Smarter choices for breakfast

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- New Haven students get free breakfasts throughout the school year and now they get a lesson on why they should continue to make smart healthy choices through the summer.

Students from Wexler-Grant Community School are eating up what they're getting fed in the cereal aisle at a Stop and Shop in New Haven.

Their first lesson is how to read labels for a healthier choice for breakfast.

Nutritionist Ashley DeBella explained, "The sugars here are 4 grams for one cup, okay so that would be low in sugar so that's a better choice and also the fiber content too. This one is not too high in fiber but that's when you want to add your own fruits and that will really boost up the fiber."    

The field trip is to promote the healthy kids breakfast program for the summer.

"We're kicking it off because its the end of the school year, and school breakfasts are essentially over," said Chef Tim Cipriano, the Executive Director of Food Services.

After getting free breakfasts in the school year, this is really a push to encourage families to continue to eat healthy through the summer.    

The New Haven School System is teaming up with Stop and Shop to provide a list of good choices available.
 
DeBella pointed out, "The reason why we're promoting the Stop and Shop brand is because they are less expensive."

Labels will also identify the less costly, but still nutritionally beneficial food.

Fifth grader Atara Enyiema gets it. "That you should eat a lot of fruit and you should eat healthy breakfasts because that's the first meal of the day," she said.   

Gregory Knotts says it could be challenging to get Mom to sign on.

When asked how he is going to get her to do that he answered, "Beg or buy it myself with my money."
 
The free breakfast at New Haven schools will stop at the end of the school year.

The Free Meals Here truck will be making various stops throughout the summer to children living in underserved neighborhoods.
     
Learn more at www.ctsummerfood.org