Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition
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  • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Resources
    • Resources - START HERE!
    • General School Wellness
    • Laws & Regulations
    • RI District Wellness Policies
    • Wellness Policy Guidance >
      • Wellness Policy Guidance - START HERE!
      • What is a Wellness Policy
      • 10 Steps to a Wellness Policy
      • Communicate & Educate
      • Monitor, Assess, Document & Report
    • Wellness Policy in Action >
      • Wellness Policy in Action - START HERE!
      • Physical Education & Physical Activity
      • Nutrition & Healthy Eating
      • School Gardens
      • Healthy Fundraising
      • Healthy School Celebrations
    • Partners in Student Health Event Materials
  • e-News
  • School Wellness Spotlight
  • RRIRI
    • RRIRI Overview
    • RRIRI Training Description
    • RRIRI Application Details
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved - Start Here!
    • Partner With Us
    • Breakfast for School Wellness Leaders
    • Programs >
      • PowerUp PE
  • Donate

Nutrition & Healthy Eating

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​The link between nutrition and learning is well documented. Good nutrition is essential for students to achieve their full academic potential, full physical and cognitive growth, and lifelong health and well-being. Developing healthy eating habits at a young age can reap benefits for a lifetime and schools play a critical role in helping children learn and practice healthy eating habits. 

Think about it.  

Children spend over six hours a day at school and many eat two or more meals there, which can be the majority of their daily caloric consumption.  In addition, schools are places for teaching and learning and are the ideal setting for children to gain knowledge of proper nutrition and build comfort with healthy foods and eating patterns.
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What can schools do?  
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  • Serve school meals that meet all federal and state nutrition standards and are appealing to students. Nutrition standards have been strengthened for breakfast, lunch, and after-school snack program with the passage and implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that requires more fruits, vegetables and whole grain servings and limits the amount of sodium, sugar and fat in meals (see Laws & Regulations).  School food service can develop and market kid-friendly recipes, mix up their menus and excite their student customers. They can utilize locally grown fresh foods and ensure students and families have input and can provide feedback on the program.  
    • Try using the Smarter Lunchrooms Scorecard for simple, no-cost or low-cost strategies that lunchrooms can use to increase participation, improve consumption of healthy food, and reduce food waste.
  • ​Enforce competitive foods laws/regulations. Gone are the days when soda, candy and fried chips are allowed to be sold to students in vending machines, school stores and a la carte lines in the cafeteria. All Competitive Foods (foods/beverages sold outside of the reimbursable meals program) must meet strict state/federal nutrition standards. This includes school fundraisers like bake sales with brownies and cookies and other treats of low-nutritional value. Competitive foods that do not meet nutrition standards cannot be sold before, during and up to one hour after the school day (see Laws & Regulations).
  • ​​Provide comprehensive nutrition education. Schools must provide nutrition education to students and should model healthy messaging throughout the school setting. Nutrition lessons can be taught as part of a Health/Physical Education curriculum and also integrated into other subjects such as math, language arts and science in all grades.  
  •  Make the school cafeteria a central place for nutrition education and promotion. Signage, food placement and promotion, celebrations, artwork and announcements can reinforce positive nutrition messages and increase positive perceptions of the healthy meals program. 
  • ​Ban advertising and marketing of foods/beverages that can’t be sold in schools. If it can’t be sold, it shouldn’t be advertised or allowed to be marketed to students. Such practices undermine strong wellness policies and allow for commercialization of children.
  • Plan only healthy  school celebrations. Visit our new Healthy School Celebrations page for resources.

Resources

WEBSITES:
  • Fuel Up to Play 60
  • Inside School Food 
  • ​​RIDE Child Nutrition Programs
  • RI Farm to School
  • Super Kids Nutrition
  • School Bites
  • Smarter Lunchrooms Movement 
                 Smarter Lunchrooms Scorecard
  • The Lunch Box 
  • The Lunch Tray
  • USDA Choose My Plate
  • USDA Team Nutrition  
SCHOOL BREAKFAST:
  • Breakfast for Learning FRAC
  • Breakfast for Health FRAC
  • VIDEO: North Providence HS Grab 'n Go Healthy Breakfast Program​

SNACKS IN SCHOOL:
  • Guide to Getting Junk Food Out of Your Child's Classroom (The Lunch Tray)​
  • ​Choose Smarter Snacks! (RI Healthy Schools Coalition)
  • Healthy Snack Ideas (English) (URI SNAP-Ed)
  • Healthy Snack Ideas (Spanish)​ (URI SNAP-Ed)​
  • Healthy School Snacks for Kids (Center for Science in the Public Interest) ​​
  • "Lookalike" Smart Snacks in Schools (Rudd Center)

Research

Creating Supportive School Nutrition Environments 
Bridging the Gap Research Brief

Improving Access to Drinking Water in Schools 
Bridging the Gap Research Brief

Marketing & Promotion of Foods and Beverages at School 
Bridging the Gap Research Brief

​Start the Day Ready to Learn with Breakfast in the Classroom: Principals Share What Works
FRAC (Food Research and Action Center)
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​SCHOOL REWARDS & CELEBRATIONS:
  • Non-Food Reward Ideas (Center for Science in the Public Interest)
  • Healthy Ways to Reward Kids (Alliance for a Healthier Generation)
  • Celebrations that Support Child Health (Alliance for a Healthier Generation) ​​
  • Healthy Fundraising Solutions (Alliance for a Healthier Generation)​
 
OTHER:
  • LIVE HEALTHY: A Guide to Healthy Eating and Active Living for Children with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (Hasbro Childrens Hospital)
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