...States had nutrition standards for food and beverages for children in pre-school. The goal by 2020 is to have 34 states with nutrition standards for foods and beverages. I believe it is important for states to have standards for nutrition and beverage when it comes to children eating in school settings. With America’s soaring rates of obesity, I think it’s important to teach children good eating habits at a young age. Healthy people 2020 talks about pre-schools maintaining consistent programs that follow the laws and regulations. The desired direction is to increase these standards from 24 states to 34 states. I believe that some states are lacking the development and planning of nutrition programs. Before reading into this topic on healthy people and seeing the statistic of only 26 states having a nutritional standard for pre-schools surprised me, I would of thought that all states would have some regulations and policies. I know some children are already obese before they enter pre-school and that is a challenge not only for the parents but also the teacher who is trying to promote healthy eating habits. I know when I was pre-school and grade school are snacks throughout the day weren’t as healthy as what my son’s snacks are today in pre-school. A lot of our snacks were sweet food and high in cholesterol. My son that’s in pre-school has lots of fruits and vegetables. In his case he’s a picky eater and won’t usually eat most of the fruits at home, but since he’s at school and has...
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...Improvements in School Nutrition David Johnson Strayer University ENG 115 November 7, 2012 Improvements in School Nutrition Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years and has become a major issue in our nation. The obesity dilemma affects boys and girls of all ages, races, and ethnicities in the United States. Recent changes to school breakfast and lunch programs have been implemented to improve overall health and nutritional value. These changes are designed to incorporate healthier eating habits, accommodate more participants in a more cost effective way, and provide easier accessibility to the program. Nutrition experts agree that if the nation wants to make progress on the obesity crisis among children, what they eat in school for breakfast and lunch has to be addressed. The percentage of obese children aged 6 to 11 years in the U.S. increased from 7 percent to 20 percent from 1980-2008. In 2011 that number increased to 33 percent. These facts indicate a strong need to make changes to the school lunch program. Studies show that more than half of the calories students eat in a day are consumed at school during breakfast and lunch periods. Affordability is just as important as nutritional value. When making changes to these programs, it is imperative that we take into consideration the number of students who receive free and reduced-price meals as well as students who do not. Children who receive free or reduced-price...
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...Improvements in Health and Nutrition Angela Callicutt Dr. Franklin English 115 02/23/2013 Improvements in Health and Nutrition for Schools Changes in schools reveal the analysis of kids getting unhealthy menus which causes them not to get enough nutrition. In today’s society schools as a general, most kids are not eating healthy. The school lunch menus have a lot of unhealthy items on them. Kids do not get enough nutrition eating what schools have for lunch. The best place to start out is at a young age where kids are getting the right nutrition. On menus at schools kids eat unhealthy items like pizza and tater tots. Some snack machines have unhealthy items in them too. I think there should be an improvement in the health and nutrition of kids. As stated by (Michelle, 2004), “snacking is a common feature of the diet of adolescents and promoting healthy snacks that may constitute a starting point in the fight against tooth decay and non-communicable disease later in life”. In school lunch programs fruits and vegetables are what kids can start out eating at their young age. I think most kids aren’t eating healthy because some parents can’t afford to feed them. For parents who can’t afford to feed their kids they are participating in the school’s government free lunch program, but the free lunch program still has a lot of unhealthy items on it. Here are some quotes stated by people and their opinions of the school program. As stated by (Domel, 1997), “a questionnaire...
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...Department of Education’s School Nutrition Program: Overview of Recent Changes to Meal Plan Student Sample Strayer University ENG 115: English Composition Professor Gabriel Smith February 1, 2014 Children in today’s society may end up “hav[ing] a shorter lifespan than their parents” (United States Department of Agriculture, 2013, p 3) per health professionals, if the ongoing issue of childhood obesity is not addressed. It is in reaction to this type of findings that the United States Government has adapted the United States Department of Agriculture’s New Meal Pattern and passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Implementing the procedures and policies of these programs, the Georgia State Department of Education’s School Nutrition Program (“Georgia School Nutrition Program”) has made recent changes to its meal plan. The Georgia School Nutrition Program’s new meal plan is now focused on maintaining reasonably priced meal payments for parents, monitoring children’s health issues and improving students’ nutrition by providing healthy meals utilizing the United States Department of Agriculture’s New Meal Pattern guidelines. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2010 there were around 17 million US households that faced the financial hardship of providing enough food for their families. Further, the Georgia Department of Education (2012) has found that if the meal program was not available at school, many students would receive...
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...Nutrition and Academic Performance 1 NUTRITION AND ITS EFFECTS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE HOW CAN OUR SCHOOLS IMPROVE? By Amy Ross SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS EDUCATION AT NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNDERSITY July 28, 2010 APPROVED BY: DATE: Derek L. Anderson, Ed.D. August 2, 2010 Nutrition and Academic Performance 2 Table of contents Abstract ...…………………………………………………………………………………………3 Chapter I: Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….…4 Statement of Problems…………………………………………………………………….8 Research Questions…………………………………………………………………….…9 Definition of Terms ……………………………….…………………………………….10 Chapter II: Review of the Literature Nutrition and Cognition ………………………..……………………………………….11 Food Insufficiency …………………………..………………………………………….24 School Food Programs ……………………………...…………………………………..35 Chapter III: Results and Analysis …………………………..…………………………………..51 Chapter IV: Recommendations and Conclusion ……………………...………………………..54 References...………………………………………………………………………………..…...59 Nutrition and Academic Performance 3 Abstract The purpose of this paper was to review existing literature about past research that highlighted studies concerning nutrition and its relationship to brain function, cognition, learning, and social behaviors. There is evidence that school breakfast and lunch programs are not up to par with current United States Department of Agriculture standards and that USDA standards may not be utilizing the latest research...
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...importance of health education for children in early childhood and school settings Introduction Nutrition education in Australian schools is becoming a more prevalent issue than in the past due to the increasing obesity rate. Childhood obesity has accelerated rapidly into one of the most significant health problems as well as being a prominent concern for early childhood professions. Obesity is the largest nutritional problem among Australian children where childhood obesity has been estimated to be rising to the extent of 1% per year. If we take these statistics and skip forward to 2025 it translates to 50% of Australia’s young people will be overweight. Historically the family has been a child’s main source of education in regards to health through a combination of direct and indirect instruction, the child then models this behaviour. Teachers must now also be the facilitators of children’s health education to build on what children are learning from their family, the more knowledge they gain in regards to what keeps them healthy and why, the better prepared they will be for a healthy adult life. A correlation between Australian children’s health and wellbeing, and their educational prospects has been identified. (Mathews 2004) Educators have the opportunity through curriculum to develop strategies to support health and nutritional education in line with best practice by adhering to the Health Promoting Schools model There is hope that improved health education for children...
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...2011 Argumentative Essay Who said nutrition had anything to do with it? Nutrition education is a major environmental influence on the behaviors, physical and mental growth of in a child’s life. Before a child starts school, during the baby years, the food habits can have a major impact on choices that are made later on in life. For example, starting a baby on vegetables first rather then fruits, will lead the child to make a better nutritional choice when they approach the salad bar in first grade. “Studies support that good nutrition contributes to improving the wellbeing of children and their potential learning ability, thus contributing to better school performance.” (Rodrigo). Children are getting morbidly obese, and their behavior has changed for the worse. If the children are learning healthy eating habits with encouragement to make healthy eating choices, then obesity and chronic disease will decrease. These children can have the reduce impact of chronic diseases in adulthood. Eating healthy will help reduce stress and may even avoid smoking if they have encouragement on staying active. “Nutrition education is a key element to promoting lifelong healthy eating and exercise behaviors and should start from the early stages of life.” (Rodrigo). If health educators and teachers have a good sense of direction on teaching children about nutrition, then it is likely that these issues will improve. School should have a mandatory nutrition – based education in their curriculum...
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...Farm to Institution (FTI) and Farm to School (FTS) programs work with organizations to provide access to local produce and other products, and educate others about nutrition. The local produce, made possible by the FTI, originates from regional farms and taken to institutions including, according to Harris, Lott, Lakins, Bowden, and Kimmons (2012), “worksites, schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, prisons, parks and museums, and faith-based organizations” (p. 343). In other words, this food is taken directly to a facility so that farm-fresh, local, produce is available. The FTI not only supplies these foods, but also advocates nourishment from these foods by providing a nutrition-based education, in which those exposed are taught...
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...BACKGROUND Introduction Nutrition is the result of the processes whereby the body takes in and uses food for growth, development and maintenance of health. Nutrition can also affect the body’s ability to resist disease, the length of one’s life and the state of one’s physical and mental well-being. Promoting good nutrition helps children grow, promotes human development and advances economic growth and eradication of poverty. Studies have shown that proper nutrition has a direct effect on student performance and behavior in school In many studies, cases of socioeconomic status seem to be an indicator of food insufficiency, which is simply the lack of available food to a household. Food insufficiency has been shown to directly affect children’s cognitive development. (Nutrition And Its Effects On Academic Performance How Can Our Schools Improve? By Amy Ross ) Poor nutrition on the other hand, is a chronic problem linked to poverty, poor nutrition understanding and practices, and deficient sanitation and food security. Lack of proper nutrition contributes to worse class performance, lower test scores, and eventually less successful students and a less productive and competitive economy. It is shown to have important negative consequences for children’s school performance in the form of delays in enrollment, grade repetition, a higher chance of dropping out, and lower achievement while in school.( Children’s Nutrition, School Quality and Primary School...
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...Assignment 2.2: The Public Needs to Know English 115 Professor Wylder The current status of school meals is that they are full of fat and do not contain enough nutritious value. There are changes that need to be made in order to preserve the health and wellbeing of the children in society. The changes to be made are in the school breakfast and lunch programs. In order to effectively change the program you have to understand the economic issues, the population that is being served and their needs, the process and the benefits of the program. One major economic issue is the rising ate of unemployment. This has forced society into a time filled with burden and stress. Unemployment forces struggling families to figure out how to feed their children with limited to no resources. This burden has caused a rise in the number of children participating in the breakfast and lunch program. The increase in participation has gone up by about 84% for free and reduced lunches alone. The participation is also rising because it is cheaper for a family to feed their child at school than it is to send their lunch (School Nutrition Association, 2008). The rising rate of participation shows that families are in dire need of assistance. The families are turning to the schools for assistance to ensure that their children have food to eat. Another economic issue that American families face today is being underemployed. Being underemployed is when you only a have part time job(s) or you take...
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...The Public Needs to Know The Public Needs to Know With obesity and type 2 diabetes being on the rise in school age children, it is time to change the eating habits of today’s children. This change starts in schools by offering healthier breakfast and lunch choices. With the help of school officials, nutrition experts, and parents/guardians, our children can start to have their nutritional needs met beginning each day at their school. Healthier eating habits are becoming more important as the economy falters, health crises arise, and school performance levels fall. We are making those changes today with changes to the breakfast and lunch programs offered in today’s schools. In a report written by the School Nutrition Association (SNA) it states that “according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the United States economy had been in a recession since December 2007” (SNA, 2008). With fewer jobs available and unemployment on the rise, more families are taking advantage of the nutrition programs offered by schools. With more children being approved for the free or reduced meal plans offered at schools, children get most of their daily meals at their school (SNA, 2008). We hear on the news all the time about children going hungry, families having difficult times making enough money for food and bills. It seems like it is cheaper today to eat fast food than a healthy meal at home. The costs of food in grocery stores are slowly rising while people are still trying to...
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...A healthy school nutrition environment encompasses more than food and beverage choices available in the lunch line. It also includes appropriate meal schedules and serving times, dining atmosphere, food/beverage consumption in the classroom, food and beverage fund-raisers, availability of and access to vending machines, behaviors role-modeled by staff, nutrition education at school, physical activity, and generally the messages about eating and physical activity that students receive at school. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with many national nutrition and school organizations, identified six components of a healthy school nutrition environment. Each one is important and affects the nutrition and physical activity in a child’s school life. Healthy eating and physical activity are essential for students to achieve their full academic and physical potential, mental growth, and lifelong health and well-being. Schools influence students’ eating and physical activity patterns. In a school committed to a healthy nutrition environment, every member of the education team makes nutrition and physical activity top priorities every day. The hectic lifestyle of most families in the United States relies heavily on fast foods and leaves little time for regular physical activity. Such lifestyles have significantly affected the health of our nation’s children. Many students arrive at school with empty stomachs, while others sip sodas and munch on high fat foods ...
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...Nutrition and Health: The Recent Changes into the School Breakfast and Lunch Mercy Becky 11- 02-2013 Abstract The present and future wellbeing of children is affected by the type of food they eat. Since children get most of their calorie intake from school lunch and breakfast, schools contribute to their lifelong health and dietary patterns. Schools have to be models for healthy eating habits. Improving school meal program is very crucial in our children nutrition and health. Especially as childhood obesity is a big concern in our nation and it is a cause for many chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, blood pressure and high cholesterol. Different studies and researches have shown that school meals are risk factors for childhood obesity. In an effort to stop obesity and the associated health risks, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama to change School Lunch Program (SLNP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The Law requires USDA to establish science based nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools during the school day. With the law signed there are different issues that come with it including the economic situation, the health of the population being served and the process and benefits of the program. Nutrition and Health: The Recent Changes into the School Lunch and Breakfast One of the issues related with the recent change in school lunch and breakfast is the economic situation. The government increased...
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...The National School Lunch Program The most recent change to the National School Lunch program which went into effect July 1, 2012, the first change in over fifteen years, provides nutritious meals that contain one-third of the recommended dietary allowances. Tennessee’s school nutrition program is responsible for all the public schools in Tennessee, which are on the National School Lunch Program. With this change, it became required for schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat free milk in school meals. It also includes reducing levels of sodium, saturated fat and trans fat in meals. On January 12, 2010 the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a purposed rule to update the nutrition standards for meals served in schools as part of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. The main focal point of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 was to improve child nutrition. The child obesity rate and the children who live in poverty that were going hungry were the economic issues that surrounded the act. “During 2007–2008, 20% of U.S. children aged 6–11 years and 18% of persons aged 12–19 years were obese, percentages that have tripled since 1980. Engaging children and adolescents in healthy eating and regular physical activity can lower their risk for obesity and related chronic diseases” (5‐Year Technical Assistance and Guidance Plan for Local School Wellness Policies, 2011). The program authorizes funding and sets the...
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...the typical American diet composed of sugar and bad carbohydrates the obesity epidemic is no longer just affecting adults, but children as well. In a short period of time, children have become obese due to the lack of health knowledge, nutrition, and exercise. Childhood obesity not only poor affects the children lives, but society as a whole. It is no secret that obesity leads to a lack of productive as well as increased expenses. Society as a whole will begin to feel the social, politic and financial consequences of obesity. With this being said, the government has an obligation to intervene. The United States Government has a duty to impede policies with the goal of eliminating childhood obesity. Considering children spend a large amount of time in schools, that is where these policies should target primarily in the form of health education, school lunches, and exercise classes....
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