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Division of Nutrition Assistance
Nutrition Across the Curriculum Appendix A: Essential Nutrition Topics
According to the Centers for Disease Control (1996), (Module 2, p. 5)
lessons should be sequential, age-appropriate, and actively involve the
learner. The Centers for Disease Control's School Health Index for Elementary
Schools (2000a) lists essential nutrition topics. Those topics include
the following:
- Benefits of healthy eating
- The Food Guide Pyramid
- Using food labels
- Identifying foods that are high in vitamins and minerals
- Identifying foods that are low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol,
sodium, and added sugars
- Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and grains
- Eating plenty of calcium-rich foods
- Food safety (including hand washing, food purchasing, preparation
and storage)
- Preparing meals and snacks that are low in fat, sodium, and added
sugar
- Balancing food intake and physical activity
- Accepting body size differences
- Data on illnesses related to poor nutrition or unhealthful dietary
behavior
- Influence of family on dietary behavior
- Influence of culture and media on dietary behavior
- How to find valid information and services related to nutrition and
dietary behavior
- Communication skills for healthy eating
- Decision-making skills for healthy eating
- Goal-setting skills for healthy eating
- How students can influence or support others to engage in healthy
dietary behaviors
- Healthy weight control and risks of unhealthful weight control practices
(such as crash diets and purging)
Essential nutrition topics for middle and high school include all of
the topics listed above and include the two items listed below (School
Health Index for Middle School/High Schools, Centers for Disease Control,
2000b) (Module 2, p. 5)
- The Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Eating disorders
According to the School Health Index for Elementary Schools (Centers
for Disease Control, 2000a) (Module 2, p. 5), opportunities to practice
nutrition skills should include the following:
- Reading food labels
- Identifying foods on a restaurant (and school cafeteria) menu that
are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium
- Planning meals
- Gardening
- Monitoring one's own physical activity and eating behaviors
- Preventing injury during physical activity
Students are more likely to make eating choices when they receive consistent,
reinforced messages from a number of creditable sources within an environment
that encourages healthful choices. Collaboration among school food service
staff, teachers, the community, families and institutional services is
necessary. (USDA, 1998, p. 2)
The Centers for Disease Control (1996), p. 9, recommends that effective
nutrition education should include the following:
- Behaviorally focused content that is developmentally appropriate
and culturally relevant;
- Hands-on activities that are fun;
- Repeated opportunities for students to taste foods that are low in
fat, sodium and added sugars and high in vitamins, minerals and fiber;
- Positive aspects of healthful eating behaviors; and
- Social learning techniques such as role modeling, providing incentives,
developing social resistance skills, overcoming barriers to behavioral
changes and goal setting.
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