- Author: Angelica Perez
It's National Nutrition Month! This year's theme is, “Putting Your Best Fork Forward” to show us how every bite you take counts.
This month is also a reminder of what was highlighted in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: change takes time, so beginning with a small change to reach a healthier, long lasting habit is important. Here are some key messages provided by eatright.org to take into consideration this National Nutrition Month:
- Create an eating style that includes a variety of your favorite, healthful foods.
- Practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients.
- How much we eat is as important as what we eat. Eat and drink the right amount for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do.
- Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
- Manage your weight or lower your health risks by consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.
How do you plan to take charge of your health this month? Hopefully this month motivates you to make a small change or to continue making changes you are already working on. Nutrition is not one size fits all, and we hope you find your perfect fit to a healthier lifestyle.
For more information on National Nutrition Month, visit eatright.org and get inspired!
- Author: Lin Zhang
- Editor: Emily Harris
Fresno and Madera Counties' UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program has a long standing partnership with the Fresno State Dietetic Internship Program. This blog post is part of our Intern Reflections Series.
Before interning at UC Cooperative Extension, I never thought about how important health education is to a community. During this fun rotation, I had the opportunity to participate in both the adult and youth nutrition education programs at UC CalFresh. The classes deliver healthy eating and living concepts through interesting stories, pictures, cooking demonstrations, food tastings, simple physical activities and fun games and activities. UC CalFresh also gives out colorful and easy-to-read nutrition handouts, healthy recipe books, and cooking and measuring tools for people to stay healthy. All the nutrition classes greatly emphasize eating according to MyPlate, consuming proper portion sizes, and getting adequate physical activity.
It was such a rewarding moment for me to see the smiling faces of my kindergarten and first grade “audience” while I read them a nutrition storybook.
Another fun project I enjoyed a lot was creating a “Nutrition Corner.” The theme of my corner was “Proper Hydration,” targeting the senior population. The information displayed on the corner will help them to understand the importance of proper hydration and provide ways to help them stay hydrated every day. It took me a while to create a cohesive message, but I felt that my hard work paid off when the final product was complete.
Overall, the UC CalFresh team taught me many things through projects, assignments, and fun activities. From my two weeks at UCCE, I observed the community's need for nutrition information, the participants' appreciation of the classes that UC CalFresh offers and the changes people are making thanks to UC CalFresh's efforts. I am very thankful I could be a part of these meaningful moments.
- Author: Hannah Lee
Storey Elementary's new Nutrition Corner emphasizes physical activity just in time for those New Year's Resolutions! The Nutrition Corner is featured in the staff lounge, reminding teachers that physical activity is important for their students and themselves.
Getting enough exercise can seem daunting, but it is possible. Try breaking up the time throughout the day, such as walking around the office during your breaks and playing outside with your kids after work. Whether it's playing sports, running around the block with a friend, or walking the dog, find a way to do some physical activity today! Remember - adults need 2 and a half hours of moderate intensity physical activity every week and children need 1 hour per day! How will you (and your kiddos!) meet those recommendations in 2017?
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Nutrition Corners are a great way to reinforce nutrition education at your school. If you're interested in adding one to your classroom, contact your nutrition educator.
- Author: Hannah Lee
Last week Ayer Elementary School kicked off their four week Food Friday campaign, which encourages students to eat the fruits and vegetables provided in the school lunch. Now through February 17th, classes enrolled in the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program will be counting how many students eat their fruits and vegetables, and tracking it using the cafeteria's new Nutrition Corner poster pictured below.
Check out UC CalFresh team members Brittanny, Emily, and Hannah with Ayer's new cafeteria Nutrition Corner! It shows how many students ate their fruits and vegetables, the benefits of eating those foods, and what will be in the school lunch on Food Fridays.
Brittanny and Hannah passing out kiwis - yum!
A total of 215 students ate their fruits and vegetables on the first Food Friday! They're off to a great start and hopefully those numbers will continue to go up! Be sure to check back for updates on Ayer's Food Friday!
- Author: Nora Lopez
- Editor: Emily Harris
Nutrition Corners are a creative way to provide indirect nutrition education. A great place to start is with resources you have on hand, like extra calendars, the Choose MyPlate website and UC CalFresh curriculum. The Nutrition Corner pictured above is a promotion of the Plant Parts lesson I've taught in my enrolled UC CalFresh teachers' classes. I hope this draws the attention of teachers not yet participating in the program and encourages them to sign up. I also placed a recipe, produce tips and a Nutrition Activity Reporting Form to extend my lesson with my enrolled teachers and remind them of upcoming paperwork.
New Year, New Goals is a great campaign to kick off the new year with healthy goals. I used MyPlate Super Tracker information, a healthy recipe, tips to make and maintain changes, and a suggestion box to create my New Year's Nutrition Corner. Take advantage of ChooseMyPlate.gov when curating content for your nutrition topics.
The Nutrition Corner above is all about MyPlate for kids. Have students help you place the food groups in their correct spot, then place pictures of their meal on the MyPlate. This Nutrition Corner is a visual way to help kids associate foods with their food groups and illustrate what a healthy plate looks like.
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What topic would you like to see on a Nutrition Corner near you?
