Food Connects Our Students
Food Connects Our Students
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Published in our April 2025 newsletter
National Nutrition Month® is a month-long nutrition education campaign sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Every March, National Nutrition Month® is a celebration highlighting healthy habits, including balanced food choices and regular physical activity. The 2025 theme, “Food Connects Us”, focuses not only on the nutritional value of food but on the ways in which meals evoke cultural traditions, holidays, memories of family and friends, and even food access, both locational and seasonal.
This photo was drawn by a 6th grader at Martha Washington. Food connects her to her loved ones. This student drew a photo of her family all sitting down together to eat. She said sitting around the table while enjoying conversation and eating great food is a wonderful experience.
The theme inspired Program Manager Danielle to discuss ways in which food connects to other parts of life with students at several K-8 schools, including Martha Washington Academics Plus and Spring Garden School. She set out to begin a conversation with students on what roles food and nutrition play in their lives.
When Danielle asked this student why he drew a food truck, he said that if he had a food truck, he could sell his favorite foods and connect with a variety of different people. He imagined having “regulars” and knowing their orders and things about their lives, as well as connecting with new people he’d never met before.
This drawing depicts a student and her friend hanging out. One friend says, “I want pizza,” and the other friend says, “let’s get it together.” The student told Danielle that enjoying food with people you like talking to makes the experience a wonderful time.
In each classroom she worked with, Danielle began by asking every student to close their eyes and think about a favorite meal, considering any connections they have to the dish, including who introduced them to the food or foods. After the students opened their eyes, she allowed students to share their experience. Some students mentioned a particular restaurant that a family member introduced them to. They only eat there with that family member and consider the restaurant a special place for the two of them. Others told stories of favorite meals home-cooked by their moms.
This student included the message “having a meal together gives people something to talk about”. They explained to Danielle that people can discuss the foods they enjoy, enjoy those foods together, or share their culture’s foods with others.
This student told Danielle that food connects them to their family, because their family makes them happy and so does food… especially cake!
To broaden the discussion beyond connecting with family members, Danielle asked the students what else food connected them to. One particular group, a class of 2nd grade students at Martha Washington, provided some of the most out-of-the-box answers. One student mentioned how the food they shared with their dog connected them to their pet, another talked about feeling connected to themselves and their body when eating alone, and a third told a story of how much they enjoyed eating home-grown food from their grandmother’s garden and how they felt connected with nature when enjoying these fruits and vegetables.
This is a photo of a student enjoying a meal alone. This student said that they enjoy eating in peace and quiet because this helps them feel calm. They have also been trying to not eat in front of electronics and instead focusing on listening to their body.
This student illustrated how food connects him to nature. He explained to Danielle that this was a depiction of him meditating outside, surrounded by different food groups, and that he was about to enjoy some delicious vegetables.
The 2025 National Nutrition Month® theme sparked evidence that there is so much more to a balanced diet than can be found on a nutrition facts label. Acknowledging and celebrating the multitude of connections between each individual and the food they eat offers a deeper and more thoughtful approach to developing a healthy lifestyle.
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