Kids in the kitchen

MURRAY — The battle against childhood obesity is being fought with fruit smoothies, strawberry "bouquets," mango salsa, whole wheat tortillas and other healthy foods.

That's the message from a Kids in the Kitchen event last week at Murray High School, where about 180 fifth- and sixth-graders from Mcmillan Elementary rotated among a dozen food stations, sampling healthful recipes from local chefs and volunteers.

They also heard from speed skater Derek Parra, who passed his Olympic gold and silver medals among the kids and advised them to fuel their bodies with nutritious food.

"When I was a kid, I never really ate vegetables, but with enough people teaching me about eating healthy, I developed good eating habits," he said. "When I saw people eating chips and candy bars, I knew I would be able to beat those guys."

The event was part of an initiative by Junior League chapters all over the world, as a way to help children in local communities, according to Becky Carter, who chaired the event.

"Last year we targeted a younger group of children, but this year we decided it's important to target kids who are making their own decisions about eating, because Mom isn't always around," said Missy Greis, president of the Salt Lake chapter.

Students competed in a sandwich-building contest, led by Trent Evans, a local Subway franchise owner. Pamela Bos of Sur La Table did a "Vegetables You've Never Met Before" quiz and told the kids how different colors of fruits and veggies contribute different antioxidants and other nutrients.

Debbie Barker and Tanya Stephens helped the kids skewer melons, strawberries, pineapple and grapes into "bouquets."

"I thought the sandwich-building was really clever, how you got all the different food groups with the sandwich ingredients," said sixth-grader Kaitie Woodmansee. "My second favorite was the fruit bouquets."

Portia Early of X-96 had the kids count out the amount of sugar in a 20-ounce bottle of Coke — 17 teaspoons.

"They put a lot of sugar in that to really make you hyper," she told the kids. "And what happens when you get hyper too fast? It makes you get really tired afterward."

Early made a peach smoothie for the kids to sample. Other smoothies were made by Wild Oats and The Athlete's Kitchen from IHC's Orthopedic Specialty Hospital.