The Los Gatos Youth Commission has made nutrition and healthy eating one of its goals this year. The focus followed frequent media reports on obesity rates in children and the general eating habits of Americans. Some of the commissioners had attended a nutrition conference in San Francisco that got them excited about pursuing eating right.

"Healthy eating is finally hitting kids," said youth commissioner Jacqui Kemp, a senior at Los Gatos High School.

Commissioners--20 teens who live in Los Gatos--are working in creative ways so their peers will choose fruit over pizza. One specific project is Health Week in April at Fisher Middle School. One activity is to have a taste challenge, in which blindfolded students try to differentiate between a Boca burger and a hamburger or soy milk and dairy milk.

"We're taking the approach that we're helping kids be healthy eaters, and it's way better than a science teacher lecturing," Jacqui said.

In addition, Fisher students will work during their science classes on games or activities they can present to the school during Health Week. If the students need money for their materials, they can go to the youth commission and apply for a small grant of $100.

"One thing I know about kids in middle schools is that they listen to their peers," said Jim LaTorre, Fisher assistant principal. "Kids are talking to kids. Anytime you have one of those activities, they will listen."

LaTorre said at the middle school level, students already know what eating nutritiously looks like, but the challenge is to overcome the prevalent sense of invincibility.

"They are not sophisticated enough to know that something will happen to them," he said.

Kemp said media publicity has allowed teens to be savvier about what they're eating. The issue has always been out there, and students are responding, she said.

"Kids are very knowledgeable when it comes to fat and calories," said Virginia Caloura, cafeteria manager at Los Gatos.

LaTorre said that even middle school students are in the know.

"They're much more health-conscious than they were 15 years ago," he said. "It all comes down to the media, things like Super Size Me [a documentary about fast food]. It's so gross that people are getting the message. Kids are making better choices."

However, he added, the awareness also cuts both ways. Middle school students have become more mindful of how they look, and more exhibit bulimic or anorexic behavior than they did 15 years ago because of body image, he said.

Jacqui said she remembers the Fisher cafeteria menu as rubbery hot dogs and sweet canned pears, but school administrators have attempted to bring more nutrition to the school's hot lunch program. While pizza is still on the menu, salads and fruits get equal treatment.

"Salads are offered on a daily basis, and fresh fruit is offered to anyone who purchases a lunch," LaTorre said.

Similarly, both Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools have made nutrition a consideration on the hot lunch menu. The cafeterias offer salads, sandwiches, pastas, chicken and rice bowls and fruit, as well as snacks such as chips and brownies. However, the most popular items are French fries, chicken strips and pizza, "everything they're not supposed to eat," said Pam Carlino, the food services supervisor for both high schools.

Outside vendors bring in the pizzas, burritos, sushi and teriyaki bowls, but salads and sandwiches are made fresh at both campuses. French fries are cooked in trans fat-free oil.

"The majority is healthy food," Carlino said at Saratoga.

High school students are allowed to go off campus during the lunch break, and consequently they have more options for lunch. All Los Gatos students can go a local eatery for lunch if they want, while that open policy is reserved for juniors and seniors at Saratoga.

On a recent day, Emily Bridge, a junior at Saratoga, was seated at a table, waiting for her friends who were still in line at the cafeteria. She said she preferred to stay on campus to eat because it's more convenient. Mornings are hectic, so she often doesn't have time to pack a lunch. Her lunch that day was a slice of pizza she bought at school. Lunch from school doesn't bother her.

"You do whatever's convenient and fastest," she said.

Emily said she sticks to pizza because the other entrees don't suit her taste, many of them being too spicy for her. Nutrition hasn't been an issue, she said, but others at school have been talking about it.

"I notice that people start to care as they get older," she said.

Saratoga senior Charlotte Tilles spent a recent lunch break at a local Jamba Juice. She said even if students eat junk food during the day, most eat a healthy dinner prepared at home. In addition, students don't have a sedentary lifestyle, she said.

"High schoolers are active people, and they burn the calories," Charlotte said.

Waging war on junk food might be a fruitless exercise, said Susan Alfs, a senior at Los Gatos. She was on the front lawn of the campus with her friends, many of them eating leftovers or sandwiches from home. There were some athletes among them, who said their participation in sports is a reason they keep an eye on what they eat. But people who opt for the greasy food know what they're doing, Susan said.

"I've never heard anyone who said, 'French fries, that's not healthy?' People know it's not nutritious," she said.

Some students suggested it might be the girls who are more conscious of nutrition. For Justin Seo, a Saratoga sophomore, nutrition isn't a high priority. He and his friends had just eaten pizza and fries from school, a typical meal for them.

"We see food. We buy it. We eat it," Justin said.

But other students are more discriminating. Saratoga junior Ali Alkhatib prefers to buy his lunches off campus, frequenting the soup and deli stations at Safeway. He finds many of the entrees at school too greasy.

"I noticed that school lunches are unhealthy," he said. "I'm hoping the school will be more health-conscious."

Albert Chiang, a senior at Saratoga, goes out to lunch on most days, eschewing the local fast food joints.

"I go to sit-down restaurants to get decent food," he said. A typical meal is a bento box or a bowl of pho. With a drink, his lunches come out to about $10.

"It tastes better than Carl's Jr.," he said.

Students have varying reasons for eating healthy, but Jason Chou, a Saratoga senior, said it could be because people around them are already doing it.

"It's cool to be fit, and cool to eat salads," he said.

Jason is a brown-bagger, typically bringing a sandwich. While many seniors choose to go out, he said he would rather stay on campus. A round trip in 40 minutes for lunch is too much of a hassle. Plus, it's hard to include all his friends for lunch outings, he said.

"I like to interact with the newer students," he said.

David Smith, a sophomore at Los Gatos, brings a sandwich and a fruit bar from home because the school's lunches don't appeal to him. Eating right is very important to him.

"I worry about nutritional value more than taste," he said.

Los Gatos senior Jane Susskind was eating a salad with her friends at Café de Flore near the campus. She said they go out to eat every day for the variety, including vitamins and fiber. Parents provide the lunch money, or the students charge the lunch to a credit card.

"There's better food," she said.

Eating healthy is a bit like driving within the speed limit. People know to do it, but they don't always stick to the guidelines. But despite seeing baskets of French fries fly off the counter, Carlino, the food services supervisor at both high schools, has faith in the students.

"These kids are smart. They know what they're doing," she said.