N UTRITION Maddie Walsh Healthy Schools

H EALTHY SCHOOLS Children consume half their meals at school Good nutrition within schools has become more important than ever

W HICH IS Y OU ?

E FFECTS OF U NHEALTHY S CHOOL L UNCH ’ S Obesity and weight issues Many schools offer calorie-rich, fatty foods Physical effects Puts children at higher risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes Mental effects Effects test scores and all schoolwork Bad Lunch's

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R ECOMMENDATIONS : Incorporate more grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, less sodium and fat Maintaining the appropriate portion size for each grade Make breakfast available and not only lunch

W HO C AN H ELP ? Principles Teachers School nutrition workers Parents

H OW C AN P ARENTS H ELP Eat meals with your child showing them you eat fruits, vegetables, grains Bring your child grocery shopping with you Incorporate new foods in their diets

Healthy Eating Habits Unhealthy Eating Habits

P REPARING S CHOOL LUNCH I SSUES Parents feel challenged when it comes to packing their children’s lunch

T OP 5 R EASONS T O T EACH N UTRITION E DUCATION IN C LASSROOMS

R EASON 5: Nutrition is a more enjoyable topic for students You can correct incorrect views about food just with a quick lesson in class Students are excited about learning!

R EASON 4: Become more informed consumers They develop a better awareness of nutritional info on products What they learn in class can be tested in real-life situations

R EASON 3: Widening their knowledge about nutrition they may not learn outside of school Can bring what they learn at school home Benefits of nutrition education goes beyond the classroom

R EASON 2: Makes students more aware of health benefits to the body Broadening their education outside of standard curriculum Improve quality of students education! A+

R EASON 1: Maintaining healthy habits will lead to smarter decisions! With smarter decisions come smarter students! Can lead to more academic success! Apples, bananas

P OSITIVE S NACK C HANGES

H EALTHIER M ENU C HANGES :

M AKE T HE CHANGE It is never to late to late to change! The benefits are rewarding Making steps closer for healthier students!

R EFERENCES parents Viewer/Article/521/Top-5-Reasons-to-Teach-Nutrition-Education-in-Your- Classroom.aspx unhealthy-school-lunches/