March is National Nutrition Month, and here at MCC we are proud to provide our students with well rounded, nutritious meals and smart snacks while in school. We have free breakfast offered daily for students, even on late start days our students have the option to have a grab and go breakfast that meets the standards of a nutritious breakfast. This year lunches are provided free to all students as well. While we encourage students and families to embrace nutrition and wellness year round, March can provide families with the opportunity to explore more healthy eating habits and physical activity habits.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides several ideas of ways to get your family involved at home with National Nutrition Month. For example: as a family, commit to trying a new fruit or vegetable each week, you can give family members a role in meal planning and let them pick out different recipes to try, plan to eat more meals together as a family, or you can explore food recovery options in your community. If you watch TV, take breaks during commercials to be physically active, as well as practice mindful eating by limiting screen time at mealtime — including phones, computers, TV and other devices. Your family may enjoy trying more meatless meals — choices like beans and lentils are versatile plant-based protein sources that work in a variety of dishes. It can be fun to let everyone help with food preparation — a skill for people of all ages, if you have kids, there are age-appropriate tasks they may enjoy learning how to do, and lastly bring out the flavors of food by trying new herbs, spices or citrus fruit such as lemon or lime.
Ways your family can help promote health and wellness here at school are by sending healthy nutritious meals for your children's lunches and snacks if they bring their own. Celebrate your child’s birthday with a game for the classroom, pencils, stickers, or other fun non-food items. Items like cookies, cupcakes and donuts do not align with our wellness policy and we encourage families to save those types of foods for treats at home, additionally several students have health concerns that don’t allow them to have various different treats, in an effort to not exclude students with allergies or other health concerns it’s recommended to provide nutritious items or non-food items for celebrations.
Healthy eating habits can make students better learners as well as be healthy enough to attend school each day. When given nutritious fuel for their bodies, students are able to focus better, have better memory and cognitive function, additionally nutrition impacts brain development and overall energy to get through the day.
There are so many ways your family can get involved and explore options year round to promote a healthy lifestyle. If you would like more ideas please reach out at any time to myself, or your healthcare provider. Another good resource would be your child’s physical education or health teacher, and coaches for ways to encourage your students' health and wellness not only at school but at home as well.
In Health,
Desirée Haupert
MCC Health Services Coordinator