Blog


 * Welcome!**

Educating students about nutrition at an early age can help form healthy habits in the future. This is a sample blog that will lead students through the blogging process and ideally provide an avenue for making healthy lifestyle changes.

Blog Introduction
The concept of this nutrition blog is dependent upon a curriculum that addresses the fundamentals of sound nutritional choices. The links provided in this Wiki could be beneficial to providing this foundation, however, there are a few basic concepts that must be realized before beginning the blogging process.


 * 1) Students must identify all food groups and be able to identify foods that belong to each group.
 * 2) Students should understand the concepts found on food labels. What is a calorie? What is saturated fat? And so on.
 * 3) Students should understand what appropriate portion sizes are.
 * 4) Students should understand WHY it is important to eat certain foods. For instance, why is protein necessary in the diet? This does not have to be an understanding on par with a dietitian, of course.

This is just a small list. Depending on the complexity of your blog, you might require more in-depth knowledge.

Equally important to consider is the students' ability to blog and use the blogging platform to convey thoughtful responses to the questions being asked by the instructor. Because personal nutrition is a sensitive matter to some, it would be appropriate to make each blog private and only viewable by the blogger and the instructor. This will allow the student to be more candid about their nutritional habits and will not illicit negative interactions between students! Below I have included a few links that will direct you to classroom-appropriate blogging platforms.

[|http://www.think.com/en/] [|Blogger] http://edublogs.org/

==//Below is a four week nutrition-curriculum blog aimed at creating positive change in students. This could be incorporated into a larger classroom blog that includes other topics, or could be used as a stand alone blog.//==

Blog 1: Three Day Food Journal
The push to promote healthier eating and lifestyle has given many the idea of keeping a food journal. This blog is literally your students' food journals in that they will be keeping tabs of what they are eating, but also posting thoughts and analysis of their diet. A food journal itself can be many things. It could be as simple as a one day recall where a dietitian requests that a client provide a list of every food that had been consumed in the past 24 hours. Or a food journal could be a beneficial aid in the process of long term weight loss. For this blogging project we will use a three day food journal. Students will be expected to write down everything they consume for three subsequent days. Depending on the education level of your students you might request that they provide anything from what food group each food falls into to more complex concepts such as how many grams of protein they are eating. This would require more extensive training and the use of either an online food journaling site ( [|www.fitday.com] is a nice fee example) or a book that breaks down the nutritional content of common foods. For this sample lesson we will keep it basic. I have provided a word document that can be used as a print out to give to students. This file is a basic template of a food journal.

Nutrition is an important part of your overall health. Our classroom lessons have focused on what we eat, what types of food we eat, and why these foods are important for a healthy body. Now we will put this knowledge into action and discover what makes up our daily diets! The first task of this Blog is to create a three day food journal. This journal is your own personal "diary" of EVERYTHING you eat for three days in a row. You will also be required to describe what food group each food falls into, and how much of it you ate. In addition to this food journal, I would like you to write a Blog entry that answers the following questions:
 * SAMPLE BLOG**:

How many fruits or vegetables did you eat, on average, per day? How many servings of protein? Carbohydrates? Did you notice that you ate one type of food more than other types? What was it? Suggest some changes to your current diet. What would make it more nutritionally sound? (Example: I should aim to eat 2 more servings of fruits/vegetables a day)

Below is a link to the Food Journal File. Please note that you are not required to eat meals in the format provided. For instance, if you only eat one snack a day, do not worry about filling in the additional snack section.



Blog 2: Week 2--Fruits & Veggies!
Once week one has been completed, the students will have time to reflect upon their eating habits. As an instructor, it is important to encourage discussion in the classroom about their blogs and what they discovered during their first week blogging and keeping a food journal. This is a great time to take the discussion one step further and talk about gradually incorporating healthy eating habits into their daily routine. Giving the students examples and providing a framework for week two is imperative. Students must keep in mind that the changes that are being incorporated are gradual and not life-altering. For instance, do not encourage students to eat 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, especially if they barely eat one at the current time! There are several reasons for this. Students may not have authority over their food choices. Fresh fruits and vegetables often are more expensive; this is especially relevant if you are in a school district with lower socioeconomic status. Be sensitive to the accessability of fruits and vegetables! One easy way to help this process along is to have a "vegetable of the day". Bring in a big bag of baby carrots and have the students sample them. Pay attention to the cafeteria's lunch selection-do they have a vegetable selection each day? By encouraging students to try new foods and bringing new foods to them it will make the process of incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet much easier!


 * SAMPLE BLOG:**

Now that you have kept a three day food journal and analyzed the foods you eat, let's work on bringing some healthy habits to the table! This week we will focus on fruits and vegetables! Each day your teacher will bring a new fruit or vegetable to class for a healthy snack. You may or may not try the new food--that is up to you. But your goal is to try to find one new fruit or vegetable this week that you like, or at least try one new food. Your blog should answer these questions:

Which new fruit or vegetable did you like the most? Which one did you like the least? What aspects of the fruit or vegetable did you like? (For instance, I like apples because they are crisp and juicy) What types of foods might use this fruit or vegetable as an ingredient? (I like carrots, you can find them in salads, stews, and soup) How can you incorporate this food into your diet more?

Blog 3: Week 3-Recipe Exercise
Another easy way to teach students to incorporate their nutrition lessons into their lifestyle is to have them analyze a favorite recipe or dish and find a way to make it healthier. The premise of this blog is simple. The students must find a recipe or food they like and find a way to make it healthier or find a similar alternative to it that is more nutritious. In order to do this, a lecture must be prepared that teaches students the concept of substituting the healthy food for the less healthy food. Once the concept has been introduced, students can use the Internet to search for recipes or do it the old-fashioned way and use a cookbook.
 * SAMPLE BLOG**

This week you will need to find your favorite recipe either by Internet search, or a cookbook. You will then take your favorite recipe and analyze it. Your blog should contain the following items: A copy of the recipe you are modifying. Why do you like this recipe? Look at the recipe itself, can you identify ways to make it a healthier recipe? (Hint: Use tips given during class...for example, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 egg). Are there any healthier recipes that you could use an alternative to this recipe? Do you believe it is OK to eat your favorite recipe as is? Why or why not?

Blog 4: Week 4- One Day Menu
The final week of this one month blog should be an opportunity to use the culmination of the healthy habits they have learned to develop a menu for one day of an "ideal" healthy diet. Students should be encouraged to be realistic; do we really expect a student to only eat fruits and vegetables and never drink a soda or eat a candy bar? The main objective of teaching a healthy eating lifestyle to students is to be able to incorporate all foods into their diet. So, in this exercise guidelines should be set so that they are taking into consideration their own likes and dislikes and not just encouraging regurgitation of what they have learned in the classroom.

This week's blog is a way to use all of your nutrition knowledge to create a one day diet for yourself. This is a realistic diet-if you like Snickers bars, you can eat a Snickers bar! Just use the healthy habits we have discussed in class to incorporate the candy in a healthy way! This is the beauty of healthy eating. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you make sure you keep some nutritious foods in the mix, too. Your blog should contain the following:
 * SAMPLE BLOG**

Using the same file given for the 3 day food journal, provide one full day's menu for yourself as an attachment. There is no requirement for number of meals or snacks. This is up to you. Be realistic about your food choices; if you do not like brussel sprouts, don't include them. If you like soda, go ahead and include it. But keep in mind this is a HEALTHY diet. Answer the following questions: Describe your daily menu. Why did you select the foods you selected? Do you believe you included enough of each of the food groups? What is your favorite part of your menu? Do you believe you would be satisfied if you used this menu?

Blog 5: Month Summary Blog
Because this is a blog that incorporates personal change into the learning process, it's a nice touch to have a blog entry that serves as a reflection piece. This is a great way of encouraging the students to look back upon the healthy habits they have started and find ways to stay motivated to continue these habits. If the student feels better now that they for instance, substituted an apple for a candy bar each day, then this is a good time to jot that down. This is also a means of setting future goals and things that could be worked on on their own time. Encourage students to continue their nutritious habits!


 * SAMPLE BLOG:**

The month is over. You've spent four weeks examing your eating habits and finding ways to eat healthier, more nutritious foods. This blog entry is a way to look back upon your experiences this month and find some positive things that you have done. Your blog should answer these questions:

How has your nutrition changed since Week 1? Has it improved? Do you notice any personal changes? (Example: Do you have more energy? Do you eat different foods now? Do clothes fit better?) What has been your favorite aspect of this Month-Log Blog? Your least favorite aspect? What can you do to continue eating nutritious foods? What habits do you plan on keeping?