Just one look at the Bryan Independent School District's Web site http://bryanisd.org and you can see that nutritional information and education is a priority in the district, thanks to Bryan ISD's Director of Child Nutrition Services Alice Richter and her staff.

Click on Child Nutrition Services and you'll find just about everything you'd want to know about what's being served except how to cook it. Each menu item is presented with information on serving size, calories, fat, protein, carbs and total Weight Watchers points.

For those really watching their calories, there's a page called Best Bets (the teachers really appreciate that one) that highlights the figure-slimming offerings on the menu. There's also a Nutrition Topic of the Month and a Nutrition Resources page.

While much of the information on the site originated with Richter's dedicated staff, she said the district's ongoing efforts to improve student nutrition and nutrition awareness really took off in 2001 when she became involved in The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) (www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/catch/).

As part of the CATCH program, food service offers portion sizes in accordance with the Food Guide Pyramid.

Modifications have also been made in food preparation to lower fat and caloric content. Ground beef is drained and rinsed. Chicken nuggets, chicken patties, fish sticks, fish patties and corn dogs are oven-baked. Hot rolls are not brushed with butter. Vegetables are prepared without fat, and several fruit choices are offered as the "sweet ending" to the meal.

On the serving line there are food signs that say "Go," "Slow" and "Whoa" to advise students of foods higher in fat, so students can make smart choices.

To further educate the kids, there is a nutrition question of the day read over morning announcements with the answer posed on the serving line.

Richter also likes to invite students and parents to a cafeteria food tasting, where they have a chance to sample menu items proposed for the next year and give feedback. If the kids vote thumbs down, that item is scratched, even if the parents like it.

"It's about building trust," said Richter. "It allows the students to get involved. And it sets a positive image of school lunch."

When other food service professionals see the success of Richter's program, they frequently say that they'd like to launch a similar program, but they don't know how. Often they're stymied by the belief that they need approval first.

Richter offers this simple, practical advice, "Just start off and do it."

For more information on heroes making a difference, visit the Texas Department of Agriculture's Square Meals Web site at www.squaremeals.org.