March is National Nutrition Month®! This nutrition education campaign is sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing smart eating and exercise habits. In addition, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, celebrated March 9, increases awareness of rewarding careers promoting healthy lifestyles.
Envision helps you celebrate National Nutrition Month (NNM) at your school by offering nutrition-related activities for your classroom, information on careers in nutrition, and direct links to the many tools and resources from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Nutrition Activity Ideas:
Nutrition lessons don’t have to be limited to science class! Children of all ages should understand the importance of a healthy diet. Here we offer a variety of classroom activities, appropriate for various grade levels and school subjects.
Nutrition for Elementary School Students
It’s easy to make nutrition lessons fun for elementary school kids. Here are a just a few ideas:
- Grow Veggies in Class: If you start now, you’ll be harvesting well before the summer break. Your students can select the veggies they’d like to grow, or, for quick results, use this list from Urban Organic Gardner, for 5 veggies you can harvest in as little as 25 days! Pair this project with research on the nutritional value of the plants the students are growing.
- All the Foods of the Rainbow – Or Alphabet: This simple interactive game requires students to provide examples of healthy foods, based on colors or letters of the alphabet.
- For the color game, tape squares of various colored construction paper in a big circle on the floor. Then play a song as your students walk in a circle around the squares (like musical chairs). When the music stops, each student will be standing by a square and must share a healthy food example that matches that color (i.e. purple = grape or eggplant).
- For larger classes, write each letter of the alphabet on a separate scrap of paper and have students pick a letter out of a hat. They then must name a healthy food item that starts with that letter.
- Play Healthy Food Bingo: Using this printable bingo card from nestofposies.com, reinforce the concept of healthy food groups such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein and grains, during a fun class activity.
- Create Food Pyramids: Students can create their own artistic and colorful food pyramids, using any of the many examples from Google Images as guides.
Nutrition for Geography Class
- Food from Different Countries: In this exercise, students research and report on unique foods from countries around the world. Use a sign-up sheet to ensure that each student selects a different country. The reports can be written or oral, and may include a food preparation demonstration or samples to share with the class, if desired. Elements of the report should include:
- Ways in which the unique dishes are related to the country’s culture or geographic location
- Nutritional values of the unique dishes
- Interesting facts such as related traditions, unique food preparation methods, etc.
Nutrition for Art Class
- Food as Art: Food is beautiful and has been featured in artwork for centuries. In this straight-forward exercise, your students create paintings, photography, sketches or even sculptures, using healthy food as their subject.
Nutrition for History Class
- Nutrition and Dietary Trends of the Ages: Students can better engage with history when they can picture the everyday lives of the people they’re studying. What did the ancient Egyptians or the peoples of Mesopotamia eat? Was it healthy? How did society’s attitudes toward food change over the ages? Have vegetarian diets always been popular, or is that trend unique to our own era? Challenge your students to devise and answer questions like these as they combine nutrition education with history.
Nutrition for Science Class
The study of nutrition is scientific in nature, as students learn how foods interact with the body. Ideas for class projects include:
- Nutrients in Our Bodies: Students research the ways in which the body acquires and utilizes proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc.
- Animal Diets vs. Human Diets: What aspects of the internal anatomy of various species dictate their diets?
- The Science of Herbs and Spices: Students research the chemistry and biology of various spices and investigate the medicinal qualities of herbs.
Careers in Nutrition
More than ever, the field of medicine now includes a holistic approach to health, with diet and nutrition considered to be major factors in the welfare of any patient. Introduce your students to the concept of a rewarding career as a dietitian or nutritionist. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 67,400 nutritionist jobs in the U.S. in 2012, and projects that by 2022 this figure will grow by 21%, to 81,600.
Dietitian vs. Nutritionist
Although often used interchangeably, there is a difference between a “nutritionist” and a “dietitian,” similar to the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA. Nutritionists do not have to carry specific certifications; some states may require an occupational license, while others allow individuals to practice without any previous education, training or work experience. Only nutritionists that become registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) may legally declare themselves to be dietitians, or more precisely, Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs).
As we learn on the website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, RDNs help people understand the role of food in their lives, as they reach and maintain a healthy weight, and prevent and manage diseases. RDNs may work in hospitals and other health care facilities, or throughout the community in schools, fitness centers, food management, research and private practice. RDNs are important components of school meal programs, bringing both expertise and the vision to create a healthy food climate in the cafeteria.
RDNs must have a bachelor's degree, with course work approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Accreditation Council. Coursework typically includes food and nutrition sciences, foodservice systems management, business, economics, computer science, sociology, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology and chemistry. Approximately 50% of RDNs hold advanced degrees, and some may hold additional certifications in specialized areas of practice, such as pediatric or renal nutrition, and diabetes education.
Are your students interested in learning more about this field? A book called Launching Your Dietetics Career is an excellent recommendation.
Resources Available on the NNM Website:
The Academy's website (eatright.org) includes helpful articles, recipes, videos and educational resources for celebrating NNM. Your students may also want to check out NNM on social media, using #NationalNutritionMonth.
Educators will find ideas for nutrition-related activities you can conduct at your school, such as:
- Schedule nutrition story time at your library
- Invite a dietitian, restaurant chef or culinary school rep to conduct a cooking demo and nutrition presentation in your cafeteria or classroom
- Host a poster-coloring contest for kids and send them home with Eat Right nutrition tip sheets for adults and/or NNM bookmarks for everyone
Studying nutrition can be fun, hands-on and healthy. If you have additional ideas for bringing good nutrition to schools, please share in our Comments section below.
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