Secondary School Nutrition Poster Series

Transcription

1 Secondary School Nutrition Poster Series Your school board and York Region Community and Health Services are pleased to present the Secondary School Nutrition Poster Series. Local student input and feedback was invaluable in the development and design of the poster series. With the mandatory School Food and Beverage Policy (P/PM 150) now in effect, healthier food and beverages are available throughout your school. It is important to educate your school community on the benefits of healthy eating, so they will have a better understanding of why the policy was developed. The Secondary School Nutrition Poster Series was designed to be used as part of a larger healthy eating and nutrition promotion initiative. Depending upon the specific nutrition topic your committee decides to focus on, the posters may be used in different ways. Some examples include: Promote healthy foods from the cafeteria. Consider displaying the posters in the eatery along with Nutrition Facts of specific foods. You can then assess whether sales of healthier foods increases Promote sports nutrition. Display the posters in the gym and/or the change rooms and list examples of foods and beverages to eat before, during and after exercise. A quick survey can be circulated to sports teams to see if they have learned what food and beverages will aid them while participating in sports Increase general knowledge about nutrition. Ask skill testing questions on your PA system on the topics in the three nutrition posters. Follow this by having a healthy recipe contest. Ask your school to sponsor free healthy lunches from the cafeteria for the winners Make the cafeteria a more pleasant and comfortable place to eat. Ask home rooms to decorate walls, displaying what healthy eating means to them. Use the nutrition posters to promote classroom or school contests The following pages provide brief nutrition background information on the three posters. For additional information or support on developing a nutrition campaign for your school, please contact: Susan Finkelstein, MHSc, Registered Dietitian Public Health Nutritionist, York Region Community and Health Services Susan.finkelstein@york.ca Phone: (905) ext Visit for information on various nutrition topics and nutrition programming specific to secondary schools.

2 Get energized the natural way! Eat healthy Drink water Stay active Together we can make the healthy choice the easy choice! Food and beverage companies are developing products that claim to increase energy levels and improve concentration. Whether it is energy drinks, vitamin-enhanced water, energy shots and/or energy bars, companies are targeting youth s desire for quick energy. In reality, nutritious food and beverages eaten on a regular basis combined with physical activity is all that is needed to feel energized. Energy drinks often have large amounts of caffeine and combinations of other stimulants such as guarana, taurine, ginseng, L-carnitine, creatine, and glucuronolactone. Common brands include Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and Full Throttle. These drinks are unregulated and have been reported in association with serious adverse effects such as vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, jitteriness, racing heart, agitation and even death. Sports drinks have also been purported to boost energy, decrease fatigue and enhance mental alertness. Common brands include Gatorade and Powerade. Sports drinks are different than energy drinks. Sports drinks often contain carbohydrates, minerals and electrolytes (e.g., sodium, potassium) and are intended to replenish water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise. These drinks are only beneficial during vigorous activity for more than one and a half hours. If used when not exercising, they simply add unwanted calories to the diet. All that is needed to fuel exercise up to one and a half hours is water. Other products such as vitamin-enhanced waters and energy bars may contain added vitamins and minerals, but these will not increase energy levels. Often these vitamins and minerals are unnecessary and are already found in commonly eaten foods. The best way to boost energy levels is to eat healthy foods, drink enough fluids to satisfy your thirst and exercise on a regular basis. To maintain energy levels, eat every three to four hours throughout the day. Food contains three sources of energy: carbohydrates are the brain s only source of fuel and the main source of energy for every day activities including physical activity; protein is used for repairing and maintaining body tissues; fat is used for low-level activities like reading and sleeping.

3 Choose nutritious foods from at least three of the four food groups of Canada s Food Guide for meals and at least two of the food groups for snacks. The four food groups are Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives and Meat and Alternatives. Planning your diet by following Canada s Food Guide will ensure that you get adequate amount of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats to support growth and development, and maintain energy levels. The Canadian physical activity guidelines for youth recommend 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity activity every day. In addition to improving fitness and health, physical activity boosts energy levels. References Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, Clinical Report. (2011). Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate? Pediatrics ;127: Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, Clinical Report. (2011). Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Pediatrics. 127: CSEP. (2011). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Youth Years [Fact sheet]; Retrieved November 30, 2011 from InfoSheets-youth-ENG.pdf Health Canada. (2007). Eating Well with Canada s Food Guide [Brochure]; Retrieved November 30, 2011from Together we can make the healthy choice the easy choice! For more information, please visit or contact York Region Health Connection at ; TTY

4 Feed your bones - the teen years are the most important time to build strong, dense and healthy bones. Drink 2 cups of low-fat milk or soy beverage every day Eat yogurt and low-fat cheese Be active! Together we can make the healthy choice the easy choice! The adolescent years are a window of opportunity to influence lifelong bone health. The teen years are a period of rapid skeletal growth where approximately 90% of body mineral content is achieved, contributing to peak bone mass. A higher peak bone mass reduces the risk of osteoporotic-related stress fractures later in life. Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and significant deterioration of bone tissue. With this disease, bones become fragile and everyday activities can cause fractures and/or breaks. Osteoporosis is a disease of concern to everyone as 1 in 4 women and 1 in 8 men over age 50 suffer from this ailment. However, there are also many cases of younger people suffering from fractures, especially those participating in sports associated with repetitive movements. For bone health, the emphasis is on consuming enough milk products to achieve adequate intakes of calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, protein, riboflavin, and vitamin A. Calcium is the main mineral in bone and the nutrient most likely to be deficient in an adolescent s diet. Canada s Food Guide recommends that teens eat at least three daily servings of Milk and Alternatives per day. Two of these servings must be low fat milk (2% MF or less) or a fortified soy beverage. The reason for this recommendation is because milk is the main source of vitamin D in our diets. Other foods such as fatty fish, margarine and egg yolks contain vitamin D, but not as much as in milk. An additional serving of lower fat yogurt and/or cheese is recommended for the calcium and phosphorus. A serving according to Canada s Food Guide is one cup of milk, 175 ml (¾ cup) of yogurt or 50g (1 ½ oz) cheese. 50g of cheese looks like the size of two thumbs. Studies have found that although teens know that milk products are a good source of calcium important for bone health, girls often mistakenly think milk products or dairy will add body fat. This myth is not supported by research.

5 Being physically active also plays a large role in building peak bone mass. Participating in weight-bearing exercise such as tennis, soccer, yoga and step aerobics, especially for girls before they first get their period, can significantly increase peak bone mass. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for youth recommend 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity activity every day. This includes three days of vigorous intensity activities and three days of activities that strengthen muscle and bone per week. References CSEP. (2011). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Youth Years [Fact sheet]; Retrieved November 30, 2011 from InfoSheets-youth-ENG.pdf Health Canada. (2007). Eating Well with Canada s Food Guide [Brochure]; Retrieved November 30, 2011from Weaver, C.M. (2002). Adolescence: The Period of Dramatic Bone Growth. Endocrine,17(l), Weaver, C.M., Peacock, M., Johnston Jr., C.C. (1999)..Adolescent Nutrition in the Prevention of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 84 (6), Together we can make the healthy choice the easy choice! For more information, please visit or contact York Region Health Connection at ; TTY

6 Eat healthy at school. Improve concentration and learning Have more energy Feel better! Together we can make the healthy choice the easy choice! Whether hanging out with friends outside school or socializing in the cafeteria, eating healthy food and beverages contribute to healthy habits that can be carried into adulthood. Good nutrition is linked to doing better at school studies indicate that the ability for students to learn is directly related to what they eat. If students do not eat well, they may have a harder time concentrating and performing complex tasks. Skipping meals and/or going for long periods without food can also reduce brain function. Not eating breakfast is common amongst teens. One study found that 60% of grade 10 females did not eat breakfast on a regular basis. The same study also found that as grade level increased there was an increase in both males and females that did not eat breakfast regularly. Consider starting a breakfast and/or snack program at your school. To maintain energy levels and perform optimally in school, eat every three to four hours throughout the day. This means eating three meals and one to three snacks. Choose nutritious foods from three of the four food groups for meals and at least two of the food groups for snacks. Canada s Food Guide food groups are Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives and Meat and Alternatives. Make wise choices when selecting foods. The more nutritious vegetable choices are dark green and orange in colour (e.g. broccoli, romaine lettuce, carrots, and sweet potatoes). Choose vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat (like oil or margarine), sugar or salt. Make at least half of your grain product choices whole grain each day (e.g. whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats, oatmeal). Drink at least 2 cups of milk or fortified soy beverage every day to build peak bone mass. Select an additional lower-fat milk alternative such as cheese and yogurt. Select lean meat and alternatives (e.g. beans, lentils, and tofu) prepared with little or no added fat or salt. Include fish in your diet at least two times per week for the healthy omega-3 fatty acids. An example of a healthy meal might include:

7 Chicken breast strips with lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat soft tortilla with low-fat dressing Low-fat yogurt Fruit Water Some examples of healthy snacks include: Whole grain crackers and low-fat cheese Yogurt mixed with a high fibre cereal Clementine orange and chocolate milk Smoothie made with lower-fat milk or 100% fruit juice, lower-fat yogurt and frozen berries References Health Canada. (2007). Eating Well with Canada s Food Guide [Brochure]; Retrieved November 30, 2011 from Evers, S., TaylorJ., Manske, S, Midgett, C. (2001). Eating and Smoking Behaviours of School Children in Southwestern Ontario and Charlottetown, PEI. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 92(6), King, A.J.C., Boyce, W.F., King, M.A.(1999) Trends in the Health of Canadian Youth. Ottawa. Health Canada Together we can make the healthy choice the easy choice! For more information, please visit or contact York Region Health Connection at ; TTY