- Author: Consuelo Cid
- Editor: Emily Harris
Students at Balderas and Winchell Elementary Schools receive no-cost nutrition education and food tastings throughout the school year if their teachers are enrolled in the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program. The aim is to instill healthy eating behaviors and physical activity habits at an early age!
The beauty of learning is that it is an ongoing feat for all people of all ages! Parents at Balderas and Winchell Elementary Schools joined in on the nutrition education fun as they explored how to make healthy eating the right and easy choice.
Parents were eager to learn about how they could plan, purchase, and prepare healthy food choices on a budget, and they agreed that eating healthy can sometimes be straining on the budget, but small changes can make a world of a difference!
Small steps are the key to success.
Here are some easy ways to save money when purchasing healthy foods for your family:
- Make a grocery list and stick to it!
- Buy in bulk.
- Shop when you are not hungry.
- Plan your meals around sale food items and use coupons!
- Compare unit prices and try store brands!
- Visit your local Farmers Market for seasonal fruit and vegetable options.
- To find a Farmers Market near you, visit the Ecology Center.
- Look for Market Match. Learn all about Market Match on our blog so that you can extend your fruit and vegetable dollars even more!
- To find a Farmers Market near you, visit the Ecology Center.
Do you have a thrifty tip or something that helps you buy healthier food, while on a budget? Comment below and share with us. We love hearing from you!
Preparing a healthy recipe is always the most anticipated class activity. Learning how to read a recipe and prepare healthy meals is a lifelong skill that can be used immediately to improve the eating behaviors of our participants. Our program participants are also encouraged to keep an active lifestyle, and move more! Does this mean parents got a little taste of physical activity in every class? You bet they did!
Upon the successful completion of a four-week nutrition education series, parents received a University of California certificate that acknowledged their commitment to adopt healthier lifestyles. Additionally, they received a bag containing reinforcement items, such as cookbooks, measuring cups and spoons, scrub brush, grocery list, and much more!
Give it up for Balderas' Plan, Shop, $ave, and Cook class of 2017!
Give it up for Winchell's Plan, Shop, $ave, and Cook class of 2017!
Let's hear some of the parents' successes:
"I am more aware of what I buy, I take my [grocery list] notes when I shop so I don't overbuy. I am also reading the contents on cereal, I am saving money when I do my grocery shopping." - parent
"Estoy mas consiente de las compras, [h]echo mas apuntes para no comprar de mas. Tambien estoy leyendo el contenido de las cajitas de cereal, estoy...ahorrando dinero al [h]acer mis compras." - padre de familia
"I learned how to make healthy recipes (ranch dressing), to read food labels, and to [read] the percentages of sugar and salt that foods contain." - parent
"Aprendí a hacer recetas más saludables (ranch dressing), leer las etiquetas de los productos y [ha] saber el porcentaje de azúcar y sal que contiene [los alimentos]. " - padre de familia
Thank you to both Balderas and Winchell Elementary Schools for opening their doors and allowing us to help improve eating behaviors for families in Fresno County!
Would you would like to invite us to host a no-cost parent nutrition class at your school site?
Contact Javier Miramontes, UC CalFresh Program Supervisor, to get started!
Javier Miramontes
Nutrition Program Supervisor
(559) 241-7539
- Author: Consuelo Cid
- Contributor: Emily Harris
Are you looking to FUNdraise?
Fundraising helps support our schools and can be both fun and creative!
Did you know that supporting your school and promoting active and healthy students can go hand-in-hand?
Have you considered a ...
Color Run?!?!
The University of California CalFresh Nutrition Education Program supported Ezekiel Balderas Elementary School during their Character Counts Community Color Run on October 20, 2016. UC CalFresh provided an interactive Rethink your Drink display and Hydration Station.
The Color Run celebrated Fresno Unified School District's Character Counts Week! Participating students were issued a Color Run T-shirt and were painted in the 6 character count pillar colors. The Color Run was a huge success, with 300 tickets sold!
Just look at how this this little one sports his Balderas Character Counts T-shirt.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
On your mark...get set...Go!
Slow and steady wins the race...
Students quickly learned that jogging was the best strategy to conserve energy during their hour-long race!
Did someone say WATER?
Water is the beverage of choice!
After a few laps, students sought out water to hydrate their bodies and keep them moving.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to join in on the Color Run movement?
Visit Active School Fundraising for more ideas and tips on how to spearhead your very own healthy fundraising event.
Don't hang up your running shoes just yet! Stay tuned for more physical activity successes in Fresno and Madera Counties.
Until next time....
- Author: Brittanny N. Zweigle
At Balderas Elementary Mr. McEndree's 6th grade class was charged with the task of taking notes during our Nutrition Fact Label lessoN. Students were asked to summarize what they learned from the lesson. Each student was given a nutrition fact label to review with Mrs. Z (that's me). They looked like this:
We then reviewed 5 points of the label - calories, total fat, fiber, protein and vitamins and minerals. We spent most of our time discussing calories, specifically: what are they? why do we care? and what do they do for us.
The overall goal was helping this 6th grade class to understand the importance of reading the label of what they eat.
Here are are a few of the summary sheets of what these 6th graders learned from the lesson. 
I think they learned a lot! Thank you Mr. McEndree for getting your class engaged in the Nutrition Facts lesson!
- Author: Brittanny N. Zweigle
If you were given pictures of foods, would you be able to put them in the correct category? Well the 1st grade students from Mrs. Holland's class at Balderas Elementary can! They were split up into 5 groups and given the same pictures to put on a poster, having to categorize their foods into the appropriate food group. Let's take a look at their great work!
Great work Mrs. Holland's class! We can't wait to see more of what you have learned.
