This school year, the Metz school mascot, Commissioner Nutrition, a cuddly bear who likes to investigate healthy food and fun ways to keep his body healthy, is introducing a child-friendly food guide pyramid that’s been designed in the shape of an apple.
“We really try to keep the nutrition education process fun for young students, and the Commissioner Nutrition lesson plans are helping to accomplish that goal” said Michelle Marker, Metz & Associates Wellness Coordinator. “Our lesson on the food pyramid broke each group down into a particular color and explained what benefits each food group gave to a body in easy to understand terms.”
Marker found that children of any age could learn the importance of the various food groups when explained to them in terms they understand. For instance, the lesson plan teaches that grains help give us energy, vegetables provide us with important vitamins, fruits help heal cuts and bruises, milk helps us build strong bones and teeth and meats help us to build strong muscles. “It’s simple, but after the lesson 80% of the students in the class can express the need to eat healthy so their bodies can grow up strong and healthy,” Marker said.
In addition to the Commissioner Nutrition lesson plans, the Metz team is assisting with providing booths for Health Fairs and Wellness Days at the schools they serve. “This is a big trend that is starting to take place in school districts to help promote healthy eating and wellness,” Marker said. Samples of booths set up by Metz include a nutrition table with food examples, where students could take a tray and pick a meal from the examples, and then discuss whether or not their choices represented balanced meals and also which food groups were represented in their choices. Other booths can include healthy snack choices, hand washing, dental hygiene, exercise, and the food pyramid guide. “A very popular booth at wellness fairs is always our smoothie booth,” Marker said. “At a recent outdoor health fair at the New Brighton School District, strawberry banana smoothies were a hit with all of the students who learned that healthy snacking can also be delicious.”
Another nutrition focus in the schools served by Metz at the beginning of this school year is educating students on the importance of choosing foods from all five-food groups. Rather than just serving one item from each group, the Metz & Associates team is offering several options from each food group and allowing the students to make choices. “This is giving each student the ability to choose his or her favorite fruits and vegetables and is also helping them to learn how to make healthy selections from each group,” Marker said. “We also like to show parents that when students are eating at school, we are offering them choices. It is our hope that making the proper choices in school with also help them make healthier eating choices outside of school.”
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, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com
