Whitsons takes healthy-eating program on the road

National Nutrition Month -- last month -- was a busy time for Whitsons Culinary Group, of Islandia, the company said in a Monday news release.

The food service company's workers took a nutrition awareness campaign on the road to several Long Island school districts.

Whitsons, which runs the food service departments at many Long Island school districts, ran wellness fairs and brought Nutrition Safari characters to Hicksville, Commack and East Islip schools.

The monthlong, annual Nutrition Week effort, sponsored nationwide by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is aimed at reversing the country's high rate of childhood obesity, among other unhealthy trends.

In the Commack district, Northridge and Indian Hollow Elementary schools got a visit from Murray the Monkey, with a message about eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

At Commack High School, Whitsons Vending set up a sample tasting with dried fruit, pineapple, smoothies, and other snacks from the company’s Healthy Vending machines.

Whitsons' other animal characters (with their favored healthy-food topic) are Luke the Lion (protein), Jillian the Giraffe (greens), Grant the Gazelle (cutting back on sweets), Hardy the Hyena (carbs) and Heidi the Hippo (dairy).

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