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<br />extension of a bike path that will eventually go all the way to <br />Boston. "This little experiment that came here is now tied to many <br />other decisions we have made," says Mr. Curtatone. <br /> <br />Many ofthe efforts didn't even focus on children. The Tufts <br />researchers held parent meetings in English, Portuguese, Haitian <br />Creole and Spanish to explain the goals of the Shape Up plan. Tufts <br />workers organized City Hall health fairs, a pedometer giveaway and a <br />community fun run that the mayor joined. As the spirit caught on, the <br />City Council came up with its own ideas: reimbursements on gym <br />membership for city employees and dozens of new bike racks for <br />schools and streets. <br /> <br />Twenty-one area restaurants received designation as Shape Up partners <br />in exchange for making small menu changes such as using low-fat <br />substitutes and offering smaller portions. Beth Ann Dahan, co-owner <br />of Soleil Cafe & Catering, says she was happy to participate because <br />it was good for business. "When Shape Up first started, I remember <br />people would tell me, 'We came here because you were on the list,'" <br />she says. <br /> <br />At the Somerville schools, food-service director Mary Jo McLarney <br />decided the best way to change the eating habits of the district's <br />5,625 schoolchildren wasn't to focus on calories, but to improve the <br />taste and quality of the food served in school. With help from the <br />Tufts team, she replaced some frozen foods with fresher choices such <br />as pizza made with fresh French bread. To boost fiber intake, <br />cafeteria workers put cheeseburgers on whole-grain rolls, mixed whole- <br />grain pancake batter and shelved french fries in favor of baked- <br />potato wedges with the skin left on. <br /> <br />The Shape Up grant from the CDC paid for refrigerated display cases, <br />food processors and fruit juicers to make serving fresh fruits and <br />vegetables easier for the kitchen staff. Dr. Economos persuaded a <br />Whole Foods store to donate about $35,000 in fresh produce. Now <br />children are allowed to eat as much fruit as they want. One day the <br />mayor joined schoolchildren in the cafeteria to make fresh-squeezed <br />orange JUice. <br /> <br />'A Balancing Act' <br /> <br />"It's a balancing act, because it doesn't serve any purpose for us to <br />produce meals nobody will eat," says Ms. McLarney. "It's about <br />giving them the most nutritious, highest-quality meal we're able to, <br />and it's probably more balanced than they're able to bring from home." <br /> <br />In classrooms, teachers taught a nutrition and exercise curriculum <br />designed by Tufts. One part focused on a fruit or vegetable ofthe <br />month, and children took part in taste tests. During cucumber month <br />they munched on cucumbers and ranch dressing and dill-pickle spears. <br />January was bean month. Beans are a healthy fiber-rich food, but they <br />can be a tough sell with kids. Somerville children sampled bean and <br />