CELEBRATE! LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES EASIER

Two more restaurants joined the growing list of establishments in North Hawaii that are recognized for making healthy choices easy for their customers. In December, Kohala Coffee Mill in North Kohala became Blue Zones Project Approved, followed by Under the Bodhi Tree at Mauna Lani Shops. These restaurants join Big Island Brewhaus and Sea DandeLion Cafe in encouraging healthy dining choices. Help us celebrate these great places to eat and champions of healthy living!

Kohala Coffee Mill, Hawi

Referred to as “The Heart of Hawi,” Kohala Coffee Mill is a woman-owned business providing fresh food and local employment for the Kohala community since 1997. Now, patrons of Kohala Coffee Mill can take pride in knowing this popular gathering space has been officially recognized for supporting the health of their community as a Blue Zones Project Approved restaurant. Some of the ways they have done so are by:

• Creating new or modifying existing main dishes to meet the Blue Zones Healthy Dish Guidelines, such as their ono Ulu Patty served with a side salad, savory Vegan Veggie Soup with a slice of multi-grain bread, and The Veggie Sandwich featuring house-made hummus.
• Allowing patrons to split any entrée at no extra cost which discourages overeating
• Providing all salad dressing on the side so people can better control their consumption of this high calorie condiment

“At Kohala Coffee Mill, it is important that the food we serve is fresh and flavorful. Whenever possible, we make sure our ingredients are locally sourced and organic. Supporting local farmers has always been a goal of ours,” said owner Karen Rosen. “When we learned about Blue Zones Project, we got on board right away to see how we could be included in this great educational opportunity, which is so aligned with what we are already offering. We are truly excited to be Blue Zones Project Approved.”

Under the Bodhi Tree at Mauna Lani Shops, Waikoloa

This month we also welcomed Under the Bodhi Tree at Mauna Lani Shops as a Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurant, the first in Waikoloa! Under the leadership of Chef Stephen Rouelle, this restaurant offers a mostly plant-based menu using locally sourced and organic produce whenever possible, and with only healthy options for side dishes.

“We think that North Hawaii is the perfect community to have the Blue Zones Project,” says Chef Stephen. “There are so many people who can be helped by the information, outreach, and resources provided by Blue Zones. We are naturally positioned in a geographic location that provides many opportunities to be active, participate in the community as well as have access to great healthy food resources such as Farmer’s Markets, plant-based dining and restaurants, and amazing farms.”

In addition to being an award-winning chef, Chef Stephen is a champion of community health with a great personal story to tell. Ask him about it when you stop by to try one of their Blue Zones Approved menu items, or other delicious dishes! 

Red, White…and now BLUE!
Hawaii Preparatory Academy achieves recognition as a Blue Zones Project Approved School

What a sight it was to see all HPA students together in Castle Gymnasium to celebrate HPA’s achievement and recognition as a Blue Zones Project Approved School! The special all-school assembly on January 23, included over 600 students from kindergarten to 12^th grade, parents, and employees who turned out to honor their school’s commitment to health and well-being. In order to become an Approved school, HPA made changes in their policies and programs related to nutrition, school gardens, physical activity, and use of locally grown produce.

Robert McKendry, Head of School, remarked, “Today we are expressing and celebrating a commitment to healthier living as a community and we are also taking time to recognize some major work that went into achieving Blue Zones Project approval for HPA.” Shirley Ann Fukumoto, Crystal Sebastian, Rachel Baydo, Patty Walker, and Cathy Grant were given a special mahalo for leading the work to document policies and practices and creating new structures to further guide HPA’s culture of well-being. Through their efforts, HPA worked to implement best practices from the Blue Zones Project School Pledge, such as:

• Kindergarten through eighth grade students have healthy lunches that include a choice of a hot main course, salad bar, and sandwich bar.
• Kindergarten through seventh grade students have physical education three times a week with 70% of their time involved in physical activity.
• Filtered water stations are available to all students for refilling personal water bottles to have in class.
• All students participate in school garden activities including planting, weeding, harvesting, and composting. 
• Sodexo Campus Services committed to purchasing local first whenever possible for the freshest fruits, vegetables, and meats.
• Promote instruction where students have the chance to build, plot, and manage their own gardens, growing produce such as cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and kale for student dining.
• Offer healthier concession options at athletic events.

Lower School Principal, Cathy Grant, and Middle School Interim Principal, Patty Walker, noted that HPA has always had a commitment to providing a holistic approach to learning. They added, “Blue Zone Project has provided us a framework for evaluating and monitoring our activities to ensure we are promoting healthy lives and a healthy environment to enhance learning.