Year 7 students have been learning all things nutrition in their PDHPE lessons for the past few weeks. To help consolidate that learning, today we had Bel Smith from The Root Cause deliver an interactive workshop on nutrition and food choices. Bel is a mother, wife and Health and Wellness Coach on a mission to Transform Children’s Health, One Lunch Box At A Time as she tours around Australia empowering children and parents to make better food choices.
The presentation focused on the importance of fuelling our bodies with the right food and how unhealthy choices can affect our mood and energy levels, as well as our physical body. The students then watched as a veggie and fruit packed smoothie was prepared in front of their eyes and the bright green creation was poured into cups to which quite a few of the students present responded with a loud “eww”. However, despite many agreeing that it didn’t look too appealing, they were challenged to try something that was full of the nutrients their growing bodies need.
They also learnt that it takes a few tastes of something to decide if we like it and ‘eating with our eyes’ can mean we miss out on some great food.
Although some students had initial reservations, the smoothie was described as “delicious” with students exclaiming that they couldn’t believe something that tasty was also good for you! Second and third helpings were swiftly devoured as students discussed the vegetables and fruit that went into the concoction. Students were also given the opportunity to practice reading food labels and given tips on what to look out for when making their own food choices.
We hope our students can understand the importance of healthy, nutritious food for growing bodies and beyond, and to put this knowledge into practice when fuelling their bodies!