Nutrition Opportunities at School

Carrie Scheidel, MPHPatti Delger, RD, LD

Healthy School Nutrition Environment

Provides students access to healthy foods and beverages

Consistent messages about healthy eating

Opportunities to learn about and practice healthy eating

Farm to School MonthNevada CSD

School Meals

School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program• Meet federal nutrition standards

Portion sizes Whole grains Fruit or vegetable 1% or fat-free milk Less saturated fat and salt No trans fat Offering of water

Decorah CSD

School Meals – Things to Consider• What does school breakfast participation look like?• Do teachers and school staff eat lunch with students?• How long do students have to eat?• Are school meals included in announcements?• Student taste testing of new products?• Are locally grown products used?

School Breakfast WeekAnkeny CSD

Smart Snacks

• Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (Federal Law)– School Meals–Competitive Foods– School Wellness Policy

• Competitive Foods– Items not part of a reimbursable meal–Any food or beverage sold to a student

Smart Snacks Approved Recipes

Approved!

• Whole Grain Cereal Bar• Wacky Cake• Yogurt Parfait• Banana Oatmeal Bread• Popcorn Trail Mix• Maple Muffins• Crispy Granola• Cowboy Corn Salad with

Whole Grain Chips

Healthy Fundraisers

• Foods and beverages sold during the school day to students must be Smart Snacks

• Fundraisers should communicate the same messages that support the goals of a healthy school environment

• Strive for non-food items or healthy foods

Healthy Student Rewards

• Children are at risk of associating food with emotions and feelings of accomplishment• Use nonfood items, activities,

and opportunities• Prize box• Show and tell• Eat lunch with the teacher

• Helps create consistent messages about healthy eating

Classroom Celebrations

• Encourage parents to provide healthy foods and beverages, provide a sample list• Consider non-food

celebrations• Small trinkets• Guest speaker• Extra recess• Class games• Crafts

Access to Drinking Water

• Drinking water is important for student health• Requirement to provide access to

drinking water during meals• Best practices• Allow students to visit the water

fountain throughout the day• Allow water bottles in class• Ensure water fountains are clean

and working properly

Nutrition Promotion

• Restricting advertising of unhealthy options• Making healthy options available

whenever foods or beverages are sold• Using posters or signage to

promote healthy choices• Develop strategies to increase

school meal participation

Grinnell CSD

21st Century Skills

• Civic Literacy• Employability Skills• Financial Literacy• Health Literacy• Technology Literacy

Healthy Literacy

• Know and use concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention• Analyze influencing factors on health enhancing

behaviors• Advocate for personal, family, and community health• Achieve and maintain health enhancing level of

physical activity• Practice preventive health behaviors

carrie.scheidel@iowa.gov patti.delger@iowa.gov