A Boulder company’s kid-friendly nutritional website is in the running for a $10,000 grand prize from Michelle Obama’s campaign to combat childhood obesity.

ZisBoomBah.com is one of 11 nationwide programs and the only entry accepted from Colorado in “The Apps for Healthy Kids” competition, a part of the first lady’s Let’s Move! The goal: developing engaging software that drives youths to eat better and be active.

The site’s online tool “Pick Chow” engages, entertains and teaches kids ages 9 to 12 how to make balanced, healthy meals by dragging and dropping items onto a virtual plate. Then, an “Add It Up!” meter rates the nutritional value of their food choices and rates each breakfast, lunch and dinner from one to five stars. Online users can compete against one another for “Meal of the Week,” get recipe ideas and e-mail their “chow” to their friends and as well as recipes, menus and shopping lists.

A screening by a USDA panel will select the top competition submissions and judges ranging from dieticians and software engineers to game designers will choose three winners for the program’s impact, content, ability to engage and motivate, and the potential for further development.

ZisBoomBah’s creator, Karen Laszlo, said she would use the $10,000 prize to develop a free online curriculum for child nutrition. Members of the public can vote once to help a program win a Popular Choice award and $4,500. Votes can be cast from July 14 to Aug. 14 at appsforhealthykids.com.

Laszlo spent 12 years helping startup companies build development plans with ZisBoomBah. She wants technology to help families deal with one of their biggest daily struggles — eating right. Market research shows healthy families involve kids in the eating process from selecting to preparing food.

“This tool ads real value to families’ lives and helps parents share the responsibility of food with their children,” says Laszlo. “This empowers kids to go online, make their own healthy food choices and tell Mom and Dad what they want to try for dinner.”

Since the site launched in April, more than 1,100 children and their parents have registered. Michelle Somers of Littleton says that instead of her constantly harping about healthy foods, the hands-on experience allows her children to weigh the outcomes of their own choices.

“I like broccoli and cauliflower, but when I put them both on the plate,” along with other less-healthy foods, the meal was too salty, says 7-year-old Ashley Somers.

“Because I want to get a (five) star meal, I keep taking away stuff like pastas and putting other stuff back in,” says her twin sister, Aspen Somers, whose mac-and-cheese pizza dish (from a recipe on the site), plus an apple and broccoli, earned her a “Meal of the Week” award.

-Sheba R. Wheeler:

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