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Simple Ways to Encourage Healthy Eating
Lead by example! You have a lot of influence with your students that you can use to encourage healthy eating. Talk to them about the healthy foods you like to eat. Display your healthy snack for the day and tell them why you like it. Keep your water bottle with you so they can see you making healthy beverage choices. If you do want to have a treat that day, try eat it when they're not around. Bonus: this will help keep you healthy too!
Have students keep a fruit and veggies diary. Encourage them to write down all the fruits and vegetables they eat. Keep a class chart to see who eats the most fruits and veggies each week. The winning student gets to be the Fruit and Veggie King/Queen for the next week.
Have a weekly Healthy Eats Show and Tell. Students can use this time to talk about their favorite healthy meal each week. They can draw pictures or write stories about their meal and why they enjoyed it so much.
Celebrate sans sugar. When we give students sweets at school we don't allow parents the opportunity to choose when their kids should have treats and when they shouldn't. Fortunately there are plenty of fun ways to celebrate holidays and birthdays without the sweet stuff. If you need ideas, check out the Healthy Events and Celebrations resource page.
“Every single young person has to be prepared for a very competitive world economy. They have to be at the top of their game, and for that, they need to be healthy. They need proper nutrition and access to healthy meals at school and at home in order to reach their full potential.”
- Tom Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
EUSD Nutrition Services Resources For Teachers
Free Nutrition Education Lessons and Curricula
Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum (Grades 1-6). All materials available online for immediate download.
USDA Nutrition Education Materials for Middle and High Schools
Nourish Interactive (Grades K-5) All materials available online for immediate download. *Note: The lessons on BMI are NOT recommended for use in the classroom.
Dairy Council of California Classroom Programs (Grades K-12). Can order entire curriculum online.
Discover MyPlate (Kindergarten). All materials are available online for immediate download or you can order free printed copies.
Dig In! Standards-Based Nutrition Education from the Ground Up (Grades 5-6) All materials are available online for immediate download or you can order free printed copies.
Free Food Systems Education Lessons and Curricula
Food and Culture Project: The World's Flavor Profiles (Grades 3-5)
Food and Culture Project: The Migration of Food (Grade 6-8)
Nourish Companion Guides (Grades 6-8)
Big Ideas: Linking Food, Culture, Health and the Environment (Grades K-12)
Food Traditions Interview (Recommended for grades 3-5)
School Lunch Survey Lesson (Recommended for grades 6-8)
Free Nutrition Education Materials and Activities
Additional Books and Resources
Hip Hop Healthy Heart Program (comprehensive health education program)
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