Oscar-winning actress and new mom Natalie Portman recently wrote John E. Deasy, Ph.D., superintendant of the Los Angeles Unified School District, congratulating him on LAUSD’s 2011 Golden Carrot Award.
Oct. 11, 2011
John E. Deasy, Ph.D.
Office of the Superintendent
333 S. Beaudry Ave., 24th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Dear Dr. Deasy:
I was thrilled to hear about the Los Angeles Unified School District’s revamped lunch menu.
As a new parent, I love your district’s emphasis on healthy meal options and nutrition education. By serving healthy menu items like fresh salads, avocado wraps, and black bean burgers, you’re helping students develop a taste for nutritious foods. But you’re also making sure students understand how food affects their bodies so they’re more likely to bypass the cheeseburgers and put healthful items on their trays.
I’m worried about my son’s generation. Childhood obesity has hit a record high, and experts say that one in every three children born today will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime. But I’m also hopeful that we can reverse these terrible trends. That’s where parents and school officials come in. We need to work together to help our children develop healthy eating habits.
Schools play a critical role. They can help teach children healthy behaviors—and they can also support these behaviors on a daily basis by providing more fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods, along with opportunities for physical activity.
That’s why I’m joining the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine during National School Lunch Week to congratulate you on your new menu items and healthy school lunch campaign. I hope schools across the country look to you as they work to improve their own cafeteria offerings.
Thank you again for helping kids stay healthy.
Sincerely,
Natalie Portman
