Students read the announcements which were broadcast in each classroom most mornings from October 2010-April 2011.
We have limited data, but the data does indicate that kids are choosing more fruits and vegetables from the cafeteria line. Fresh fruit acceptance rose by 14% and raw broccoli acceptance rose by 80%! From what parents tell me, it's working. I've heard about kids who are now happily munching carrots, celery and spinach at home. Parents claim these are new fruit and vegetable eating habits for their children. One child told his mom "Cucumbers taste a little bit like watermelon." Sometimes kids just need to have a mental barrier lowered to empower them to taste a new food. Once they taste it, most realize it's not so bad, and maybe even, delicious.
Eat to Learn: Apples
Eat to Learn: Spinach
Eat to Learn: Grapes
Eat to Learn : Cucumbers
Day 1 Cucumbers contain Vitamin C. Vitamin C enters into brain cells easily. Once Vitamin C is in your brain it protects brain cells. Vitamin C protects neurotransmitters from bad oxygen (oxidation). Cucumbers are a defense shield for your brain.
Day 2 Eating fiber helps to remove toxins from your body. Your brain doesn’t work well when toxins build up. Cucumbers are a good source of fiber. All fruits and vegetables contain fiber.
Day 3 Magnesium is a mineral in cucumbers. Magnesium is needed in every cell in your body. Magnesium helps your brain in a special way. Magnesium helps your brain focus and pay attention.
Day 4 Cucumbers contain Potassium. Potassium channels are key elements which control and shape electrical activity in the brain and determine memory and learning. To learn and remember a lot of facts, eat sliced cucumbers plain or in your salad so your can get lots of potassium to your brain.
Here’s the wrap on cucumbers:
- Vitamin C in cukes gives your brain a defense shield
- Potassium in cukes makes your brain learn and remember facts.
- Magnesium in cukes makes your brain focus and pay attention
- Fiber in cukes helps move toxins out of your body so your brain doesn't get foggy.
This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday.
Dear Jenna, why do you pick the brain out of all the body organs to motivate children to eat fruits and vegetables? The body is a whole, and nutrients support the entire body. If children think that by eating fruits and vegetables, they will become smarter or get better grades, they will be disappointed and discouraged if and when this doesn't happen. Then you risk losing their trust -- and trust is the fundamental method of encouraging children to try unfamiliar healthy foods.
ReplyDeleteGood question sheila. My response would be too long in the comments here. I will address in a future post, not sure when I'll get to it, but you bring up some good points that I'd like to address.
ReplyDeletewould you like to publish an article on fwka with a better approach to getting kids to eat food they don't want to eat? one that is as effective but doesn't as you say, lose a students trust?
My approach is pretty simple, Jenna. I start out by asking children and young people what dishes they would like to learn how to prepare themselves at home. If that favorite recipe is high fat, sugar and/or salt, I try to adapt the recipe to make it healthier. That way, the child has his/her wish come true, and they learn that healthy food tastes good.
ReplyDeleteIt usually takes four classes before kids trust me, but then I can say to picky eaters, "If you like this familiar food, you might like that healthy unfamiliar food." Children need to feel they are in charge of what they eat. Most respond better to peer pressure than to adults pushing them.
that is a great approach for cooking classes.
ReplyDeleteIn this post I shared morning announcements content. Are we comparing apples and oranges?
If you couldn't cook with them or take their preferences into consideration? if the only time you had with kids was 3 minutes on morning announcements daily, where you couldn't demo any cooking or ask any questions? you aren't even present, a student is reading your content. What would you say to them?
Kids might! This is done at a public school? I started a new link up for sharing healthy ideas, suggestions, going "green" tips, etc. and I hope you'll join me today, Wednesday! add this post if you want to! :)(Healthy 2day Wednesdays) Have a great week!
ReplyDeleterachel, yes, public elementary school in houston tx. Spring Branch ISD.
ReplyDeleteI love that all of us have different approaches for getting kids to eat more Real Food. I've got another talk coming up, this time for 5th graders, and it's so exciting to know they'll go home and share what they've learned, and hopefully get their parents asking questions and researching on their own. :)
ReplyDelete