Healthy Eating

Students and staff spend at least a third of their waking lives a school. That means at least one meal, and often two, will be consumed while at school. School may also provide the only complete meal for some students whose families are struggling. School also usually serves as the source for students to learn about various foods, where foods come from, and nutrition education.

Classroom snacks, fundraisers, all-school taste tests, and celebrations are just some of the ways that food plays a part at school, outside of the traditional school lunch.

Food in the classroom

Food in our classrooms is now much more widespread. From Breakfast-to-Go to class snacks, food plays a part of classroom life. Having food present, however, is more complicated than may be apparent at first glance. Staff and families need to follow the SPPS Wellness Policy in offering food, along with considerations such as:

Food allergies
Obesity prevention
Best practice recommendations against using food as rewards

Classroom Snack Suggestions

Here are some healthy alternatives that can be served as snacks (and can also double for classroom celebrations!):

Fruit Smoothies	Trail Mix (without nuts or peanuts)
Yogurt Parfaits	Angel Food Cake With Fruit
Low-Fat Pudding	Fruit with Chocolate Dip
Chips & Salsa	Whole Grain Crackers with Cheese
Healthy Muffins	Fruit Kabobs
Graham Crackers with Jam	Veggies and Hummus
Apples with Dip (Yogurt or Caramel)

You can always get creative by using brightly colored fruits and veggies, and then cutting the produce into fun shapes. You can also use cookie cutters to make fun-shaped sandwiches.

* Be sure to check to see if any students have any allergies or special dietary needs before bringing in a snack. The top allergens are:

Dairy
Soy
Wheat
Egg
Fish
Shellfish
Peanuts
Tree Nuts

Also be aware that some students may be vegetarian or vegan.

Alternative Rewards

Alternate ideas:

Win points/money for school store
Offer "free choice" activity time at end of day
Extra recess or gym time

Use fun activities as a reward:

craft time
read a special book
play a game
play fun music and have a dance party

Have a classroom Treasure Chest, stocked with:

Pencils	Pens	Crayons
Markers	Erasers	Coupons
Key Chains	Shoelaces	Bracelets
Rings	Necklaces	Notepads
Coloring Books	Instant Tattoos	Pencil Toppers
Sidewalk Chalk	Beach Balls	Sunglasses
Crazy Straws	Stickers	Fidgets

Celebrations

Most classroom celebrations, like a birthday or a holiday, tend to include treats like candy, cupcakes, and pizza. Here are some tips to shift the emphasis from food and celebrate in healthier ways:

At the beginning of the year, poll your students on what they think would be fun ways to mark a birthday or holiday. Use the top 5 suggestions and have students pick from that list on their special day
Emphasize the fun activities you will do. Pick a theme for your celebration and schedule the party after lunch, when students won't be as hungry
Reserve the SPPS Blender Bike. Students love the idea of making smoothies through Pedal Power!
Limit parties to once a month and celebrate all that month's birthdays at once.
Make a child celebrating a birthday feel special by making a sign, sash, or crown. Award them special responsibilities or tasks for that day
Have the birthday child choose a game to play or have a freeze dance or dance party. You can also let them choose a book to read aloud. Or plan a special class activity, like craft time, at the end of the day.

Link: Rethinking Classroom Celebrations

School Stores & Vending

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation offers an assortment of resources on USDA Smart Snack Standards. These include a SUPER helpful calculator to help schools know if the foods they sell meet the Smart Snack guidelines. They also work with Amazon to offer a special Amazon/Healthier Generation Store that sells Smart Snack compliant items.

Concessions/Fundraisers

Concession stands and fundraisers can be crucial to schools, particularly because clubs and sports teams often rely on them to generate funding for their programs. Foods sold through these means, however, tend to be high in fat, sugar, sodium and calories, and offer little in the way of nutritional value. Concession boosters have been hesitant to switch, due to ease of purchasing product from big box stores and concerns that healthy foods will increase costs, decrease sales, and be met with resistance from patrons. There are solutions to be had, however, by offering patrons an expanded selection that includes healthy choices. Check out the resources below for suggestions on concession offerings and alternative fundraising ideas.

Healthy Meetings

When planning a meeting or setting up a training/in-service event, it is important to consider the foods you plan to serve. In a typical meeting, you might find doughnuts, pastries, and other foodstuffs of low nutritional value. Serving healthier food options, however, will better align with SPPS' wellness goals and help to promote a healthy eating environment.

The Center for Science in Public Interest offers suggestions and resources to help transform your meetings, thereby paving the way to a healthier work environment. You'll want to check out their website if you have any upcoming staff events:

Healthy Meetings/Center for Science in the Public Interest