In schools in Texas, an image with a value of 1 000 calories

SAN ANTONIO - smile, schoolchildren. You are on the camera in calories.

Responsible for health seeking to reduce obesity and improve eating habits in five San Antonio, elementary schools unveiled a research project Wednesday 2 million which will be photographing students lunch trays before they sit down to eat and later take a snapshot of the remains.

A computer program analyzes then photos to identify each piece of food on the plate - to the Oz how many are left in this lump of potato mash - and calculates the number of calories each student assembled down.

The project, funded by a grant from the Ministry of Agriculture of the United States, is the first of its kind in the nation. Cameras, the size of lamps pocket, point only to plateaus and not photographing students. Researchers that about 90% of parents gave permission to record each piece of food that their child eats.

"We try to be as passive as possible." "Children know that they monitored," said Dr. Roger Echon, who works for the health & Social Research Center of San Antonio, and who built the program of recognition of food.

Here's how it works: each shelf lunch Gets a bar code sticker to identify a student. After children loading their plates reluctant - cole slaw or green beans? French fries or fruit? -a camera above the cashier takes a photo of each shelf.

When breakfast is complete and the plates are returned to the kitchen, another camera takes a snapshot of what remains. Echon program then scans forward and after photos to calculate consumed calories and 128 other nutrient values. It identifies foods by measuring the size, shape, color and density.

Parents will receive the data for their children, and researchers hope eating habits at home will change once the Moms and dads are choosing their children to school. The data will also be used to study what food children are likely to choose and how much they eat.

Nine years Aaliyah Haley crossed the line for lunch at W.W. White elementary with cheesy enchiladas, Spanish rice, fat free chocolate milk and an Apple. Two cameras, one pointed directly and another on the level of the status bar, photographed his food before she sat to eat.

"I liked it." "It is good food, which is good for me," said Haley.

How healthy it was researchers don't know yet. Echon still develops the program and is expected to pass the first year of the grant of four years at the equipment. Here the school year 2012-2013, the Centre for research & social health plans have a prototype in place.

Echon has already made some changes to the project. Echon learned that mashed potatoes served on some campus are lumpier than those served on the other. The program now represents the consistency and texture.

The database already includes approximately 7,500 different varieties of food. Echon said that he started from scratch because no there was no other food recognition software inspiration. He insisted on the creation of technology of records meal because asking 8 years to remember what they eat and write that it down is rarely accurate.

Poor selected research, campus of minority where the rate of obesity and diabetes risk is higher. Among those is white elementary, which is just next to a highway occupied next to poor is of the city, in a street dotted with taquerias and fast food.

In the County of Bexar, where the five pilot schools, 33% of children living in poverty are obese.

Researchers warn that obesity is not always the result of children eating too many calories. A previous study by the centre non-profit reported that 44% of the studied children were consumed calories below the minimum daily requirements, but almost a third were still obese. Seven percent projected positive for type 2 diabetes.

Mark Davis, Director of the school, said the consent of their parents was not a problem. He suspects the small number of parents who refuse to consent does not understand the project, perhaps thinking that it limits to what their children can eat at school.

"Nothing in the program said that they may not have something," said Davis. "He said just that we will follow what it is."

Schools may prohibit milk chocolate on the addition of sugar

LOS ANGELES - milk chocolate has long been seen as the spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, but the epidemic of obesity among children in the country has a growing number of people to ask if it is wise.

With more schools and more pressure to offer more healthy foods, the staple food on trays in the cafeteria for children was attacked in the same ingredient that made it so popular - sugar.

Some school districts went by prohibiting the flavoured milk and Florida considered a prohibition in schools in the State of Minnesota. Other districts sought a middle way by replacing the milk flavoured containing a high-fructose corn with versions of sugar syrup, that some consider as a natural sweetener.

Los Angeles Unified school district, second in the nation, is the last district to address the issue. Superintendent John Deasy recently announced would push this summer to remove milk chocolate and strawberry of school menus.

But nutritionists – and parents – are divided on whether prohibitions of meaning, especially when about 70% of milk consumed in schools is scented, mainly with chocolate, according to the milk industry Education Program-supported processors.

Many people, including the School Nutrition Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association and the National Medical Association, argue that the nutritional value of flavoured fatty or skimmed milk low outweighs the harm of added sugar. Milk contains nine essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin d and protein.

A joint statement of these groups at points of studies that shows children who drink milk flavoured, without bold meet more of their nutritional needs and are not heavier than non-drinkers milk.

"Milk chocolate has been unfairly indexed as one of the causes of obesity," said Julie Buric, Vice President of marketing for the program of formation of milk processors.

Others note the epidemic of child obesity in the country and say flavoured milk simply must go.

Eight ounces of white milk served in the public schools of Los Angeles contains 14 grams of natural sugar or lactose. fat free chocolate milk has an extra six grams of sugar for a total of 20 grams, while milk without fat Strawberry has a total of 27 grams - the same thing as eight ounces of Coca-Cola.

"Chocolate milk soda drag, said Ann Cooper, Director of nutrition services for the School District of Boulder Valley in Louisville, Colorado, which prohibits flavoured milk." "It works like a treat in the houses, but it does not belong to the school."

Flavoured milk is also a target of TV Chief British Jamie Oliver, who has been to overhaul the school food a signature cause.

For a segment to be aired on its television of the "food revolution" show, he recently completed a school bus of white sand to represent the amount of sugar School of Los Angeles Unified children consume each week in the flavoured milk.

"If you have seasoned milk, which is candy,"he told Associated Press.""

Oliver applauded the proposal of the Deasy to remove milk flavoured schools during a recent joint appearance in the show "Jimmy kimmel Live!"

If the Board passed the ban, Los Angeles Unified may join districts, including Washington and Berkeley, California.

But the efforts made by some other districts turned evil after that child drank less milk. Consumption of milk decreased by 35% when flavoured milks are deleted, according to the program of formation of milk processors.

Cabell County, va, schools from milk chocolate to the recommendation of officials of the State, and the County of Fairfax, Virginia, did likewise after its dairy products supplier came up with a watered-down with version of beet sugar, instead of corn syrup high fructose content.

The Florida Board of Education also backed away from its proposed ban on chocolate milk after the State agricultural Commissioner urged the Commission to examine the sugar maple-all food and beverages served in schools.

The district of Los Angeles has worked with its dairy products provider versions flavored with the Truvia sweetener and chicory, district spokesman, said Robert Alaniz.

Cooper and others have supported children will drink regular milk if this is what is offered.

"We have learned to drink milk chocolate, so that we can their unteach that," Cooper says. "" "". Our line of kids for milk. ?

Boulder Valley has not faced with complaints since the abolition of milk chocolate, two years ago, but he did not follow if milk consumption has dropped, she said.

Parents to align both sides of the issue.

Deborah Bellholt, a mother of South Los Angeles, said none of his six children, ranging from kindergarten to high school age go drinking ordinary milk. "By allowing kids flavored milk, they always get the calcium that they need", she said. "If this is not the case, they would work around it.".

But Mimi Bonetti, a mother suburb of Los Angeles with two primary school age children who drink regular milk, said she gets angry that chocolate milk is interpreted as nutritious. Children may be calcium and other nutrients from other foods, she said.

"If you offer them the choice of chocolate or plain, of course they will choose chocolate," said Bonetti. "When you're telling kids that drink chocolate milk is a healthy choice, it sends the error message."

Ask children and more vote for chocolate. Student in seventh year of Los Angeles suburb Nacole Johnson said milk ordinary tastes disgusting. If there is no chocolate milk, "I would not drink," she said.