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November 10, 2022

Elementary K-3

Grades 4-6

Grades 7-8

Grades 9-12

Top Three Reasons to Teach Nutrition

Explore the top three reasons to teach about food and nutrition in early learning and school settings, and discover free, curriculum-based resources and activities.

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Highlights

  • Nutrition education in Saskatchewan’s curricula 
  • Nutrition in supporting child and student success 
  • Nutrition and food education in building food literacy 

Why incorporate food and nutrition education in early learning and school?  

 

1. Nutrition education is part of Saskatchewan’s curricula.  

From exploring food traditions to using recipes, teaching about food and nutrition can also deepen a child’s understanding of literacy, numeracy, science, social studies, and culture.   

 

2. Nutrition is one component of approaches that support child and student success.   

Comprehensive School Health and the Whole Child Approach are two examples of frameworks that recognize the importance of food and nutrition education. Generally, the aim of nutrition education in these approaches is to encourage children’s ability, motivation, and confidence to make choices to care for themselves within the context of their values and resources. This in turn can support both academic achievement and the long-term development and success of all children.   

 

3. Nutrition and food education helps build food literacy.   

Food literacy is learning about and engaging with the many roles of food for ourselves, others, and our world. Four pathways enable us to explore and develop our understanding and skills within food literacy:  

  • Food systems: How food grows, how it is produced, and how it is made available.  
  • Food skills: How to identify, plan, get, store, prepare, and eat food.  
  • Food context: How the foods we eat reflect our needs and resources.  
  • Food story: The relationship between food, culture, and identity.  

 

This learning continues throughout our lifetime as we learn with and from people, places, foods, objects, and ideas. From food exploration and discovery in early learning, to learning to plan and prepare meals and snacks in junior high and high school, incorporating a variety of activities and experiences with food can help nurture these connections and support children and youth on their food literacy journey.

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Offer your learners great content this year by incorporating Teach Nutrition resources into your lessons.

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Elementary K-3

Grades 4-6

Grades 7-8

Grades 9-12

Let's Talk About Food

Need some guidance on how to approach conversations around food and eating with students?[...]

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Elementary K-3

Grades 4-6

Food Picture Cards and Study Prints

This free resource kit has everything you need to teach about Canada’s Food Guide[...]

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All Levels

Classroom Kitchen

Looking for fun recipes to make at your school[...]

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All Levels

Canada’s Food Guide in Action Videos

Canada’s Food Guide (CFG) is made up of many different components. One such component,[...]

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Elementary K-3

Grades 4-6

Mealtime Roles in Elementary School Poster

Discover how you can support children’s journey as they learn to eat a variety of foods.[...]

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All Levels

A Guided Practice in Mindfulness

Lead your class through a simple mindfulness[...]

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All Levels

A Guided Practice in Mindful Eating

Lead your class through a mindful eating exercise[...]

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All Levels

A Dietitian Visits a Dairy Farm

Learn more about how milk and yogurt are made in this video of a local dairy farm.

Dietitian[...]

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