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Teaching Strategies on Improving Your Students' Nutrition

Teaching strategies for good nutrition are important to help influence your student's behavior. Nutrition is so important to a child's well being and future quality of life. As well a nourished child will perform better at school and learn more readily. But it is not an easy feat sometimes to get a child to eat foods that will nourish their body without resistance. We need good teaching strategies in this area to be successful. With fast food outlets and TV ads everywhere, it can be a challenge. If this trend in our society does not reverse itself, we will have more and more malnourished teens and adults. This is showing itself at an alarming rate with the numbers of children that have obesity at younger and younger ages.

A child's development depends to a large extent on the type of food that he/she eats. Children require a balance from all food groups every day: carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and amino acids that are used by the body as building blocks. A balance is needed for best overall health and should be considered in our teaching strategies on nutrition. This includes a balance of all foods including fruits and veggies, grains, cereals, dairy products and protein in the form of meat, poultry, fish, nuts, seeds and legumes. As well good fats that are found in olive oils and fish in the form of Omega 3 are needed daily.

So how do we get our children to eat quality foods? Here are a few teaching strategies and suggestions to incorporate into your lessons plans:

1. A fiber rich content in the food is very nutritive and useful for the child's growth. Fiber also helps in the elimination of toxic wastes from the body. High fiber foods reduce cravings throughout the day and help prevent overeating. Try whole grain breads, crackers and cereals as well as fruit such as apples with the skin left on.
2. Fruit is essential to growth and should be eaten daily. If you give children a variety, they won't get bored with the same old thing. Remember to limit the amount of fruit servings each day as fruit contains a lot of natural sugar. For this reason fruit juice can have a huge hit on a person's insulin levels and blood sugar, which can cause cravings for more later in the day. Juice without the pulp does not contain as much fiber as whole fruit either. Too much juice and a child could get cavities in their teeth. The best time of the day to eat fruit is lunch or later in the day for a school recess snack.
3. Limit highly processed foods as they contain a lot of hidden fats, mainly the bad ones. Most packaged foods contain trans-fats which are very bad for our health. But good fats are important for cell production and hormone production. Limit fats but do give children nuts, olive oil, eggs and fish which have those good fats.
4. Reduce red meat consumption. I am not advocating a vegetarian diet as I believe in a good balance of foods, but we do not need the amounts of meat that most currently consume. As well eat more poultry with the skin removed than red meat.
5. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It should consist of whole grains and milk products. A good breakfast will help a child get through the morning and be more attentive in class.
6. Water is very important as it keeps our bodies well hydrated, improves digestion, kidney function and blood circulation. Water in fact is more important than food. Make sure that your students drink 6-8 glasses of water each day.
7. Exercising is very important to the well being of our children. And most children do not get enough physical activity. There is less time spent in gym class at school and more time spent on the computer or in front of the TV at home. Our teaching strategies need to address this concern. If a child has a weight problem it is better to eat well balanced foods and exercise more than to dieting. Dieting started at a young age bodes trouble as a child gets older and yo-yo dieting often results. We know how unhealthy that is for a person at any age.
8. Strategies should recommend the addition a variety of vegetables to each day's consumption with a focus on green veggies. Raw vegetables have more nutrients and fiber, so always have a supply for snacks.
9. Never give food as a reward. Include some of the less desirable foods in small amounts in your child's diet so they don't feel completely deprived. A cookie, a candy, handful of chips occasionally through the week is okay. Just don't go overboard.

Teach your students how important it is to eat healthily—for a lifetime, a great teaching strategy!