A mother desperately struggles to get her preschooler to enjoy fruits and vegetables. She tries alluring the child with sugar-coated words but the headstrong baby turns down all enticements to health. Have you ever witnessed such a scenario or perhaps lived through the same with your little one?
It is indeed true that folly is bound up in the heart of a child. Thankfully, there’s a rod of correction that can drive it out.
No, we are not asking you to pick up your whip and chase your kid around the house. However, it is possible to instill wellness and nutrition even during childhood years.
Just like parents must do their due diligence at other times, schools hold tremendous power of influence. On average, American children spend six hours a day in their classrooms. Schools must use their iron scepter to direct their kids towards a healthier future. In this article, we will discuss how this can be done.
Early Nutrition Education is the Need of the Hour
At any given age, nutrition is one aspect that cannot be neglected. This becomes all the more important among growing children in their formative years. According to UNICEF, unhealthy diets during early childhood can lead to various nutrient deficiencies. These may include that of Vitamin A, C, and D which lower the immunity.
As it is, cases of illnesses among children are on the rise. The World Health Organization (WHO) shares that there is an uptick in the number of respiratory illnesses among children in Northern China. As for the US, our children are not any safer since obesity is a growing epidemic.
Of the total population, around 19.7% of children and adolescents are suffering from obesity. This condition is predominantly a lifestyle-induced one that requires proper nutrition and regular exercise. Could this have something to do with the fact that parents offer their children all sorts of electronic devices?
Yes, the iPad generation, as they’re jokingly called, is already living a sedentary lifestyle due to smartphones, Xbox, and whatnot. Add to it the fact that the Standard American Diet (SAD) includes all kinds of nasties like fried foods, artificial sugars, ultra-processed ingredients, etc. It is little surprise that the current generation of kids are sickly, overweight, and in total revolt against nutritional food.
However, the purview of a parent’s responsibility in the matter is not the focus of this article. We simply wanted to provide a glimpse of what our poor children are suffering from. Schools can take charge of this scenario and influence the younger generations towards a healthier future.
How Schools Can Contribute To a Healthy Future
Generation Alpha, or those born between 2010 and 2024, has rightfully been said to live in the Age of Junk Food. It is justified that children are incapable of making healthy food and lifestyle choices unless influenced to do so externally. If parents are failing their kids, schools must intervene. Let’s look at some ways this can be done.
Making Nutrition a Part of the Curricula
We daresay that a separate subject on nutrition should become a part of every grade’s curriculum. Depending on the nutritional requirements of each age, children can be taught in their classes to make healthy food choices. This could even encourage them to direct their family’s poor dietary decisions in the right direction.
Schools can take the help of experienced registered nurses to make this happen. They are often trained through advanced courses to tackle nutrition education in communities and educational institutions.
Generally, nurses complete their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and move on to pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree for specialized knowledge and proficiencies. This equips them to contribute to nursing administration and education. Many even pursue a BSN to MSN online program which prepares them for such roles within a shorter span of time.
According to Wilkes University, nurse practitioners develop their processes and approaches based on what may improve population health outcomes. They can collaborate with teachers to create presentations, teach how to read food labels and encourage healthier eating habits.
Besides presentations, the nurse may use means like cooking classes, panel discussions, field trips, etc. Such diverse methods will make the subject of nutrition more engaging and easily digestible for young minds.
Conducting Farm-to-School Programs
Schools can also participate in conducting farm-to-school programs for their students to have a deeper appreciation for healthy food. Such programs may differ between schools or their districts. However, common strategies can be followed, including –
- Serving locally grown seasonal food items during school meals. While serving, the educators can teach the students about the benefits of the ingredients used to prepare healthy meals.
- It is important to not neglect taste altogether. Plus, the food items should be colorful, replicating the colors we find in nature. This will make children realize that delicious food can be natural and need not be ultra-processed.
- Farm-to-school programs can involve education regarding agriculture, health, food, and how all of these tie together.
Organizing School Garden Programs
In a day and age where children are plugged into their devices, schools need to establish the fact that it’s more fulfilling to plug into nature. Studies have found that constant exposure to natural untamed, surroundings is not a luxury but a necessity.
The more children appreciate nature, the more they will revere what it produces. Modern society’s main problem is not the lack of wonders but a chronic lack of awe and ‘wonder.’ It’s outrageous to think that there are children in urbanized environments who have never witnessed a sapling grow, or a hen lay an egg.
Hence, schools can organize garden programs where the children are allowed to take part in hands-on gardening. Let them name a plant, nourish it every day, and witness its growth over time. The plants should preferably be fruits and vegetables. Once their labor bears fruit, the child can be allowed to taste it.
Even in general, schools must plant fruits and vegetable gardens in the form of greenhouses, raised beds, planted fields, and more. Students can participate in the sowing and reaping seasons to appreciate nature and its bounties. This will also increase their desire to consume healthier food options.
In summation, parents and schools alike must take the initiative towards healthy eating for their children. If none do, it will not be possible to hope for a bright future, at least from a health viewpoint. In 2022, 75.2 million children enrolled in US schools, which was an increase of 1.3 million from 2021.
As more young minds join, the above-mentioned programs can direct their course from an early age. Those in positions of authority have the power to steer; it’s time to cast votes in the right direction.
