LAWRENCE — For this teenager, breakfast on the run meant a bag of chips and a drink.
Today, Zalynda Alvarez, 11, has a bowl of cereal with milk and a banana.
Zalynda has not only changed her eating habits, but her attitude about exercising and health, thanks to a program between the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence and the Haverhill campus of Northern Essex Community College.
"A lot of kids at school are overweight, and this program has helped me," said Zalynda.
Zalynda, a sixth-grader at Wetherbee School, is one of 25 members of the club participating in "Pathways to Positive Change," a program aimed at combating childhood obesity by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity.
Club members meet for an hour and a half in the Sports and Fitness Center of the Haverhill campus. At a recent gathering, students ages 10 to 13 were asked to name foods rich in fiber, protein, potassium and vitamin C, from the smorgasbord in front of them — Grapenuts, bananas, cottage cheese, humus, strawberries, bagels, cream cheese, butter and yogurt.
After the game, they were given the green light to make a healthy breakfast.
"Be as creative as you like, and try things you've not tried before," Doreen Brothers told the students.
Jimmy Ngoroge, 11, has learned breakfast is the most important meal of the day. He usually has bran cereal with raisins before heading off to South Lawrence East School, where he is a fifth-grader.
"It gives me energy and helps me keep focus during the day," said Ngoroge.
In addition to learning about nutrition by playing games including a hunt for hidden fats, the children were introduced to traditional sports including baseball, volleyball, basketball and track and field by the college's varsity athletes and coaches.
Zalynda was the only girl in the kick-boxing demonstration, and said she wanted to try it because she plays volleyball at the Boys and Girls Club.
This is the second time she has participated in Pathways to Positive Change.
"I thought it was an easy and fun way to learn," she said.
The participants also learn alternative physical activities such as cheerleading, cardio boot camp, hip hop dance and yoga.
"This is a thought that has come a long way," said Robert Parker, coordinator of the Wellness & Fitness Center and Sport & Leisure Studies at Northern Essex. "With the rise of diabetes and heart disease, we want to treat them like little adults so they learn to participate in a lifetime of activities to help them before it becomes a risk."
