1. Chapter 21 Creative Food Experiences
Importance of Food Experiences to the Total Program
Guidelines for Creative Food Activities
Getting Started
Reducing Sugar in Children’s Diets
Childhood Obesity
Preventing Obesity

2. Importance of Food Experiences
Concept building
Building descriptive language
Learning about tastes
Observing changes
Self-expression
Learning about others—social skills
Small-muscle development
Measuring skills

3. Guidelines for Creative Food Activities
Open-ended
Challenging, but not too difficult
Varied
Process versus product
Inexpensive materials
Variety of places—indoors and outdoors

4. Getting Started Planning—ingredients, utensils, objectives
Consider children’s developmental levels
Set goals—manipulative skills, nutrition knowledge, trying new foods
Plan step-by-step procedure
Discuss—before and after activity
Plan follow-up activities to reinforce learning

5. Reducing Sugar in Children’s Diets
Reduce/eliminate soda consumption
Avoid foods high in sugar
Avoid overuse of fruit juice
Encourage water drinking
Avoid processed foods

6. Improving Young Children’s Diets
Whole organic foods
Whole grains
Eliminate canned fruits and vegetables
Raw fruits and vegetables
Whole-wheat or soy flour
Ground-up raisins, dates, dried fruit in place of sugar

7. Preventing Obesity
National standards defining physically healthy students (NASPE)
Regular physical activity
FITS study
Encourage wide variety of fruits and vegetables
Reduce sweets, sweetened beverages, and salty snacks