Healthy eating can be fun and delicious as some 200 attendees found out at the "Eat Your Colors!" kickoff held at Sandhills Community College last Tuesday.

Culinary delights -- with a healthy focus -- were the highlight of the event, which begins the second phase of the MooreFit Challenge.

Special treats were prepared, including a delicious salad and chicken a la king by the Sandhills Community College culinary technology students and a walnut cake served with a raspberry and lychee sorbet prepared by chefs from Pinehurst Resort. Roly Poly provided free healthy wraps, and the Moore County school system's child nutrition department offered samples of healthy meals provided to students, while outlining nutrition guidelines that are followed in the school system.

Several other local businesses and organizations also took part with displays and healthy offerings, including FirstHealth Centers for Health and Fitness, Farmers Market, Sodexho, FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Co., FirstHealth HMR Weight Management Program and FirstHealth Community Health Services.

Several representatives of participating businesses spoke, including Pinehurst Village Manager Andy Wilkison; Dr. John Turner, senior vice president for instructional and student services at Sandhills Community College; FirstHealth dietitian Kathy Hefner; and Bill Croft, chairman of the SCC Health Sciences Department.

Matt Cutrone, of Pinehurst Resort and a member of the MooreFit Committee, presented door prizes with the top prize of an iPod being won by John Zeller, of Pinehurst Resort.

To participate in the "Eat Your Colors!" competition, employers must first sign up their businesses via the MooreFit.org Web site. Then employees can go to the Web site and sign up for the competition under their businesses or organizations.

Participants will earn points by eating at least one serving from each of the five food color groups each day. Employees who reach 300 or more points at the end of the three-month competition are eligible for prizes.

A healthy recipe competition is also a part of the "Eat Your Colors!" initiative. Those wishing to participate should submit their healthy recipes via the MooreFit.org Web site. The top 10 recipes will be selected by a registered dietician based on use of the five color categories, creativity, ease of preparation, originality and healthy ingredients.

The winners will be invited to participate in a cook-off at a special celebration event to conclude the competition.

A third phase of the competition encourages employers to improve nutrition in the workplace by making changes, creating policies and taking other steps that will promote healthier eating. Businesses that have made the most changes with the greatest impact will receive donations to be made to the charity of their choice.

At the "Eat Your Colors!" wrap-up event in May, there will be an Iron Chef competition in which two teams will compete in a cook-off. Final awards will be presented at that time. Information about date, time and location will be published on the MooreFit Web site and in The Pilot. Check the MooreFit.org Web site for regular updates.

MooreFit is a program to encourage a healthy lifestyle among Moore County's employees. The idea was conceived by FirstHealth CEO Charles T. Frock and Dr. Susan Purser, superintendent of the Moore County school system. It now includes many area employers such as The Pilot, the village of Pinehurst, Pinehurst Resort, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Co., Sandhills Community College and several other county businesses.

MooreFit's inaugural challenge began last fall and was called "Ready, Set, Walk!" to encourage a more active lifestyle. Pedometers were given out, and a MooreFit Web site (MooreFit.org) was created where individuals could enter their daily steps for prizes.

Prizes were awarded to individuals and businesses with the greatest average number of steps. More than 3,000 Moore County employees took part in the fall competition.