The woman is truly amazing. You can feel her energy and passion. She talks to parents and kids about where food comes from, organic versus conventional produce, the general state of school lunch programs, and more. Both times she came to Whole Foods, we displayed a variety of fruit on the counter and groups of kids got to make their own smoothies by picking whichever fruit they wanted. The kids were very excited--most having never made a smoothie. They got to see how easy it was to make a healthy and tasty drink.

I’ve learned so much from Chef Ann and lots of it eye-opening information. For instance, one-third of Caucasion kids and half of Hispanic and African-American kids will have diabetes in their lifetime, citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Statistics. She notes in her book, Lunch Lessons , that "a full 78 percent of the schools in America do not actually meet the USDA's nutritional guidelines." Could it be that school lunch programs are a dumping ground for agribusiness and fast food conveniences that keep costs down? Lunches at the 16 schools in Berkeley’s district (with about 10,000 kids) have gone from 95% junk processed to 95% fresh and healthy in one year. Kudos to you Chef Ann!

So if you are a concerned Sacramento area parent and want to see healthier lunches at your child’s school, how can you get involved? Contact your school. Go to lunch at your child’s cafeteria and see what the kids are eating. If the school has a wellness policy, volunteer to be on the committee. If there's no policy in place, offer to help design and implement one. Talk to the school board and let them know nutritious lunches for children are important to you. Enroll other like-minded parents to join you in your effort. The following Web sites are a great source of information: Two Angry Moms, Slow Food USA, School Lunch Initiative, and Center for Eco Literacy. To find out more about Chef Ann and obtain additional information on getting involved, visit her website. You can click on a link for a Healthy Kids Report Card, that you can use to grade your children's school lunches. For information on school garden projects and how you can start one, go to the Edible Schoolyard site.