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Kids and Nutrition-Finding Those Teachable Moments
Judy Mitnick, M.S., R.D.
Nutrition Has Serious Current and Long Term Effects on our Children’s Lives
• The prevalence of childhood obesity has tripled in just three decades (Inst. Of Medicine and the National Research Council)
• Chronic diseases once only associated with adulthood are seen more frequently in children and youth (Type II Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol)
• Poor school performance can be linked to poor nutritional choices
Competition for a Student’s Classroom Time
• Teachers more pressured than ever to meet curriculum standards
• Less time for “formal” nutrition lessons• Less time for physical activity and P.E.
instruction
“Sneaking” Nutrition Lessons into the Curriculum
• Way to incorporate nutrition concepts throughout the school day
• Nutrition lessons can help reinforce lessons learned in many other classes
• Teachers modeling good nutrition
Subject by Subject Examples….• Math
-Concept of Healthy Weight “by the numbers.” Calories in, Calories out: Is there a net gain or net deficit??-”Nutrition Facts” label reading is a math textbook all its own! Calories per gram for protein, carbohydrate and fat-multiplication Concept of determining percentages (% Daily Value)
Subject by Subject Examples
• ScienceBiology/Physiology-digestion and
absorption rates of foods and effects on brain function and sports performance
Cooking-The ultimate laboratory experiment-practice measuring and weighing while increasing interest in new foods
Subject by Subject Examples
• Social StudiesLearning the origins of foods-agriculture-
makes children feel more connected to food and want to choose more natural options
Environmental Issues help children focus on how our “consumption” effects the world around us
“MyPyramid”
• Created in 2005 to replace the old food pyramid-USDA
• More specific and includes a physical activity component
• Quick and Basic overview of “healthy eating” and gives children guidelines for practicing making healthy choices both at school and at home
• MyPyramid.Gov-Wonderful resource-free handouts, games, etc.
“MyPyramid” Worksheet
• Great tool for increasing “eating awareness” and helps decrease mindless snacking
• Guides students in their food choices• Can be customized based on grade level and
lesson teacher wishes to concentrate on• Reinforces multiple school concepts in
addition to Nutrition: tracking, calculating, creativity, writing, goal setting and more!
Lots of Free Resources Online…
• www.eatright.org (The American Dietetic Association)
• www.mypyramid.gov (Through the USDA)