What We Know

What We Know

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• 1. Young students equate the meaning of "nutrition" with "eating healthy" and sometimes "good for you." This is primarily learned at school, with additional knowledge coming from parents at home.

  Implications for teaching:

   

  • The classroom is the primary place where young children learn about eating well, so healthy-eating messages should be an integral part of classroom life.

   

• 2. Although children recognize the Food Guide and the four food groups, their awareness usually stops there. They generally seem unable to apply the Food Guide's messages to their own food choices.

  What kids are saying:

  What does the Food Guide tell you to eat?

   

  • "Eat one candy bar, one dairy product and one fruit and vegetable.at least one thing out of the junk food, at least one."

   

  Implications for teaching:

   

  • As teachers and educators we need to provide opportunities for kids to develop skills so that they can apply their knowledge about eating well.  Discussing strategies for eating well and preparing and tasting foods as a class are great ways to encourage children to engage in healthy eating behaviours.

   

• 3. Children have a very basic understanding of the link between healthy eating and wellness.

  What kids are saying:

  Why should you eat healthy foods?

  • "My teacher says you will die if you don't eat your nutritious stuff."
  • "You can live longer."
  • "If you don't know about healthy eating then you'll think that chocolate bars are good for you and you won't eat your nutritious food.  Then you'll lose your teeth."
  • "You won't get yellow teeth."
  • "(Otherwise) you might puke, feel bad, or get a sore stomach."
  • "I like eating some healthy food because I don't want to die, like, at the age of 50 or 60."

  Implications for teaching:

  • Rather than linking food and health in the extreme as indicated by the comments above, young students should consider healthy food choices as a way to have more energy to play, grow and feel great.  As teachers and educators, we can foster a more positive approach to food classification by teaching that all foods can be enjoyed, with healthier choices being enjoyed anytime and other foods sometimes.

• 4. Children cannot identify or describe what they do not know. As a result, they cannot articulate what they need to learn about nutrition or how to improve their eating habits.

  What kids are saying:

  What would you like to learn about healthy eating?

  Aside from blank stares.

  • "I would like to know why dogs can't see colour."

  Implications for teaching:

  • Teachers and educators have a valuable opportunity to direct student learning and to encourage healthy food and activity choices and develop students' skills in these areas, promoting positive lifestyle habits.

• 5. Young children largely identify vegetables and fruit along with milk products as an integral part of healthy eating. However, these two food groups are those that Canadian kids are most likely to under-consume.

  What kids are saying:

  What would you eat in a day that would make you think "I ate healthy today"?

  • "Milk, sometimes bananas, and probably 100 apples, and one or two oranges"

  Implications for teaching:

  • Consumption of Vegetables and Fruit and Milk and Alternatives is often a main focus of nutrition education in the classroom. But although most kids know that these food groups are important, but they lack the ability to translate this knowledge into action.  Therefore, programs and lessons that focus more on skills development and other techniques, such as role modelling, are critical to helping initiate behaviour change in young children.