“Our classes are specially geared to students in grades k through 12, with age appropriate materials for each grade level,” said Freda Aughenbaugh, field nutrition educator, Metz & Associates, Ltd. “A real plus to the program, school teachers at each of the various grade levels are able to select from a list of classes those they feel would be most beneficial to their students.”

The nutrition education curriculum was developed by the PA Department of Education, and meets academic standards in a variety of subjects, including math, reading and science. The classes designed for the K-3 level all relate to the food pyramid, with topics such as Food Groups, Nutrition Basics, Fruits & Vegetables and Healthy Snacks. For those students in grades 4-6, classes include Comparing Your Diet to MyPyramid, Nutrition Literacy, Label Reading and Calcium in Your Diet. The programs for students at the middle and high school levels are more advanced and relative to issues they face in their daily lives. Grades 7-9 will learn such topics as Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Factors Influencing Teen Food Choices, Food-The Media Connection and the Basics of Energy Balance. High school students will take classes, including Factors Influencing Adult Food Choices, An Energy Balancing Act and Heart Healthy Eating.

“There are definitely many topics of interest available for every grade level,” Aughenbaugh said. “As an added benefit, we also provide an array of enrichment activities aimed at adding value and significance to the nutrition topics taught in the classroom.”

For the lower grades, the selection of enrichment activities includes the Importance of Breakfast, where students learn that eating breakfast can improve academics, athletics and overall performance. They learn how to plan healthy breakfasts and see an impressive demonstration in which dietary iron is extracted from cereal with a magnet. A Whole Grains activity teaches them to identify whole grain foods and their health benefits through visual aids, label reading and taste testing activities. Food Safety & Hand Washing teaches them how to prevent food contamination and the spread of germs, and Think Your Drink is a though-provoking lesson that teaches the impact that beverage choices can make on health and overall wellness. The enrichment activities for the upper grades are just as enlightening with topics including Sports Nutrition, Portion Distortion, Food Safety and Think Your Drink.

According to Aughenbaugh, two of the most requested classes include Label Reading and Portion Distortion. The Label Reading exercise utilizes reading and math skills to teach students how to accurately interpret food labels. Students can then apply their knowledge through a label scramble game and draw conclusions about foods that are high or low in important nutrients. Perhaps one of the hottest nutrition topics for both students and adults is Portion Distortion. This activity teaches students to differentiate between serving size and portion size. They learn to recognize a serving size as directed by the Food Pyramid, and view and learn the size, calorie and fat count oath super sized meals found in fast food chains, as well as the nutritional value of those meals. The also learn how to eat healthier at restaurants and take part in interactive activities, such as a portion distortion quiz and Eat This Not That. Plenty of visuals are presented that make it easy to distinguish proper portion size.

In addition to the wellness education classes mentioned above, Metz also provides its own brand of nutrition education in schools through its Nutritious Friends program. “Through Nutritious Friends, we present a new fruit or vegetable to students each month, through games, menu selections and educational materials,” Aughenbaugh said. “For many years, this has been a favorite with the students we serve and has proven to be a fun and interactive way to learn about healthy eating.”

The star of the Nutritious Friends program is the Metz Mascot, Commissioner Nutrition. For the holidays, the Commissioner is featured in lessons that focus on cranberries, which provide many interesting facts and nutritional information about cranberries, kid-friendly recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, word games and more. There are even tips in this holiday lesson plan for parents, which will help them make the holidays a little healthier for their children. The Metz team realizes that getting parents involved in nutrition education can ensure that the healthy eating habits they pick up at school can be followed through at home as well.

Metz & Associates, Ltd., a premier food service company for the Northeast United States, provides dining and environmental management to clients such as hospitals, assisted living & long-term care facilities, school districts and independent schools, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com or call 570-675-8100.