Good Nutrition=Good LearningResearch has shown us that kids who eat
breakfast:
produce better test scores, behavior better, showed a decrease in hyperactivity …but it’s also the quality, not the quantity
Lunch at SchoolThe same goes for lunch (healthy
choices=better learning) But if you eat at school and all you have
are unhealthy choices, you don’t even have the opportunity to eat right.
Most schools aren’t offering those healthy alternatives to the fried and greasy meals.
Vending MachinesIt’s not just the school lunch selection to blame, vending machines play a role in malnutrition in schools by offering:
Sugary beverages (pop, juice) Candy Processed snacks (chips,
cookies, crackers) Snack cakes (brownies, buns) Ice cream
The Solution!Give children an alternative to unhealthy
eating by offering healthy, wholesome choices
School Lunch of the FutureFresh Cooked
Meats Whole grain breadsLunch meatSaladsFruits/Vegetables Water
Research Doesn’t LieSchools that have implemented a healthier
style of eating all say the same things:
Better academic performance Attendance increase Trouble spots decrease (drug, guns,
expultions)
But what about the cost?It is an investment (at about$20,000 a year), but as
one doctor said defending it "one child arrested would cost the schools more." (Dr. Scullen)
Dan Tauber of one Wisconsin school says, "Let’s invest in the kids now, financially, with food versus invest in them later, financially, with ’how do we correct the problems we have because they are not eating healthy?’"
according to another Wisconsin teacher, Mary Bruyette, nutrition should come up in the budget. "We’re concerned about everything else. We’re concerned about new band uniforms. We’re concerned about the football team. We’re concerned about text books. Why not be concerned about nutrition?”
Success StoriesTons of examples Effective at any grade level, any part of the
countryNew York City area schools Appleton, Wisconsin Colorado area schoolsThe list goes on…
Not Just About the FoodFood education Being aware of what you’re eating Making healthy foods fun and appealing Physical activity Take existing “bad” foods you have and
make them healthier (studies show the students don’t even know)
Establishing Life Long Healthy Eating Habits Healthy kids become healthy adultsObesity #3 preventable death in the US Our country in the “fattest” in the world Need to start nutrition guidance early, in
elementary, junior high, and high school (not before it’s too late)
Image Citations Foodfight4x
Quest 007
http://illo.worth1000.com/entries/480460/foodfight-club
filling.face
jking89
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jking89/3476740902/
burger
JOE M500
http://www.flickr.com/photos/m500/2864342764/
pizza
andie712b
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andie712b/2066963097/
salad
stevedepolo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3557305803/
fruit
David Masters
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmasters/3603240087/
healthy eating
tiffanywashko
http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturalmom/3705088109/
Citations Ellerbee, William J.; Bramson-Paul, Phyllis.; Marcellino, Sara.
(January/February 2006) Healthy Children Ready to Learn. Leadership v. 35 no3 (p. 26-9, 39).
Feingold AssociationA Different Kind of School Lunch. Retrieved from http://www.feingold.org/Bluebook/page-09-wisconsin.pdf
Pettigrew, Andre N. (2005)
Denver’s Balancing Act for Obesity and Vending. School Administrator v. 62 no9 (p, 10-12)
Hernandez, Fabiola (May 27, 2009)Top 5 Fattest Countries in the World. Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1766192/top_5_fattest_countries_in_the_world_pg2_pg2.html?cat=51