Our Little TV Star

Local Chef Works to Get Kids Healthy Updated: Monday, 27 Sep 2010, 12:30 PM CDT

Published : Monday, 27 Sep 2010, 12:30 PM CDT

Pflugerville, TX - Nearly 20 percent of six to 11 year olds are obese -- not just overweight, but obese. That's a scary statistic. One of the problems is that kids aren't eating the right foods, according to nutritionists. But there's a local chef who's making it his mission to turn things around. Chef Patrick Sandoval is doing something new.

He's taking the cook out of the kitchen and into the classroom. "How many want to make smoothies, good, let's do it," said Sandoval. It's part of Pflugerville ISD's new program to get kids healthy. It includes a brand new school lunch menu and programs like Chef Patrick's pals. "With some of our kids eating more than half of their meals at school, we know we have the responsibility to provide them with the nutrients they need. We also want to teach them to make healthy eating choices," he said.

Linley Danner is a dietician who's working with the school district to come up healthy options for kids. "These recipes are going to be based on whole grains and healthy protein, we also want to teach the kids the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables and our menus highlight fresh fruit and veggies every day," she said.

Chef Patrick makes it fun and interactive to get the kids excited about making healthy meals. And the kids like it. They say it tastes good. Chef Patrick hopes to reach at least 30,000 students and parents this school year.

Eron was on TV today. OK -- not the front of him - but you see the back of him multiple times and one side profile. The cute blonde boy in the bright yellow shirt - that's our boy! Watch the whole news segment to the right (originally shown on the local FOX News). Here is the LINK: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/good_day/Local-Chef-Works-to-Get-Kids-Healthy-20100927-ktbcgd For better quality video, in the progress bar at the bottom of the movie, click the letters "360" and change it to 480. This will improve the video quality. Enjoy!