Fuel for School

Encouraging Kids to Eat Nutritious Foods
 

Kids love fast food. But should they be eating it at school?

Educators must teach them about the potential dangers of a fast food diet—obesity and diabetes and heart problems—and how more nutritious foods can lead to better mental and physical health.

Kids need to start thinking of food as fuel—and thinking about eating foods that will prepare their minds and bodies for the task ahead. For example, they need protein for breakfast and lunch, to get their brains ready to do school work, and complex carbohydrates to get their bodies ready to participate in athletic activities.

And they need to remember that food affects mood. Too much sugar, soda, and caffeinated products create spikes and dives in energy level. Such a diet can make kids moody, sleepy, and overactive, and give them headaches. And who wants to be around that?

Fast food. No. Not the ideal fuel for school.

Here are some ideas for teaching kids more about nutrition and their health:

» Healthy Choices - Curriculum resources explore nutrition & healthy diets, conflict resolution, and more.

» Ten Best Foods, Ten Worst Foods - This project looks at the 10 best foods to eat to manage weight control and to prevent common ailments and then identifies the worst foods, which have become all too prevelant in our society. See Foods That Heal at this site.

» The Go Healthy Challenge - The Go Healthy Challenge is an on-air, online and community-based movement that empowers kids to take the lead in making their lives, schools and communities healthier.

» MyPyramid.gov - Animated tour of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommended
nutrition pyramid, in which users can assess their diets and physical activity, review a sample menu and use the food-tracking worksheet to improve their eating habits.

» Nutrition on the Net - If your students think nutrition is a dull topic, they haven't gotten the full story on food from the resources of the Internet. Many wonderful sites are available.

» Popcorn Nutrition - Grades 3-8 read a snack nutrition chart and answer questions.

» Drive-Thru Nutrition - Grades 9-12 compare the fat and calorie content of various items at 12 popular fast-food restaurants.

» Make Your Lessons Pop(corn)! - Add a little pop to your week -- popcorn, that is. These lesson plans will engage students as they create popcorn timelines, maps, and graphs.