Rewarding students with food isn’t a long-term reward, and raising money through bake sales doesn’t pay off. Local parents can learn why, and they can learn other ways area schools can improve the food and health habits at local schools.

Leslie Lytle, co-founder of the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project and an expert in children’s health promotion, will be discussing her findings concerning the food practices and health of the Albert Lea Schools Tuesday at the Brookside Education Center at 7 p.m.

“What we’ll start to do is say, ‘Here’s what we see. Where are you guys ready to change?’” Lytle said.

As part of the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project, Lytle and her team studied how the schools are currently operating. A survey went out to the Albert Lea school principals, and six of seven of the principals completed the survey. The survey asked questions regarding food policy and activities policy. The questions in the survey asked things such as if food is given to students as a reward, if food is sold as a fundraiser and if gyms are available to students after school.

Aside from the survey, Lytle’s staff also interviewed school officials, and her staff observed various aspects of the school. For example, the staff recorded all the foods available to students in the vending machines and lunch lines.

“We’re looking at not just at what’s available on the school lunch line, that’s what people usually think when you’re talking about food at school — you’re thinking about what the lunch ladies are putting out on the lunch line. That’s a piece, but there’s a much, much larger piece. And so when we’re looking at these audits we’re looking at the total food environment,” Lytle said.

Lytle said Albert Lea schools did some things better than other schools, like she could tell there was an attempt in Albert Lea to have healthier foods in the vending machines, but products like Gatorade are sold, which parents and students perceive to be healthier than it actually is.

Albert Lea also didn’t have a la carte lines, but she said Albert Lea schools do some negative things. Teachers give students food as a reward, and bake sales are used as a fundraiser in each of the schools.

“I would say in some ways, actually around the a la carte and vending, it’s much better,” Lytle said. “It’s much better than many, many of the school districts I see in the Twin Cities. But the problems it has are the problems like using food as fundraisers — using foods as incentives and rewards.”

“They’re getting exposure to more food, but they’re also learning that the way we reward ourselves for doing well or for trying hard or being successful is to eat junk food,” Lytle said.

While Lytle said the first step is awareness, she said the next step is to create a school wellness council. Such a council was created a few years ago to change policies, but it disbanded afterward. Lytle said these policies are weak and don’t have direct language.

Lytle said the group could re-write policies to make the language more concrete. This could be done over the summer, so change can be implemented at the start of the 2009-2010 school year, which she said is easier than changing mid-year.

“Having a good strong policy makes it much easier to maintain a healthy environment,” Lytle said.

Parents are key partners in improving the health of the food in the schools, and Lytle said it’s important for parents to abide by school policies but also feel comfortable to voice opinions and concerns to school officials.

Lytle is working with Mary Nelson, food services director, to bring more fruits and vegetables to the lunch lines, but Lytle said this could affect the cost of lunches.

“We see school not only as where kids get foods but as a learning laboratory about how you eat, and they’re learning from staff, they’re learning from teachers, and they’re learning from their buddies.”