Nutrition Education

Nutrition education is an important way to encourage healthy eating, build good lifelong habits, and combat our State, and our country’s, childhood obesity epidemic.  Ideally, Nutrition Education should link what children are eating at school and in out-of-school time programming, with what they are learning about in the classroom.

Best practice Nutrition Education links research, theory and practice; and focuses on behavior change.  Below is a list of high quality nutrition education resources that have been reviewed and recommended by a State team of experts. This is not an all-inclusive list, but includes many of the best free and low-cost Nutrition Education resources offered in Michigan and nationally.   Use these resources to provide and improve Nutrition Education and to create an implementation plan for the Nutrition Education portion of your Local Wellness Policy.

• Family Nutrition Education
• Preschool and Young Children
• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School

• Building Blocks for Fun and Healthy Meals

  Format: PDF

  Audience: Foodservice workers

  Cost: Free

  A menu planner that provides tools to successfully prepare and serve meals and snacks in CACFP. Complete with sample menus, guidance on keeping and using production records, and information on food safety and sanitation.

   

  Available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/building-blocks

  Tags:

  • school meals (37)

• Guide to Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs

  Format: PDF

  Audience: Foodservice workers

  Cost: Free

  This easy-to-use booklet is designed to help State agencies, school food authorities, and school nutrition professionals understand and apply the Final Rule on Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs Personnel.

   

  Available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/guide-professional-standards-school-nutrition-programs

  Tags:

  • local wellness policy (49)
  • school meals (37)
  • Smarter Lunchrooms (16)

• Fight Lead with Nutrition

  Format: PDF

  Audience: Parents, Teachers, Administrators, Foodservice Workers, Community Members, Coaches

  Cost: Free

  A short fact sheet that explains how a nutritious diet can help fight the effects of lead exposure.

   

  Available at: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/resources/fight_lead_with_nutrition

  Tags:

  • handout (22)
  • nutrition education (68)

• 2015-2016 Income Guidelines for Free and Reduced Price School Meals

  Format: PDF

  Audience: Parents, Teachers, Administrators, Foodservice Workers

  Cost: Free

  The 2015-16 guidelines for determining free and reduced price school meals.

   

  Available at: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/2015-16+Income+Guidelines_-_Press_Release_498686_7.pdf

  Tags:

  • school meals (37)