Tuesday, January 7, 2025
By Kelly Williams
Nutrition Education Consultant on the School Nutrition Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Eating is personal. Food is connected to our family, culture, and life experiences which shapes our preferences for food choices. Cost, convenience, taste, and health also play into decisions about what foods to eat. Information presented through television, marketing, and social media promoting specific foods, diet trends, and body images can have a significant influence on how we feel about ourselves and our food decisions. With all these factors impacting an individual’s food choices, how can educators encourage students to have a positive relationship with food and their bodies? The following tips and example language can help students build a healthy relationship with food that supports their physical and mental well-being.
1. Reflect on Your Biases and Beliefs
In the past, the way we learned about and experienced food ourselves influences how we feel and talk about food. When conducting lessons in nutrition or engaging in conversations with students about food, it’s important to avoid transferring our personal biases and beliefs to students. Avoid pressuring students about food choices. Don’t comment on what students are eating, how they are eating, or on what you feel they should be eating instead.
Instead of saying: You need to eat your sandwich before you have your brownie.
Consider staying: Eat what you want from your lunch in any order you like.
2. Practice Food Neutrality
Words like ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘healthy’, and ‘unhealthy’ are often used to categorize foods. However, the labels we give to foods can create feelings of shame and guilt around eating those foods. Food neutrality is about detaching moral value or judgment from a food, and from the person eating that food. Avoid categorizing foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and instead call food by its name. Focus on encouraging students to eat a variety of foods and flavors they enjoy.
Instead of saying: Don’t drink juice or soda, they are bad for you.
Consider staying: Drinking water keeps you hydrated so you can play and think.
3. Be a Positive Role Model
Students are always watching and listening. They notice adult conversations and actions. How adults talk about food and bodies can impact what students eat and how they view their bodies. As educators, it’s important not to speak negatively about food or body size in front of them. The best thing a teacher can do is model healthy behaviors. When you lead by example and model healthy habits, you can inspire students to also adopt these behaviors on their own.
Instead of saying: I don’t eat a lot of pasta and bread because I don’t want to gain weight.
Consider staying: I love eating a variety of foods to help fuel my body and brain.
4. Consider Non-Food Rewards
Rewarding positive behavior with food can have long-term impacts. When food is used as a reward, children can start to associate positive feelings and experiences with those foods. Food rewards can also interfere with a child’s natural hunger and fullness cues, leading them to eat when they are not hungry. Instead of offering food as a reward, consider an alternative award such as an activity.
Instead of saying: If you work on your assignment quietly, you can have chocolate.
Consider saying: If you work on your assignment quietly, you can have 5 minutes of free time.
Teachers can also have a positive influence on a student’s relationship with food by participating in and supporting Wisconsin's current statewide initiatives.
Promote Participation in the School Meal Programs
Teachers can influence their students by promoting and discussing the school nutrition programs. School meals provided through the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program offer students a variety of foods from each of the MyPlate food groups. Encourage your students to participate in the school meal programs. Consider reviewing the school menu with your students. Talk about the foods being offered and use descriptive words to explain the characteristics of the food, such as ‘crunchy’, ‘spicy’, ‘savory’, etc. Additionally, the Wisconsin School Meals Rock! campaign has a variety of resources that can be used to promote school meals to parents, students, and school staff.
Support Farm to School Initiatives
Farm to School is a movement that promotes the use of locally- and regionally-grown foods in schools. It includes serving local foods in the cafeteria, school gardens, and other activities to promote local foods. Farm to school programs introduce students to wide range of foods. Additionally, these initiatives often have an educational component that teach students about where food comes from and offers hands-on experiences for students to develop a more positive relationship with food. Teachers play a key role in supporting these programs that empower students with knowledge about nutrition and their food choices. Consider integrating Farm to School activities into your classroom, such as lessons related to food and agriculture or assist with cafeteria events such as local food taste tests. The DPI Farm to School Program has several resources to get started.
Explore Diverse Flavors
Food can do more than just provide nourishment, it can offer an invitation to explore the diverse cultures of students. Promoting a healthy relationship with food involves creating an inclusive classroom environment that embraces diversity. Teach students about how cultural practices influence food choices and encourage open dialogue about food and culture among students. Consider working with school nutrition staff to incorporate culturally appropriate foods into school menus. The Around the World in 80 Trays is a state-wide event with the purpose of increasing global flavors in the school meal programs. Promote and taste these new flavors with your students.
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