Moms are always checking up on their kids to make sure they’re eating right, and now that Mrs. Hawaii Lara Leimana Fonoimoana has stepped up to the Mrs. America title, she wants to make sure the whole nation hears that message.

She’s the second person from Hawaii to hold the national title; Leslie Lam won in 2000. As first runner-up in the Mrs. America national pageant, which honors married women who are "beautiful, poised, articulate and versatile," Fonoimoana took over the title after Mrs. America April Lufriu of Florida won the Mrs. World title in December.

During that pageant, held in Orlando, Fla., Fonoimoana, a dancer for the Polynesian Cultural Center, was in rehearsals and afraid to hear the results.

"A couple of pageant sisters were updating me, texting from Florida, and I didn’t want to look at the texts. The last one said (Lufriu had) made it into the top three. I left my phone for 20 minutes, and by the time I came back, my phone was going off with messages from Orlando. I just started shaking, completely shaking.

"I called my husband but couldn’t say anything. He asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ and all I could say was ‘April,’ and then we both started screaming on the phone."

Fonoimoana now looks forward to having a national audience for her platform of childhood nutrition and obesity issues, a subject that hits home for the Kahuku mother of two.

With her part-Hawaiian heritage, she said, "I come from a line of people who I believe have passed before their time because of health risks."

She said her father, who died at 70, was a lifelong yo-yo dieter who would alternately gain and lose 30 to 80 pounds without ever adopting a balanced diet crucial for good health.

"My mom and dad did the best they could do, but I didn’t have healthful foods in my upbringing. I ate a lot of fast food, saimin; Jack in the Box was right across the street from us."

As she grew older she saw herself gaining weight despite her active lifestyle, following a familiar pattern. "My dad’s yo-yo dieting became my bad habit, so I would lose pounds, gain it back, and I couldn’t understand what was going on."

Giving birth to her daughter, Athena, four years ago was the catalyst for changing her lifestyle. She also has a 1-year-old son, Titus.

"It became important to me, as a mother, to pass on good values and knowledge, because the one thing no one can take away from a child is education. Children should know that fast foods are treats. They shouldn’t be something people turn to all the time."

Learning to eat for health meant shrinking local-size plates to servings that are one-third to one-half the size most people expect from an entree, and increasing the number of fruits and vegetables on her plate.

"My mom sees my transformation and she’s adapted her diet. She’s lost 40 pounds now. It’s great to see because she’s at the age that I lost my dad."

Knowing that childhood obesity is also a key issue for first lady Michelle Obama, Fonoimoana hopes she will be able to work with her in getting the message across. In the meantime she’s working with youths through such agencies as Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii, Aloha Cares, the Hono­lulu Theatre for Youth and Goodwill.

Fonoimoana will be the emcee for the Junior League of Honolulu’s "Sacs in the City" event taking place 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 3 at the Sheraton Waikiki. The lunch event will feature a Diane von Furstenberg fashion show and silent auction of handbags and other items to benefit the organization’s community activities, including a "Kids in the Kitchen Program" that addresses childhood nutrition issues.

In the fall, Fonoimoana is planning to launch, in conjunction with the state Department of Health, her "Shake it Up" campaign, which involves her two passions: nutrition and dance. Drawing on her skills as a professional Polynesian dancer, she views the dance movements as a fun way for people to get active.

"Zumba caught on in fitness, so why not incorporate hula or Tahitian movements? It would not only show people how to exercise, but also showcase the best of Hawaii and what we’re all about," she said.

The nutrition aspect of her plan would promote fruit and vegetable shakes in the colors of the rainbow, though she’s still looking for the right blue. "Blueberries are obvious but they turn purple," she said.

"I test my recipes on my kids. You would think they would be intimidated by green, but if you start them off young, they get used to it," Fonoimoana said. "I test my recipes on Facebook, too."

There, she’s learned, adults are more squeamish than children about a shake made from kale and spinach.

"I tell them, ‘Just try it,’ and they do and come back and say, ‘That’s not bad.’"

Shakes being shakes, they’re subject to individual tastes, and she said people are welcome to enhance them with a little bit of honey and cinnamon. What’s more, their shake-and-sip nature means "there’s no excuse not to take one with you wherever you go."