To keep healthy eating on the minds of students and help them to practice healthy eating behaviours, spread healthy eating education throughout the year, instead of covering the expectations in one short unit. Spread healthy eating lessons throughout the year Consider starting a school garden or cooking club to give students practical hands-on experiences to learn about food and nutrition. Use every situation where food is available in the school as an opportunity to expose children to healthy options. Then you could explore where kiwis are grown, how they are used in cooking, and their nutritional value. For example, imagine the reaction you would get from showing students a picture of a kiwi fruit compared to their response if you brought in a kiwi and allowed them to see it, feel the fuzzy skin, see how the seeds are arranged inside the kiwi, and enjoy the texture and taste of the actual fruit. Let students experience healthy food choices using the five senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell.

Use experiential (hands-on) learning whenever possible to focus on the positive aspects of healthy eating. Healthy eating behaviour is affected more by active involvement than by lectures, generic worksheets, and textbooks. Use hands-on learning strategies to engage students in the learning process For more ideas on cross-curricular connections, visit Bright Bites, a resource written and maintained by Ontario Dietitians in Public Health (ODPH) members. For example, students can strengthen their research and writing skills while highlighting an exotic vegetable or fruit, or they can sharpen their math skills while learning about foods labels and serving sizes. Studies show that this approach to teaching nutrition can help increase fruit and vegetable intake, and decrease intake of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages. This will help the students have a deeper understanding of the information. When teaching the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum, make connections to healthy eating ‘across the curriculum’. Include cross-curricular connections in the classroom Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching and Promoting Healthy Eating.Promote healthy eating in a positive way.Make healthy eating education culturally relevant.Explain the facts about healthy eating using current and credible information.Spread healthy eating lessons throughout the year.Use hands-on learning strategies to engage students in the learning process.Include cross-curricular connections in the classroom.Choose from the menu to skip down to each section:

Healthy food choices