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Weight Of The World

. STAFF photo ROBERT BURKE / Tampa Tribune

Jon Ashton, a nationally known chef lets "Cheeky Cheesers" sample food during an appearance at Seminole Heights Elem School. He was there with a program called More Health partly through a grant started by Laura Bush about kid's nutrition.

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By KATHY STEELE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2007

Updated: 11/12/2007 08:11 pm

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SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - Cheeky Cheesers and Yo-Yo Yogurts got creative with salads and parfaits.

More than 200 students and staff at Seminole Heights Elementary School wiggled and giggled.

And, oh yes, students got to yell at the top of their lungs, "One, two, three, give me milk, yogurt and cheese."

Getting across a message on healthy eating and exercising for children is supposed to be fun, celebrity chef Jon Ashton said.

"You can't win this war by telling people off," he said.

So why not make airplane noises as a spoonful of parfait loops and zooms toward social worker Myrna Hogue's mouth?

Or ask a teacher to repeat after him, "It smells so yummy, I can't wait to get it in my tummy."

Ashton, resident chef on the television network CW's "The Daily Buzz" and a regular on NBC's "iVillage Live," joined with MORE HEALTH, Florida Action for Healthy Kids and the Dairy Council of Florida to teach Seminole Heights students a lesson in healthy living. It's part of a national effort to reverse what health experts say is a trend toward obesity among adults and children.

Florida Action grew out of a national initiative started five years ago by first lady Laura Bush.

A 2003-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows about 33 percent of adults ages 20 to 74 are obese, more than double the percentage found in a 1976-80 survey.

Among ages 2 to 5, the study shows nearly 14 percent are overweight, up from 5 percent 20 years ago. Among ages 6 to 11, almost 19 percent are overweight, up from 6.5 percent. In the 12-to-19 age group, more than 17 percent are overweight, up from 5 percent.

The health consequences are significant, said Jennifer Whittaker, the Dairy Council's school marketing director. Children as young as 7 are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, she said.

Food choices and lack of physical activity are among the reasons for the nation's weight gains, she said. But it's also "the super-size-me environment we live in" and the "lack of fresh produce and food stores in inner cities."

The Nov. 7 program at Seminole Heights gave students a chance to create healthy after-school snacks. The Cheeky Cheesers put together a salad, and the Yo-Yo Yogurts made yogurt parfaits. A relay game challenged teams of students and staff members to eat balanced breakfasts and lunches with the five food groups: meat, vegetables, fruits, dairy and breads.

Cole Phillips, 8, was a Cheeky Cheeser. Loretta and Russ Phillips said their son is a healthy eater at home, but television promotes the things he shouldn't eat.

The school event "was great support for parents to reinforce what we try to do at home," Russ Phillips said.

Ashton said teaching children healthy lifestyles is his passion. He travels more days than he is home in Orlando and estimates that he speaks annually to about 50,000 students.

He knows his subject. From age 13 to 17, he was more than 60 pounds overweight. In his native Liverpool, England, where football (soccer) reigns, he stood out.

"I was the fat kid," Ashton said. "I was spat on, kicked and bullied. I know what it's like to be a child, to be insecure."

His appearance was part of a Week of Wellness at Seminole Heights that included sessions on bones and nutrition. MORE HEALTH provides instruction to about 200,000 students in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties annually, executive director Karen Pesce said. The nonprofit group works with Tampa General and All Children's hospitals.

"We're trying to pull communities together to address obesity issues," Pesce said.

Gaynelle Rowley, who has three children at Seminole Heights, said she follows strict dietary rules at home.

"I don't buy sodas for my children," she said. "If they do, it's a special occasion."

It's important to start teaching nutrition in elementary school, Rowley said.

"We do have to start when they're younger."

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 835-2103 or ksteele@tampatrib.com.

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