Every Wednesday students across the Island tuck into their salads, fruit and plain, unsweetened water, all packed in eco-friendly reusable containers.

Wellness Wednesdays is just one of a handful of initiatives of the Department of Health's Healthy Schools Programme and is designed to improve children's health and to help schools, children and families recognise and practice specific healthy habits at least once a week. Many schools practice a variety of healthy habits most days of the week.

Healthy Schools Coordinator, Marie Beach explains that the Healthy Schools Programme is a link between the Ministry of Education and the Department of Health. It is also a network, which includes coordinating Department of Health school-based services, and all government and non-governmental organisations that provide health-related services to schools.

The list contains close to 39 participating organisations and among them are the Bermuda Fire Service, Child and Family Services, Bermuda Diabetes Association, Dental Health Services, Nutrition Services, PRIDE Bermuda, Speech-Language Services, Teen Services, Environmental Health, CADA, and Bermuda Cancer and Health Center.

This school year, Ms Beach says Wellness Wednesdays will be extended to include even more special days, such as practicing the three R's — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, as well as the three C's — Care, Caution and Courtesy, and moving more on Heart Healthy Day.

"It's hoped that this initiative will continue help to educate families and schools about the importance of children developing good and consistent healthy habits early in life. Developing healthy habits is no different from the process of learning to read early in life. Both take practice and effort," she elaborates. "Through the programme and the Healthy Schools Nutrition Policy, which was implemented in 1998, students and their parents are encouraged to eat a variety of foods by choosing low-fat dairy products; low-fat milks; calcium-fortified soy milk or juices; leaner meats like chicken, turkey or tuna; using lower-fat cooking methods like baking and grilling; choosing whole grains, fruits and vegetables; and limiting the use of foods high in salt and sugar."

However, Healthy Schools isn't just focusing on healthy eating, schools also work at encouraging students to eat healthy by teaching them the importance of nutrition through the health education curriculum and relating it to the Healthy Schools Nutrition Policy — including the Vending Machine and Cafeteria Policy. The goal is to limit the use of fried foods to one fried item a week, remove candy and sodas and encourage the sale and consumption of nutritious foods from the five food groups at bake sales, sporting events, after school programmes, lunch time and summer programmes.

Ms Beach stresses that the only beverages allowed in any school are plain unsweetened water, milk and 100 percent juice. No carbonated drinks, Kool-Aid or sugary drinks should be sent with lunches or provided in the cafeteria.

"Beware of labels that only say, '100 percent Vitamin C' — any beverage that contains fruit or vegetable juice would have 100 percent Vitamin C in it. The label should read '100 percent Juice' at the very least," she warns.

For many schools, introducing the healthier way of eating has been a challenge, but more are coming on board and feedback from parents and teachers is encouraging. Research, she points out, indicates that healthy students are more likely to do well in school.

"We also encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children, so that their body's systems can function appropriately, and ultimately children can perform better in their classes and activities," she says, adding that examples of healthy breakfasts include unsweetened cereal, low-fat milk, sandwiches, fruit yoghurt.

"Unfortunately too many children come to school without having eaten breakfast," she points out. "Some of those same children also have no lunch, or, if they do, have unhealthy lunch choices. It is common practice for teachers to spend their own money to purchase food for their students."

To ensure the Healthy Schools Nutrition Policy is enforced and maintained, she visits schools during the week. During this time she meets with Public Health Nutritionists, school nurses and dental health officers who also provide information about healthy eating to schools.

Jokingly, she adds that students regularly come up to her in town or a grocery store to let her know that they have in fact eaten all their vegetables and fruits for the day.

"It really makes me smile when students do that so confidently," she chuckles. "It tells me that they have remembered parts of my assembly talks and the fact that healthy eating is important.

"Starting two years ago, some school principals really started getting into healthy eating, by complying with the Nutrition Policy and telling their students and parents that they are not allowed to bring unhealthy foods to school. If food choices are not compliant, principals have actually thrown them away," she says. "In these instances, teachers and principals provide the students with healthy alternatives from a school 'emergency food kit'."

"However, for the most part, the students are eating healthier and bringing the environmentally friendly containers, and we are helping them to be more aware of it, by repeating the message every school year, and encouraging the behaviour to continue.

"We promote this through posters, weekly school assemblies, monthly PTA meetings and monthly staff meetings. We even speak in the workplace, as this is where the parents of our students work. We want adults to be healthier role models for children." she says.

Ms Beach explains that each year, schools are given a Healthy Schools report card, which records their progress on a 100-point system, across Healthy Schools' eight components. The school with the most points will win an award at the end of the school year and in June this year at a special Healthy Schools Awards ceremony, Francis Patton Primary School won the overall award as the Healthiest School in Bermuda. In addition, the CedarBridge Academy won the Nutrition Services award for its efforts at consistently providing healthy food in its cafeteria throughout the school year.

She concludes that this school year, Healthy Schools will continue to highlight the importance of healthy lifestyles and will also be encouraging students to be more physically active both in and out of school.