FoodFoodF4

Obesity and Diabetes

• Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Today, in the United States, 17.3% of children ages 6-19 are obese. If this number does not sound high, compare it to 1980, when only a little over 6% of US children were considered obese.

• Type II diabetes was once called “adult onset diabetes” because it was rarely found in children. In the early 90s, pediatricians reported only 2% to 4% of their diabetic patients had Type II. Today, the reported cases of children with Type II have increased tenfold.

Health and Nutrition

FoodFoodF4Crash Course in Nutrition

Simple Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates

• Primarily provide the body with a source of fuel and energy required to carry out daily activities and exercise.

Complex Carbohydrates

FoodFoodF4Crash Course in Nutrition

Complete Proteins

Proteins

• The most important function of protein is to build, maintain, and replace the tissues in your body.

Incomplete Protein

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• Unsaturated Fats are the fats that are good for brain development and good for your heart.

• Saturated Fats and Trans Fat are the main dietary cause of high cholesterol and contributes to other heart problems.

• Trans fat is a type of saturated fat, found mostly in processed foods.

FatsFats are important for brain development and storing the

body’s extra calories

FoodFoodF4Vitamins and Minerals

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin E

• Calcium

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin B12

• Vitamin C

FoodFoodF4Vitamins and Minerals (cont.)

• Iron

• Niacin (vitamin B3)

• Potassium

• Zinc

FoodFoodF5School Food

During the Great Depression of the1930s, unemployment was high, farmers could not sell their crops (prices were too low),

and American children were undernourished.

As a solution to these issues, the government created a school lunchsystem.

• Children were fed healthy meals

• Unemployed women got jobs as lunch cooks

• The government purchased farm crops to be used in preparing school food, supporting US farmers

FoodFoodF5What are the issues with the way schools

produce food now?

• School cafeterias create a lot of waste– Packaging waste:– Food waste

• Industrial agriculture makes school lunch– Fossil fuels

• Student Health Issues

FoodFoodF6Soil: Back to Basics

The Dirt on Soil: A Few Facts

Soil has three separate layers:• The top layer contains minerals

and humus, the decayed remains of animals and plants. Humus and minerals are needed by plants for good growth

• The second layer contains smaller humus and large amounts of minerals

•

• The third layer consists of weathered rock fragments that are being broken down

FoodFoodF6The Composite Recipe

• To make compost you need four things:

1. Air

2. Water

3. Nitrogen (greens)

4. Carbon (browns)

• Browns are dead

• Greens are fresh

• Putting more browns than greens

• Do not put bones, fats, oils, cheese, meat, or milk products

• Compost piles should be moist but not soggy.

FoodFoodF7Building a New Food System

“A sustainable agriculture does not deplete soils or people.”-Wendell Berry

FoodFoodF7Sustainable Agriculture

• Sustainable agriculture is the opposite of industrial agriculture in nearly every way. It aims to make the food system smaller by reducing the amount of resources consumed and replacing what it uses.

• Protecting and renewing the soil

• Integrating natural systems

• Polycultures

• Humane treatment of animals

FoodFoodF7Get it Locally

The closer your food is grown to where you live, the easier it is to know how it was grown.

Local food is available in several ways:

• Community Gardens

• Farmers Markets

• Grow your own

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

FoodFoodF8Food Awareness for a Healthy School

Healthy Students• Even small changes in the

way you eat can have big effects

Eat a wide variety of foods• Don’t be afraid to try new

things. Make a game of it and try one new food each week

Learn to cook• Cooking at home is half the

battle to healthy eating for you and the planet. It is fun and you know exactly how your food is made and what is in it

FoodFoodF8Food Awareness for a Healthy School

• Grow some food• Drink lots of water• Bring your own snacks

– When you go to school or go places with friends or family, plan ahead and bring healthy snacks.

• Listen to your body– Often, we keep eating if there is food in

front of us, even if we are not hungry. If your body is telling you it is full, try to listen and stop eating.

• Pay attention to your food– If we do other things while we are eating,

we are not paying attention to what we are putting into our bodies. Do not eat while watching television, sitting at a computer, in a car or walking. Make time for your food.

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• Get Moving– Ride a bike or walk instead of

taking buses or cars. Take stairs instead of elevators. Make sure you do physical activity every day.

• Get fit with friends and family

• Join in physical activities at school

• Balance

Share these ideas with everyone in your school!

FoodFoodF8Some Ideas for school lunch:

• Reduce Meat Consumption– Start a “Meatless

Monday”

• Zero Waste Lunch

FoodFoodF10Subsistence Farming

In subsistence farming, families grow crops primarily to feed

themselves.

FoodFoodF10Traditions in Food