WaveCrest Cafe Celebrates National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The theme for 2025 is Food Connects Us, and Vista Unified’s acclaimed Child Nutrition Services department, also known as WaveCrest Cafe, will be celebrating the ways that food connects us to other cultures and communities.
The WaveCrest Cafe team will be holding a series of events at schools across the district, including taste tests, science experiments with food, and more.
National School Breakfast Week
The start of National Nutrition Month includes National School Breakfast Week, which happens during the first week of March. Studies show that children who regularly eat a school breakfast are able to concentrate more, have fewer absences, and perform better on tests.
This year’s theme is, Clue In To School Breakfast. The nutrition department will share information and trivia about the benefits of school breakfast via its website and social media channels; the team will also feature new breakfast entree items.
Taste Tests at Schools
While not limited to March and National Nutrition Month, WaveCrest Cafe will be conducting a number of taste tests at schools. These tests allow the team to experience first-hand how students respond to foods that are either being considered for future menus, or that are already being served.
Students are often introduced to certain items for the first time during the taste tests, so creating a fun and inviting environment can take away some of the hesitation.
WaveCrest Cafe recently provided samples of roasted red pepper hummus to students at Roosevelt Middle School during lunch periods. Students were able to choose from three different items to eat with the hummus: tortilla chips, carrots, or celery. After tasting the hummus we invited students to use our taste test stickers to display their votes as to how much they liked it or would want to try it again.
The red pepper hummus was a hit with Roosevelt students, with a clear majority loving it, followed by a handful of votes in the middle, and very few “I didn’t like it” votes.
WaveCrest Cafe’s team will be at a number of schools throughout March, conducting taste tests and getting student feedback as part of a process to continually innovate and adapt its menus to current tastes and trends.
National Registered Dietitian Day
March 12th is National Registered Dietitian Day. VUSD is fortunate to have two RDs on the nutrition team, Director Karly Wasung, and Nutrition Education and Training Supervisor Aleeza Hendershot.
Registered Dietitians bring enormous expertise to their jobs and are key to planning menus that are both tasty and nutritious, and that conform to the regulations for school meals set by the USDA. Skilled RDs ensure that school meals are protein-rich and low in fat and sodium. This can involve developing new recipes, collaborating with other school nutrition professionals to share ideas, and balancing the very diverse tastes and preferences of thousands of students and parents.
National Nutrition Month Resources
School Breakfast Quiz: Try this quiz and see what you know and what you may not know about the most important meal of the day. https://bit.ly/3OfZjlJ
Nutrition Activities: Access games, activities, and resources to support your nutrition education by visiting sm.eatright.org/NNM to learn more about the importance of fueling bodies at every age.