLIFT your programs in whatever way you choose!  
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is excited to announce the "Serve a Rainbow" initiative for this school year! This initiative aims to urge operators to promote a colorful spread of unique and delicious fruits and vegetables for students to enjoy throughout the school year. Every other month starting in September, ADE/upLIFT will announce a new "Serve a Rainbow" produce color for your team to feature and serve in your schools. Service can be as simple as a vegetable plated on a tray, or fruits and vegetables intricately presented to students in a colorful display or salad bar! The creativity is up to you!

Help us color the rainbow above and be sure to email Ashley.Kennedy@azed.gov with any pictures of your colorful service lines so we can showcase your beautiful produce in future upLIFT newsletters! ADE can't wait to see how YOU "serve a rainbow" to your students! 
The featured color for September and October is... 
We challenge you to implement what you learn from the monthly webinars and resources to help you serve a unique variety of produce, rich in color over the course of this school year. Now is the time to show off your broccoli, green beans, green apples, lettuce, spinach, and more!

Remember to please submit photos of your colorful produce via email to Ashley.Kennedy@azed.gov
Learn more about how you can "upLIFT Your Produce" and join us for our upcoming upLIFT Webinar:

upLIFT Webinar Series: upLIFT Your Produce!
September 20, 2022 at 1:30 pm
Join us as we present this year's "Serve a Rainbow" initiative! In this session, we will go over notable nutritional characteristics of common produce items, describe the initiative requirements, and detail how YOU can get involved! This initiative aims to urge operators to promote a colorful spread of unique and delicious fruits and vegetables for students to enjoy throughout the school year. Listen as we share the low-down on the perks of a diet rich in color, and dish out guidance to create the most eye-catching produce display. Get ready; the initiative starts soon! 
Register Here
Humboldt Unified School District offers colorful options on their Salad Bar!

Students at Humboldt Unified School District were excited to see a beautiful spread of colorful options on their salad bar this week! ADE loves to see produce being used in a creative and exciting way! We can't wait to see more!

Want to see more inspirational photos of nutritious meals? Visit ADE's "Find Your Inspiration: upLIFT Photostream"! 
Research Rundown

This month's Research Rundown article evaluated the health benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables by analyzing the phytonutrient content of these foods, and establishing color categories. This article established an "eat by color" approach that is proven to be an effective way for children and adults to improve their health by increasing their variety of fruit and vegetable intake. The information in this article can be referenced when deciding what produce to serve to your students! 
Featured Food - Broccoli!

This month's Featured Food is Broccoli! Read more about this popular dark green vegetable by checking out the How to Use Whole Foods handout and Whole Food Profile on the upLIFT webpage.  
Together, we can influence positive 
dietary behaviors in students!
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