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Health Issues
Benefits of Healthy Eating
- Healthy eating helps children grow, develop, and do well in
school.
- Eating breakfast, at home or school, improves children’s
memory, concentration levels, problem-solving abilities, and creative
thinking.
- A healthy diet helps children be more settled, attentive, and
ready to learn.
- Poor nutrition is associated with poorer learning in language
arts, math, and general knowledge.
- Healthy eating helps prevent child and adolescent health problems
such as obesity, diabetes, and dental caries.
What can your FAMILY do to promote healthy eating?
- Offer a variety of foods at meals by following
Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating.
- Provide a healthy breakfast. Save time by getting breakfast
ready the night before.
- Pack a healthy lunch.
- Make time for meal-times. Eat together as a family whenever
possible.
- Involve children in planning and cooking meals.
Parents can teach children to eat well through
their own example
What can your SCHOOL do to promote healthy eating?
- Form a school nutrition action group.
- Teach good nutrition.
- Develop school policies that support healthy eating.
- Provide pleasant areas and sufficient time for eating.
- Ensure there are nutritional choices available in cafeterias,
canteens, and vending machines.
- Don’t use junk food for classroom rewards.
- Offer healthy alternatives for fund-raising.
- Strengthen school food programs by learning what works best
and why.
Click here for some examples
of what Manitoba schools have done to promote healthy eating.
| A Healthy School Approach to Food and
Nutrition |
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Healthy Eating Statistics
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Good eating habits in
childhood and youth have immediate
and long-term benefits.
-
Children who eat breakfast
are more likely to meet their overall
daily nutritional requirements.
-
Only one-half of boys
and two-thirds of girls report eating
fruit five days a week or more.
-
Children eat less fruit
and vegetables as they get older.
-
Soft drink consumption
increases dramatically in boys between
grades 6 and 10.
-
Older students, especially
girls, tend to skip breakfast more
often.
-
One in two grade 10
girls are on a diet or think they
need to lose weight.
-
50% of boys and girls
report not drinking enough milk.
-
In the last twenty years,
intake of soft drinks has more than
doubled.
-
Food is the most advertised
product to children on TV. There are
almost no ads for fruit and vegetables,
milk, or whole grain products.
-
Childhood obesity in
Canada has tripled over the past 20
years. 33% of 7-13 year old males
and 27% of females are overweight.
10% of 7-13 year old males and 9%
of females are obese.
-
Obesity leads to poor
health, lower quality of life, and
lower life expectancy.
For more information about
Healthy Eating visit the Links
provided.
Sources:
Alaimo, K. et al. (2001).
Food insufficiency and American School-Aged
Children’s Cognitive, Academic and Psychosocial
Development. Pediatrics, 108: 44-53.
Birch, H.G. and J.D. Gussow
(1970). Disadvantaged Children: Health,
Nutrition, and School Failure. New
York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
Briefel, R. et al. (1999).
Universal-Free School Breakfast Program
Evaluation Design Project: Review of literature
on Breakfast and Learning. Prepared
for USDA Food and Nutrition Service by
Mathematica Policy Research Inc., Princeton.
Joint WHO/FAO Expert Committee
on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention
of Chronic Diseases. (2002). Geneva.
Papamandjaris, A. (2000).
Breakfast and Learning in Children:
A Review of the Effects of Breakfast on
Scholastic Performance. Breakfast for
Learning, Canadian Living Foundation.
N. York, Ontario.
For
more information about
Healthy Schools, please contact:
Healthy
Schools
Phone: (204) 788-6679
Email: healthyschools@gov.mb.ca |
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