Nutrition education helps students develop a positive attitude about food and nutrition. It teaches how to use various food selections to create a balanced diet. Nutrition education provides information about the different food groups, the nutrients they contain, and how to select the best combinations for a balanced diet. Nutrition education also helps students understand why certain food groups are more important than others in a healthy diet.
Nutrition education can be a personal experience or a group experience. Students can participate individually or in a class setting. In most cases, students can get personal instruction through online or offline classes. However, classes may also be offered in local schools as well.
Many schools require that students taking nutrition education take an exam after completion of the course to determine whether or not they have received all the required courses. This exam may not qualify students for credits toward graduation.
Most schools provide nutrition education in the fall or spring before school starts again in the fall or spring. Students can register in online classes if there is not availability in a local classroom or if they prefer not to enroll in a class. Others choose to participate in a class where there will be a physical interaction with the teacher. In some cases, students are responsible for their own classroom materials. They may choose to work on the material using handouts or using an online calculator.
Nutrition education usually includes several areas that include food labels, how much of a particular food is necessary and what to eat and how much to avoid, foods that are good for one’s health, how to store and prepare the food properly, what the nutritional value of a food is, and the overall effectiveness of a person’s diet. Students learn how to make healthy meals and snacks at home without resorting to fast food. They also learn to use portion control to maintain a healthy weight. Nutrition education can be used to teach students how to choose appropriate recipes.
Students learn about the effects of different foods on their bodies by eating different kinds and in combination. The different kinds of foods and the ways they are combined can be compared to the effects of eating different amounts of the same food. Nutrition education can include information about how certain nutrients, such as vitamins, affect the body and how to get the recommended daily dose.
Nutrition education helps students learn how to communicate better with their peers and other parents, teachers and instructors. It teaches students to understand and apply the benefits of proper nutrition to their children’s lives.
Students are taught about the importance of eating healthy during childhood and throughout their lives. It teaches how to prepare and eat healthy foods. It also teaches students how to maintain a healthy body weight after finishing a program.
During nutrition education, students are introduced to the concept of energy and how it affects the body. Energy is essential to good health. Energy helps people do things such as think, feel and move and is the basis of many activities. By learning how to regulate the amount of energy needed, students will learn how to balance their body’s needs.
Nutrition education also provides information on how to eat healthy and how to store and prepare healthy foods. It introduces students to healthy eating tips such as choosing healthy foods and learning to make healthy snacks, preparing healthy meals, avoiding unhealthy foods, and what nutrients are best suited for one’s needs. Nutrition education can also include teaching students how to develop an eating plan that includes proper exercise, proper diet and the importance of the foods that they eat. It also introduces students to how certain foods influence the overall health of an individual.
Nutrition education should not only be taken in the elementary grades or as a supplement to other classes such as science and health. It is important for children to learn about how to care for their bodies at a young age.
