Healthy School Environment
Healthy Schools in the Mid-Atlantic
Childhood obesity levels are at an all-time high due to poor food choices and a sedentary lifestyle. At the same time, many children’s diets are low in essential nutrients such as calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamin E. The need to improve children’s nutrition and physical activity has never been greater, and schools are an ideal setting to help make this happen.
Moving children toward more healthful lifestyles can have far-reaching health and academic benefits. Learn more about a healthy school environment and the benefits of daily physical activity, quality health and physical education, and the availability of health-promoting foods and beverages.
School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children
The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program support the nutrition and health of children by providing nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals each school day. At the request of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Institute of Medicine convened a committee to provide recommendations to revise standards and requirements so that school meals are more healthful. The report, School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, recommends new standards for the kinds and amounts of foods served and would bring school meals in line with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Click here to read the School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children report brief.
Progress or Promises? What's Working For and Against Healthy Schools
A report released by Action for Healthy Kids stresses the importance of improving the nutritional quality of school programs. Improving school wellness goes beyond limiting nutrient-poor foods; it is about shifting the emphasis onto more nutritious options. Schools must provide healthier foods that appeal to children and teens, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lowfat and fat-free milk and milk products.
The Action for Healthy Kids report stresses the need to make nutritional quality a priority. To do so, schools should:
- Encourage students to make better food choices at school by providing healthful foods that are tasty and appealing in all school venues.
- Involve students in developing approaches for improving nutritional quality in their school.
- Use social marketing strategies to promote food groups to encourage – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lowfat and fat-free milk and milk products.
- Encourage participation in school meal programs.
- Engage parents, communities, students, and schools in activities and events focusing on wellness at home and school.
Use the following resources to promote more nutritious options in your schools.
- Helping Youth Make Better Food Choices: Tips for Parents and Caregivers
- Helping Youth Make Better Food Choices: Tips for Schools
- The New Priority: Nutritional Quality
The Importance of Nutrient-Rich Foods in Planning Nutritious Meals for Children
A recent editorial highlights the need for Americans to build more healthful diets. Helping children select nutrient-rich foods from MyPyramid allows them to get proper nutrition now and to establish life-long healthy eating habits. Educating parents and children on how to choose nutrient-rich foods is a positive approach that emphasizes a food’s total nutrient content and teaches how to make healthful food choices. Read more.
Fact Sheets for Healthier School Meals
Are you looking for easy ways to integrate the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans into your school meals? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a series of fact sheets about healthier school meals. The fact sheets address key issues, offer tips to follow the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and provide facts and student messages. Learn how to Use Lowfat Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt in your program.
Click here for a complete list of Healthier School Meals fact sheets.