How to Encourage Healthy Eating in Schools
Encourage healthy eating at home., Take an active role in what the government is doing to encourage healthy eating in schools., Volunteer to organize a health program that parents can be involved in.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Encourage healthy eating at home.
If parents and children eat a well-balanced, healthy diet at home, then children are more likely to follow that example at school.
Talk to children about food and nutrition.
Explaining which foods are nutritional and why each meal of the day is important helps children understand, which helps them make better decisions when the parents are not around.
Go over the school food menu with children.
If children don’t like something, they will usually state it.
By going through the menu, the children have a chance to give feedback on what is being served.
Parents can use this feedback and pass it on to the school food service director.
Parents can also use this feedback to address common myths around school food and as a last option, they can work with their children to create healthy sack lunch alternatives that meet the child’s expectations.
Keep fruit available for snacks in a visible location.
Children will eat what they have access to and so will parents.
Having the fruit out is a reminder that it is there and ready.
Fruit also has more fiber to help satiate between meals.
This can also help decrease unhealthy snacking -
Step 2: Take an active role in what the government is doing to encourage healthy eating in schools.
School meals are regulated at many different levels of government.
The county regulations may differ from the state, and the state regulations often differ from the federal when it comes to school meals.
If a school participates in the national school lunch and breakfast programs, then it must meet the requirements to receive aid from the federal government.
These requirements include serving the proper amounts of healthy foods for each meal.
The school still needs to meet state and local requirements as well, which are often more strict than the federal guidelines.
Unfortunately, the regulations can vary greatly from one school district to another and that is why it is important to know the regulations and get involved.
Get involved with Let’s Move.
Let’s Move is the federal government’s program to encourage healthier children.
The program has many resources to educate.
They also have groups throughout the U.S. made up of concerned parents that get together to help in their local communities.
The Let’s Move groups can be found on meetup.com and parents can join a local group for free.
Correspond with local congress representatives’ on why healthier eating in schools is important and find out how they are helping.
Letting the local congress representatives know that healthier eating in schools is important will open their eyes to a topic that needs to be addressed.
Many schools lack funding to purchase the best food choices and many of the money made from school lunches goes to other programs in schools, not back into school meals.
Without people supporting the cause for healthier eating openly, schools will continue to face this cost issue and be less able to bring the best foods to children. , The health program can sample new menu items and put together student focus groups to get feedback on what schools should serve.
The health program can also run contests that make nutrition fun and reward students for their efforts.
Promote school lunch by working with the food service professionals.
Many school food service directors welcome volunteers.
Chefs are welcome in school kitchens because they help create new menu items.
Food service directors are also always looking for ways to raise participation and become more profitable.
Organize fundraisers.
Since many fundraisers target parents, it is easier to sell healthier foods and healthy lifestyle items, such as whole grain foods and small exercise accessories.
When adults support these types of fundraisers, they can teach their children by example. -
Step 3: Volunteer to organize a health program that parents can be involved in.
Detailed Guide
If parents and children eat a well-balanced, healthy diet at home, then children are more likely to follow that example at school.
Talk to children about food and nutrition.
Explaining which foods are nutritional and why each meal of the day is important helps children understand, which helps them make better decisions when the parents are not around.
Go over the school food menu with children.
If children don’t like something, they will usually state it.
By going through the menu, the children have a chance to give feedback on what is being served.
Parents can use this feedback and pass it on to the school food service director.
Parents can also use this feedback to address common myths around school food and as a last option, they can work with their children to create healthy sack lunch alternatives that meet the child’s expectations.
Keep fruit available for snacks in a visible location.
Children will eat what they have access to and so will parents.
Having the fruit out is a reminder that it is there and ready.
Fruit also has more fiber to help satiate between meals.
This can also help decrease unhealthy snacking
School meals are regulated at many different levels of government.
The county regulations may differ from the state, and the state regulations often differ from the federal when it comes to school meals.
If a school participates in the national school lunch and breakfast programs, then it must meet the requirements to receive aid from the federal government.
These requirements include serving the proper amounts of healthy foods for each meal.
The school still needs to meet state and local requirements as well, which are often more strict than the federal guidelines.
Unfortunately, the regulations can vary greatly from one school district to another and that is why it is important to know the regulations and get involved.
Get involved with Let’s Move.
Let’s Move is the federal government’s program to encourage healthier children.
The program has many resources to educate.
They also have groups throughout the U.S. made up of concerned parents that get together to help in their local communities.
The Let’s Move groups can be found on meetup.com and parents can join a local group for free.
Correspond with local congress representatives’ on why healthier eating in schools is important and find out how they are helping.
Letting the local congress representatives know that healthier eating in schools is important will open their eyes to a topic that needs to be addressed.
Many schools lack funding to purchase the best food choices and many of the money made from school lunches goes to other programs in schools, not back into school meals.
Without people supporting the cause for healthier eating openly, schools will continue to face this cost issue and be less able to bring the best foods to children. , The health program can sample new menu items and put together student focus groups to get feedback on what schools should serve.
The health program can also run contests that make nutrition fun and reward students for their efforts.
Promote school lunch by working with the food service professionals.
Many school food service directors welcome volunteers.
Chefs are welcome in school kitchens because they help create new menu items.
Food service directors are also always looking for ways to raise participation and become more profitable.
Organize fundraisers.
Since many fundraisers target parents, it is easier to sell healthier foods and healthy lifestyle items, such as whole grain foods and small exercise accessories.
When adults support these types of fundraisers, they can teach their children by example.
About the Author
Claire Vasquez
Experienced content creator specializing in crafts guides and tutorials.
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