Get Involved with Team Nutrition! Toolkit

“Get Involved with Team Nutrition!” Toolkit

Quarter 1 Nutrition Message:

“Launch into a new school year with healthy choices & fun activities that fuel your day!”

Overview of Message to Administrators

Dear Administrative Personnel,

Welcome to the 2017 Team Nutrition Toolkit. The goal of this toolkit is to provide easy to implement, nutrition messaging to support the wellness culture in your school. Four quarterly tool kits have been developed to make it easy to incorporate Team Nutrition messaging into your school announcements and social media. Each toolkit has the main quarterly nutrition message and “Weekly Nutrition Announcements” to build students’ knowledge and improve behavior related to the quarterly message. This toolkit also includes suggested “Weekly Nutrition Classroom Activities,” “Weekly Social Media Nutrition Messages.” Each component of the toolkit builds on the weekly announcement so that students learn how to incorporate the message into the school day and at home. We will ask you to complete an electronic survey to share your feedback so that we can continue to modify and improve this toolkit.

For utilizing each component of the toolkit you can claim points on the checklist as follows:

Weekly Nutrition Announcements: Establishing a Wellness Culture #1- 1 pt

Weekly Nutrition Classroom Activities: Nutrition #21- 2 pts

Weekly Social Media Nutrition Messages: Establishing a Wellness Culture #19- 1 pt

Eat Well Be Well parent newsletter: Establishing a Wellness Culture #23- 3 pts

To get started, if you have not already signed up as a USDA Team Nutrition school, please use the “How-to Sign Up” page to register to become a USDA Team Nutrition school. Once you sign up, you will find even more resources to support your wellness initiatives.

The nutrition message for the first quarter of the school year is “Launch into a new school year with healthy choices & fun activities that fuel your day!” The main goal of the first nutrition message is to provide a big picture for students to visualize the importance of nutrition not only each day, but the weeks, months, and years of their adolescent lives. Use the other resources to get points on your wellness checklist and to improve the knowledge and behavior of your students and community. We wish you the best of luck with the Toolkit and we look forward to hearing about how this enhances your culture of wellness!

Go Team Nutrition!

LCFB & MUSC

How-to Sign up to be a USDA Team Nutrition School

As stated earlier, signing up to become a USDA Team Nutrition school is required for participation in the “Get Involved with Team Nutrition” toolkit program. Detailed instructions will follow on how to sign up!

USDA Team Nutrition School Sign-Up Instructions:

1.  Visit the Team Nutrition Website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/team-nutrition

2.  On the left hand side of the page, there is a section labeled “How to Apply”

3.  Click on the link “Become a TN School”

4.  This will take you to a page titled “Join the Team: Become a Team Nutrition School”

5.  Under the picture and a brief description of Team Nutrition schools, you will find the “Sign Up” link.

6.  When clicked on, the “Sign Up” link will bring you to a page titled “TN School Enrollment Form”

7.  Complete the Enrollment Form and click on the Submit button on the bottom of the form!

8.  Your Enrollment Form will now be processed and you will receive more information!

Weekly Nutrition Announcements

For Wellness Checklist points claim: Establishing a Wellness Culture #1- 1 pt

Monthly Message: Launch into a new school year with healthy choices & fun activities that fuel your day!

Be Creative! Convey the nutrition message in a fun way. Make it an exciting part of the morning announcements.

Week 1.  Great days start with breakfast! By eating a healthy, well balanced breakfast, you will be able to focus in school and you will have more energy for you busy day!
Week 2.  Get excited about a colorful lunch! Start thinking of what color fruits and vegetables you will put on half of your tray during lunch.
Week 3.  Live life by the seed of your plants! Try two new plant-based proteins this week! Protein sources such as nuts, seeds, and beans are delicious and will pump protein into your body!
Week 4.  Aim for healthier choices while you eat out! Choose smaller portions, side salads or fruit instead of fries, and water over sugary beverages. Making eating out a healthier sometimes option.
Week 5.  Did you start your day with a cup of water? Your body needs water to launch you through the day. Make sure to drink at least 8 cups of water every day!
Week 6.  Reach for healthy snacks! While sweets, soda, and chips are sometimes snacks, colorful fruits and vegetables are everyday snacks! Aim to for at least one snack a day to be a fruit or vegetable.
Week 7.  We are on the move to do 60 minutes of activity everyday. Every little bit counts so take the long way to class or add an extra set of stairs to your route. Every little bit counts!
Week 8.  The calcium and vitamin D in dairy products work together to build healthy bones and teeth. If you’re not a fan of milk, choose a yogurt, soy milk, or cheese instead!
Week 9.  Show your parents and friends how much you know about nutrition! Next time you shop and cook with your family, drop some of your nutrition knowledge on them. They need to know how food works for their body too.

Weekly Nutrition Classroom Activities

Choose one or more of the provided activities for each week to incorporate into your class day. Use all three if you are able or just one if time is tight.

For Wellness Checklist points claim: Nutrition #21- 2 pts

Classroom Activity Week 1. 
Video (1:00): http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/healthy-eating/eat-breakfast
Resource(s): https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/tn/SB_Infographic_81216a.pdf
Discussion: After the morning announcements, have students share what they had for breakfast. Open up the floor for discussion about how they can improve their breakfast choices (i.e. add fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc).
Classroom Activity Week 2. 
Video (0:59): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loANI3tlPUg
Resources: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/printablematerials/DGTipsheet2AddMoreVegetables_0.pdf
Discussion: Discuss how many servings a day the student should eat of fruits and of vegetables (www.choosemyplate.gov). Go through the menu being served that week, discuss what options could be made to make half their tray/plate vegetables and fruits. https://district.ccsdschools.com/divisions/operations/nutrition_services/school_menus
Classroom Activity Week 3. 
Resources: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/DGTipsheet6ProteinFoods_0.pdf
Discussion: Discuss with students different foods that have protein in them. Discuss why the body needs protein (satiety, build strong muscles and bones, to keep from getting sick, to heal when sick/hurt). Discuss proteins they would eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Challenge them to come up with non-meat protein sources (i.e. beans, eggs, peanut butter, tofu, dairy products).
Classroom Activity Week 4. 
Video (2:13): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbMg7jau8uc
Resources: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/DGTipsheet41EatingFoodsAwayFromHome.pdf
http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/eating-out.html?WT.ac=t-ra#
Discussion: Discuss with the class what they could do to eat better while eating out. Encourage them to come up with suggestions like eating smaller portions, choosing water instead of sugary drinks with their meals, eating a leaner protein, skipping on fried items, and selecting options that have fruit, vegetables, protein, and whole grains if possible.
Classroom Activity Week 5. 
Video (4:51): https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-would-happen-if-you-didn-t-drink-water-mia-nacamulli
Discussion: Share with the students that their bodies are nearly 75% water and they need to make sure to drink 8 cups to replenish their body’s water. Encourage them to choose water over soda and other sugary drinks to meet their daily water needs.
Classroom Activity Week 6. 
Video (0:44): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srJXLmrmp7s&list=PL8wgGeKVh_7d4x7icBCNj99MsachAAChi&index=3
Resources: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/MPMW_tipsheet_11_Hackingyoursnacks.pdf
Discussion: Reach for healthy snacks! Share with the students that snacks that include protein, fiber, and healthy fats will keep them full longer. Brainstorm snacks with the students that provide all three – granola bar, cheese, whole grain crackers.
Activity: Put together a small taste test to show your students new healthy snacks. For example apple slices with peanut butter, cheese and whole grain crackers, or carrot sticks and hummus. Discuss the value of eating snacks that have protein to help them stay full.
(For Wellness Checklist points conduct this quarterly and claim: Nutrition #18- 5 pts)
Classroom Activity Week 7. 
Video (5:03): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Q5hPE9Al0
Resources: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/MPMW_Tipsheet_4_activelifestyle.pdf
Activity: https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@fc/documents/downloadable/ucm_455767.pdf Choose one or more activities from the list to incorporate into your lesson plan. I.e. Using #10 on the list to help students review for an upcoming test.
Video (3:44): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q4MylEhi2c
Resources: https://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/content/2015/whats-in-your-glass-infographic
Discussion: Discuss ways to get calcium besides drinking milk i.e yogurt, cheese, dark leafy greens such as collards or kale, soy products. Encourage students to try having yogurt with berries or trying alternative milks like soy and almond milk! https://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/content/2017/is-yogurt-good-for-you
Classroom Activity Week 9. 
Resources: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/DGTipsheet36EatSmartAndBeActiveAsYouGrow.pdf
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-choose-the-foods-you-need-to-grow
Discussion: At the end of the quarter, revisit all of the weekly nutrition messages, and applaud all of the new concepts they learned. Encourage the students to practice what they learned at home and relay the nutrition education to their parents.
Activity: https://supertracker.usda.gov/myplan.aspx Review ChooseMyPlate.gov’s SuperTracker - pull up on computer encourage students to create their own profile to track their nutritional needs.

Weekly Social Media Nutrition Messaging

For Wellness Checklist points claim: Establishing a Wellness Culture #19- 1 pt

Social Media Messaging Week 1.
Message: Great days start with breakfast! Experiment with different healthy breakfast options. In a rush? Eggs are a great source of protein and can be hardboiled ahead of time and paired with a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter.
Attachment (1:00): http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/healthy-eating/eat-breakfast
Additional Resource(s): https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/tn/SB_Infographic_81216a.pdf
Social Media Messaging Week 2.
Message: Fill up on lunches full of fruits and vegetables! Remind your kids to fill half of their trays with fruits and vegetables. On the weekends, see how many fruits and vegetables you both can get throughout the day!
Attachment: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/printablematerials/DGTipsheet2AddMoreVegetables_0.pdf
Social Media Messaging Week 3.
Message: Dinner is for winners! Try two new proteins this week! Plan to have dinners centered on lean sources of protein like fish, chicken breast, turkey, or beans.
Attachment: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/DGTipsheet6ProteinFoods_0.pdf
Social Media Messaging Week 4.
Message: Aim for healthier choices while you and your kids eat out! Choose smaller portions, side salads or fruit instead of fries, and water over sugary beverages. Making eating out a healthier sometimes option!
Attachment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbMg7jau8uc
Social Media Messaging Week 5.
Message: Are you and your kids starting your day with a cup of water? Make water consumption part of the morning school routine!
Attachment: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-would-happen-if-you-didn-t-drink-water-mia-nacamulli
Social Media Messaging Week 6.
Message: Reach for healthy snacks! Identify tasty swaps for chips and sweets like vegetables and dip, fruit flavored water, or pickles. Make sure they are available to eat by put a bowl of fruits and vegetables on the table or at eye level in the refrigerator.
Attachment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srJXLmrmp7s&list=PL8wgGeKVh_7d4x7icBCNj99MsachAAChi&index
Social Media Messaging Week 7.
Message: Be on the move! Get the family together by encouraging a physical activity at least five nights per week! On the weekend, have the family play soccer together or take a walk around your neighborhood or a local park.
Attachment: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/MPMW_Tipsheet_4_activelifestyle.pdf
Social Media Messaging Week 8.
Message: Your kids need calcium for healthy bones and teeth! Make sure they are having a glass of milk, a cup of yogurt, or a small amount of cheese with their dinner or with breakfast in the mornings!
Attachment: https://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/content/2015/whats-in-your-glass-infographic
Social Media Messaging Week 9.
Message: Your children will be very excited to share the nutrition knowledge they have learned! Help them keep learning by asking them about they’ve learned and what goals they accomplished with their teachers and classmates. To continue healthy habits, use SuperTracker to determine your children’s and your nutrition needs.
Attachment: https://supertracker.usda.gov/myplan.aspx