food and nutrition learning journey

Brain Food: Exploring the Connections Between Nutrition and Learning

• By Laura Hoxworth , [email protected]

We all know it’s hard to focus when you’re hungry. Researchers at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education are working across several fields to figure out why that is, how much it matters in the classroom and what we can do to make sure all children are well-fed and ready to learn.

“There is pretty solid evidence that children who are hungry are not able to focus, so they have a low attention span, behavioral issues, discipline issues in the school,” said Sibylle Kranz, an associate professor of kinesiology and a registered dietitian nutritionist in the Curry School. “Having children who are well-fed and not hungry makes a difference in their individual performance, and also how much they are contributing to or disrupting the classroom situation.”

However, finding the most efficient and effective ways to help get children the nutrients they need involves parsing through complex and interconnected issues like poverty, accessibility and nutrition. Ongoing projects across several fields within the Curry School – including developmental psychology, policy and health and wellness – are exploring the many pathways between food and learning outcomes in school-age children.

Here are three ways researchers are diving in.

Developmental Psychology: Food Insecurity and Kindergarten Readiness

One recent study shows that food security – having reliable access to a sufficient amount of food – could affect learning as early as kindergarten. Published in the journal Child Development in March, the study found children who experience food insecurity in early childhood are more likely to start kindergarten less ready than children from homes that are food-secure.

The study looked at a nationally representative data set that measured how often children from low-income households experienced episodes of food insecurity over several years of early childhood. The researchers then compared children’s kindergarten readiness – measured through a mix of math and reading tests and teachers’ reports of children’s skills in areas that lead to classroom success, like curiosity and self-control – for children who were and were not food insecure. It showed that food insecurity in infancy and toddlerhood predicted lower cognitive and social-emotional skills in kindergarten.

Anna Markowitz, a postdoctoral researcher at the Curry School’s EdPolicyWorks research center and a coauthor of the study, said it’s important to distinguish food insecurity – which is feeling unsure about whether you will have enough to eat – from hunger. While they often go together, hunger is a physical experience, while food insecurity is psychological.

Markowitz also emphasized that the results are non-causal – that is, it’s impossible to know whether or not food insecurity directly causes decreased kindergarten readiness. Particularly for young children, whose well-being is dependent on their parents, tackling food insecurity means diving into parents’ well-being and therefore a web of poverty-related factors, including maternal health and mental health, families’ general economic security, parenting practices and more.

However, nutrition may also be a significant pathway through which food insecurity can potentially affect children. “If you’re a parent who’s worried about the quantity of food, unhealthy calories are very cheap and healthy calories are not cheap,” Markowitz said. “So that nutrition pathway could certainly be real.”

What’s clear, Markowitz said, is that a strong link exists between how secure a child’s family feels about their ability to provide enough food and how prepared that child is when they enter kindergarten – and that helping young children learn is incredibly important to a host of long-term effects.

“There’s a lot of social science research showing the long-term effects of those early skills,” Markowitz said. “Children’s early skills predict not just labor market attachment and wages, but also whether or not you’re likely to be incarcerated, your marriage, your physical and mental health.”

While the problem is complex, the possibility for impactful work in this area is immense. “There is good evidence that kids are more malleable when they’re younger, so those early years of life are really important when thinking about interventions,” Markowitz said. “There are programs that we know work, and many more opportunities to improve children’s lives at home, which is really exciting. If you can start kids off in a good place, you can make a big difference.”

Education Policy: ‘Nudging’ Schools to Adopt Flexible Breakfast Programs

In other cases, resources are already available, but may not be reaching all the children who need them. Researchers from the Curry School and UVA’s Department of Economics have partnered with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, a child nutrition advocacy group, and Ideas42, a behavioral design firm, on a study encouraging school districts in six states to adopt flexible breakfast programs that have been shown to feed more children.

Called “Breakfast After the Bell,” the flexible breakfast program was developed the United States Department of Agriculture to address the large percentage of eligible students across the country who don’t eat the free or reduced-price breakfast that their school provides. Breakfast programs are typically underutilized compared to lunch programs, possibly because they require students to arrive at school early, or because of social stigma.

“Breakfast After the Bell” has been shown to increase the percentage of students taking advantage of school breakfast by delivering the food directly to classrooms on a mobile cart, instead of serving it in the cafeteria.

“In the long term, schools that adopt Breakfast After the Bell and allow kids to take meals to, or eat in, the classroom will see improved behavior, focus and performance from their students, due to kids’ better nutrition that results from greater participation in breakfast,” said Wendy Bolger, director of program innovation strategy at No Kid Hungry. “Students who can start the day on task because they are not distracted by an empty stomach are more ready to learn.”

However, only a small percentage of schools have adopted these programs. “These programs are really effective at increasing the number of students who eat breakfast, but they’re only in 20 percent of schools,” said Zach Sullivan, a doctoral candidate with the Curry School’s Nudge4 lab.

Sullivan said while the programs are inexpensive overall, they still involve some start-up costs, like purchasing a cart or extra trashcans for classrooms. Another hurdle can be developing buy-in from teachers and cafeteria workers, who may need to adjust schedules and routines to accommodate the program.

That’s where the work with UVA, No Kid Hungry and Ideas42 comes in. In a large-scale study involving 2,500 elementary schools, researchers are using the theory of behavioral “nudging” – using simple, low-cost tactics to “nudge” someone toward a certain behavior – to encourage schools to switch to a flexible breakfast program.

“The main research question was: Can we use low-cost, scalable outreach to increase the number of schools who are adopting these flexible breakfast strategies?” Sullivan asked.

Researchers sent low-cost mailers to school district decision-makers explaining the benefits of Breakfast After the Bell, varying the messaging to test different persuasive tactics. They also sent follow-up emails and offered grants to cover start-up costs.

“By making salient the low-cost, easy-to-implement effective strategies schools can use to deliver breakfast, and by nudging school leaders with social comparisons of similar schools that have achieved higher participation rates, we hope to meaningfully improve both school nutrition and academic performance,” said Ben Castleman, an assistant professor of education and public policy and director of the Nudge4 Solutions Lab.

The breakfast project has been in progress for more than a year, with results expected in 2018. If researchers find the mailers had a positive effect on the number of students eating breakfast, Sullivan said the team plans to compare the results with publicly available student outcome data, like attendance and test scores. Ultimately, they hope to study whether the increased breakfast improves school performance.

“We were so pleased to work with the team at UVA because of their track record and commitment to simple, scalable solutions in education policy,” said Bolger, of No Kid Hungry. “Also, we needed a team that would take risks with us and be innovative and flexible – we had other partners drop out because they felt the challenges we were tackling were too hard. The UVA team held on to the vision of improving the lives of at-risk students and were motivated by their desire to apply past successes with social norms messaging to persuade this new audience of school stakeholders to adopt Breakfast After the Bell.”

Health and Wellness: Making School Snacks More Nutritious and Filling

In the Curry School’s kinesiology program, associate professor Sibylle Kranz is studying school nutrition from a different angle. Instead of looking at whether or how much children are eating in school, she’s interested in what they’re eating – and whether it’s nutritious enough.

“There’s a pretty large proportion of kids who just don’t have any access to food at home,” said Kranz, who is also a certified child nutrition epidemiologist. Not being able to “just whip out something to eat in the middle of their lessons as needed” means children require “nutrient-dense meals and snacks,” she said.

Much of Kranz’s research has focused on improving the quality of the food that children receive in school by making small changes or substitutions that increase the amount of dietary fiber, with whole grains, fruits, vegetables or protein in school breakfasts and snacks.

So far, the results have been positive. In a study published in The Journal of Nutrition in March, Kranz and her colleagues found that serving high-protein and high-dietary fiber breakfasts improved the quality of preschoolers’ diets. Kranz said even if children are resistant to new foods at first, they quickly adapt – and significant gains in health measures, such as fiber intake, can be observed even among children who only changed their diets minimally.

“The main premise is that it is possible for us to make small changes to what’s served,” she said. “Because it’s in a child care setting, children are very likely to accept it.”

The next step, she said, is studying the link between a better diet and learning outcomes. “Part of what I’m working on now is trying to figure out if kids who feel full longer learn better,” she said. “There’s a lot of literature on the importance of breakfast, but it’s mostly looking at having breakfast versus not having breakfast, but not the level and time to metabolize the glucose in the bloodstream, or the type of breakfast.”

In future research, Kranz plans to examine how nutritionally rich foods high in fiber and protein affect learning outcomes in children. She believes when it comes to improving student learning, it’s about quality, not quantity. A more filling breakfast could make a big difference.

At a time when the U.S. struggles to address a growing trend of childhood obesity, improving the nutritional benefits of the food children eat at school has the potential for a range of other health benefits. “It’s improving diet quality and thereby improving both learning outcomes and health,” Kranz said.

In all of these areas, researchers say they still have much to learn about how nutrition affects learning – and what teachers, parents, administrators and policymakers can do to help. But each new study that sheds light on this complex issue brings us one step closer to ensuring all children have the nutritious food they need to reach their full potential in the classroom.

Media Contact

Laura Hoxworth

School of Education and Human Development

[email protected] 434-924-5266

Article Information

January 4, 2018

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Starting Your Journey to Healthy Eating and Active Living: A Comprehensive Guide

• Post author: admin
• Post published: July 15, 2023
• Post category: Blog

Welcome to your first step toward a healthier, happier life. At the Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research (CHEAR), we believe in empowering individuals to take charge of their health through sound nutritional choices, balanced diet, and regular physical activity. This article will take you on a comprehensive journey, providing you with the knowledge and resources needed to establish and maintain healthier habits.

Why Healthy Habits Matter

Health isn’t merely the absence of disease—it’s a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. The decisions we make daily about what to eat and how to move our bodies play a crucial role in maintaining optimal health.

• Longevity : Healthy habits like eating nutritious food and staying active can increase your life span and improve your quality of life.
• Disease Prevention : They can help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
• Mental Health : Good nutrition and physical activity improve mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

A Guide to Healthful Eating: Making Nutritious Choices

Healthy eating is not about rigid dietary limitations or depriving yourself of the foods you love. It’s about feeling great, having more energy, and stabilizing your mood. Here are some detailed tips to help you make healthier food choices and foster better eating habits:

Choose Whole, Unprocessed Foods

When it comes to nutrition, it’s best to consume foods as close to their natural state as possible. Whole, unprocessed foods—such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats—are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that your body needs to function optimally.

For example, try to choose:

• Whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal, or whole-grain bread over refined grain products like white rice and white bread.
• Lean proteins like fish, poultry, or plant-based proteins like lentils, quinoa, and tofu, instead of processed meats.
• Healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, rather than unhealthy fats found in fried foods or baked goods.

Moderate Portions

It’s not just about what you eat, but also how much you eat. Even healthy foods can contribute to weight gain if eaten in large amounts. Be mindful of portion sizes to avoid overeating. This doesn’t mean you need to measure or weigh everything you eat—just be aware of what a serving size looks like.

Here are some simple ways to keep your portions in check:

• Use smaller plates and bowls to make your portions appear larger.
• Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with protein, and the remaining quarter with grains.
• Listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Eat when you’re truly hungry, and stop when you’re satisfied, not necessarily when you’re full.

Prioritize Plant-Based Foods

Increasing your intake of plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds can have significant health benefits. These foods are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support overall health and can help prevent chronic diseases.

Aim to fill half of your plate with colorful vegetables or fruits at each meal. They not only add a variety of flavors and textures to healthy meals but also make your meals more visually appealing.

Limit Added Sugars

Added sugars contribute to empty calories—calories that provide little to no nutritional value. These can lead to weight gain and health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. While some added sugar in your diet is okay, it’s important to limit your intake.

Be mindful of hidden sugars in processed foods, even those that don’t taste sweet, like bread, sauces, and salad dressings. Look at the nutrition labels and try to avoid products with a lot of added sugars.

The Power of Hydration: Benefits of Drinking Water

Water is essential to life. It makes up about 60% of your body weight and is involved in numerous bodily functions. Despite its importance, many people don’t consume enough water daily. Here’s a deeper dive into why staying adequately hydrated matters:

Boosts Energy

One of the first signs of dehydration is feeling tired or fatigued. When you’re dehydrated, your body doesn’t have enough fluid to carry out normal functions, which can drain your energy and make you feel tired.

Water is critical for producing energy in your cells. Drinking enough water ensures that essential nutrients are transported to all organs in the body, helping you maintain good energy levels throughout the day. If you’re feeling a mid-afternoon energy slump, try reaching for a glass of water before grabbing a caffeinated beverage.

Supports Digestion

Water plays a crucial role in digestion, starting from the moment we take our first bite. Saliva, which is almost entirely made up of water, begins the process of breaking down food. It helps dissolve food particles, allowing them to pass more easily through the digestive tract and be absorbed efficiently.

In the intestines, water aids in the absorption of nutrients and the proper elimination of waste. Staying well-hydrated also prevents constipation by maintaining adequate moisture in your stool.

Promotes Weight Loss

Drinking water can also support weight loss and weight management efforts. It has zero calories and can help control your appetite. Often, our bodies can confuse thirst for hunger, leading us to eat when we are, in fact, dehydrated. Drinking a glass of water before meals can help control appetite and prevent overeating.

Research also suggests that drinking water can boost metabolism. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that drinking 500 ml of water increased metabolic rate by 30% in both men and women.

To stay well-hydrated, aim for at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. This is the 8×8 rule and is easy to remember. However, individual needs vary depending on factors such as activity level, age, and climate. Therefore, some people might need more. A good indicator of hydration is urine color – it should be light yellow.

Keep in mind, all fluids count towards your daily total, not just water. This includes drinks like tea and coffee, and high-water content foods like fruits and vegetables.

Sleep is Connected to Nutrition and Exercise

Sleep is not just a passive state where nothing happens. It’s an active, essential process during which important physical and mental restoration occurs. The quality and amount of sleep we get influences our eating habits, workout performance, and overall health. Here’s a more detailed examination of how sleep interacts with nutrition and exercise:

Sleep and Nutrition

Sleep plays a significant role in regulating our appetite and food choices. Lack of adequate sleep can affect the hormones that control hunger and satiety, namely ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin, often referred to as the ‘hunger hormone,’ signals your brain that it’s time to eat. Leptin, on the other hand, sends signals indicating that you are full.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more ghrelin and less leptin, making you feel hungrier than when you’re well-rested. This can lead to increased calorie intake and poorer food choices, like reaching for high-sugar, high-fat comfort foods.

Moreover, sleep deprivation can impact insulin sensitivity, a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Sleep and Exercise

A good night’s sleep and regular physical activity are two pillars of health. The relationship between sleep and exercise is bidirectional and complex.

On one hand, sleep enhances athletic performance. It aids in the recovery and repair of tissues, reduces the risk of injury, and improves focus and coordination. Athletes who get sufficient sleep have been shown to have better speed, accuracy, and reaction times.

On the other hand, sleep deprivation can impede exercise performance. Lack of sleep can lead to decreased energy levels, reduced endurance, and lower motivation to exercise. Furthermore, prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to overtraining syndrome, a condition marked by a decrease in performance and prolonged recovery periods.

Simultaneously, regular physical activity can promote better sleep. Exercise helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, our internal biological clock that cues us when to sleep and wake up. Moreover, physical activity is known to improve sleep quality and increase sleep duration.

Prioritize Quality Sleep

Given the importance of sleep in regulating our eating habits and exercise performance, it’s crucial to make good sleep a priority. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.

Here are some tips for better sleep:

• Keep a regular sleep schedule: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
• Create a sleep-friendly environment: Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.
• Limit exposure to screens before bed: The light emitted by phones, tablets, computers, and TVs can interfere with your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep.
• Be mindful of what you eat and drink close to bedtime: Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol near bedtime as they can disrupt your sleep.

By understanding the intricate connection between sleep, nutrition, and exercise, you can make better-informed decisions to improve your health and well-being.

Tips for Increasing Daily Physical Activity

Physical activity plays a vital role in maintaining health and wellbeing. Regular exercise can help control weight, reduce risk of chronic diseases, improve mental health and mood, and promote better sleep. However, integrating more physical activity into daily life can sometimes feel challenging. Here’s a detailed look at how you can add more movement to your day:

Set Realistic Goals

When starting any new fitness regime, it’s crucial to set achievable and specific goals. This might mean starting with a 10-minute walk each day and gradually increasing the time and intensity as your fitness improves. By setting manageable targets, you’ll avoid feeling overwhelmed and stay motivated as you achieve each milestone.

Remember, the goal is not perfection, but progress. Any activity is better than none, and it’s perfectly fine to break your activity up into shorter sessions throughout the day.

Make it Fun

One of the best ways to stay motivated to move is to choose activities that you genuinely enjoy. This could be dancing, cycling, hiking, swimming, or even gardening. If you enjoy the activity, you’ll be more likely to stick with it.

Additionally, consider incorporating variety into your routine. This can prevent boredom and help you engage different muscle groups. If you usually go for a run, try swimming or a yoga class for a change.

Get Up Regularly

Extended periods of sitting can have negative health impacts, even if you exercise regularly. Try to break up long periods of sitting by standing up, stretching, or taking a short walk every 30 minutes.

At work, you could try a standing desk or hold walking meetings. At home, stand or do some light exercises during TV ad breaks. Small changes like these can add up to make a significant difference to your overall activity levels.

Make Activity a Part of Your Daily Routine

Integrating physical activity into your daily routine can make it easier to achieve your fitness goals. Look for opportunities throughout your day to move more. For example:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk or cycle for short journeys instead of driving.
• Park further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way.
• Get off public transportation one stop early and walk the remaining distance.

Keep Track of Your Progress

Monitoring your progress can be a powerful motivator. Using a fitness tracker or an app can help you see your improvements over time, keep you accountable, and encourage you to reach your fitness goals.

Some apps offer features like challenges, rewards, or social sharing to make tracking more fun. You can also keep a workout journal if you prefer a more hands-on approach.

Remember, physical activity is an investment in your health that pays off over time. Make it a priority, make it fun, and make it a part of your daily life.

The Role of a Positive Mindset in Your Health and Fitness Journey

A significant component of improving your health and fitness routine is cultivating a positive mindset. How you think and feel about yourself and your progress can directly influence your actions and outcomes.

Having a positive mindset means acknowledging that progress, no matter how small, is still progress. It involves celebrating your victories, learning from your setbacks, and constantly reminding yourself of why you started this journey in the first place.

Maintaining a positive mindset also means treating yourself with kindness and patience. Health and fitness improvements don’t happen overnight, and there will be challenges along the way. Being kind to yourself during these times reduces stress and discouragement, and can keep you motivated to continue with your routine.

Additionally, a positive mindset can enhance the physical benefits you gain from your health and fitness routine. Research suggests that people with a positive outlook tend to have stronger immune systems, lower levels of cardiovascular disease, and longer lifespans.

In summary, your mindset plays a crucial role in your health and fitness journey. Adopting a positive attitude can help you overcome obstacles, make healthier choices, and ultimately lead to a successful, sustainable lifestyle change.

Charting Your Path to Healthy Eating and Active Living

Healthy living is not a destination—it’s a journey that involves making informed choices, day in and day out. Remember, every small step counts, and it’s never too late to start. By staying hydrated, eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, and being physically active, you’re investing in your well-being, ensuring a healthier and happier life.

Final Thoughts

Embarking on a journey towards healthy eating and active living can seem challenging but remember that you don’t have to do it all at once. Start small and make gradual changes. Celebrate every victory, no matter how small, and be patient with yourself. After all, change takes time. But with persistence, you will build habits that lead to a healthier and happier life.

Stay connected with us at the Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research for more valuable insights and support on your health journey.

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Where can I start my nutrition learning journey?

So, I’ve given you some great places to start your learning journey. A couple of websites you can access with free Blogs. You also have the courses at The Nutrition Academy , you have my book, Lab To Table which is also available on audible and you also have my podcast Up For A Chat . So, it’s that’s a good start. And in all of those knowledge sources I also provide additional areas of learning like documentaries such as What’s With Wheat , which is my documentary and other wonderful documentaries I highly recommend.  There are some beautiful documentaries coming out at the moment that enhance what I’m teaching.

So, I have a plethora of information. I’ve been doing it for 40 years I’ve been writing for 30 of those years, and I’ve written many books but I think Lab to Table would be a great place to start. I hope that helps you find more information about nutrition and how you can help yourself, your family and your community.

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December 01, 2022

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• What is food literacy?
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All of us increase our understanding of food over our lifetime as we learn with and from people, places, foods, objects, and ideas. When we nurture these connections, we continue learning together with food and grow our food literacy. 

What is food literacy?  

Many of us are hearing the term “food literacy” more and more. But what is it? If you search for “food literacy” you’ll find a lot of different definitions. However, we didn’t want to pick just anything. We wanted to make sure the food literacy definition we use resonated with you! So, through research and collaboration with early learning in child care (ELCC) educators, teachers, and Registered Dietitians, our Teach Nutrition team created this meaningful definition to guide our programming.  

Food literacy is learning about and engaging with the many roles of food for ourselves, others, and our world. 

Four pathways enable us to explore and develop our understanding and skills within food literacy: 

• Food systems: How food grows, how it is produced, and how it is made available.
• Food skills: How to identify, plan, get, store, prepare, and eat food.
• Food context: How the foods we eat reflect our needs and resources.
• Food story: The relationship between food, culture, and identity.

We learn about different parts of food literacy, in big or small ways, through our day-to-day experiences with food. The food literacy definition includes four distinct pathways. But in our lives, these pathways often interconnect and overlap; one activity can link to more than one pathway. Learning together with food is a journey that can last your lifetime. 

Why focus on food literacy?  

As you are already an important support for children’s wellbeing now and in the future, focusing on food literacy is a worthwhile investment. Food literacy and its pathways have been linked to the following benefits: 

• Increased likelihood of eating a nourishing diet
• Increased connectedness to others with respect to food and eating
• Positive sense of self
• Positive shifts in perseverance, problem-solving, critical thinking, leadership, teamwork, and resilience
• Learning across areas such as language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science

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Food and Nutrition Learning Journey - NEW OFSTED FRAMEWORK

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LEARNING JOURNEY for FOOD AND NUTRITION. Created using new Ofsted framework in mind, showing 5 year journey from year 7 through to 11.

Links explicitly to Food and Nutrition with clear links to AO’S for GCSE spec. (AQA).

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I hope you find useful. This is specific to my department and the school context. Project based, with students also completing DT alonside thier lessons in FOOD.

This is a student focussed reource, which will be printed large scale and be used as posters in classrooms, as well as given to students as part of thier assessment matrix.

This for HOD is used to support curriculum map, detailing lessons and project objectives in more detail, alongside scheme of work overviews and lesson powerpoints for each project.

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• Year 9 Schemes of Work

Year 9 Scheme of Work

The Year 9 Scheme of Work comprises: a comprehensive Scheme of Work with aims, objectives and curricula links; 18 detailed lesson plans; My learning journey pupil booklet; links to resources and recipes.

This page includes:

• Scheme of Work and lesson plans ;
• Resources .

Scheme of Work and lesson plans

Year 9 scheme of work 2020.

A SoW to enable pupils to learn about where food comes from, cooking and healthy eating.

Year 9 lesson plan 1

Focusing on The Eatwell Guide, dietary needs through life and diet related health issues.

Year 9 lesson plan 2

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making a bacon or mushroom risotto.

Year 9 lesson plan 3

Focusing on the dietary needs and energy balance. Pupils will also compare pasta sauces.

Year 9 lesson plan 4

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making a pasta fiorentina.

Year 9 lesson plan 5

Focusing on dietary needs, information provided on food packaging and modifying recipes.

Year 9 lesson plan 6

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making a cottage pie.

Year 9 lesson plan 7

Focusing on consumer information and food certification and assurance schemes.

Year 9 lesson plan 8

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making samosas.

Year 9 lesson plan 9

Focusing on the functions of ingredients.

Year 9 lesson plan 10

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making a savoury tart.

Year 9 lesson plan 11

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making a Dutch apple cake.

Year 9 lesson plan 12

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making a lasagne.

Year 9 lesson plan 13

A lesson around planning a menu suitable to be served and eaten at a festival.

Year 9 lesson plan 14

Pupils secure and demonstrate food skills when making a dish for a festival.

Year 9 lesson plan 15

Focusing on food choice, meal options and food trends. Pupils also plan their own recipe-kit.

Year 9 lesson plan 16

Pupils secure, consolidate and demonstrate food skills when making Thai green curry.

Year 9 lesson plan 17

Pupils secure, consolidate and demonstrate food skills when making a recipe-kit dish of their choice

Year 9 lesson plan 18

Pupils appraise and evaluate their learning journey in food and consider future options.

The resources below are new for the 2020 Year 9 Scheme of Work.  Links to other FFL resources to support the lessons are provided in the lesson plans.

My learning journey Year 9

A booklet to help pupils and teachers track progress during lessons.

Pasta and sauce analysis

An activity comparing a range of pasta and sauces.

Pasta fiorentina evaluation

A sensory evaluation based on de Bono's Thinking Hats.

Diet true or false questions

10 true or false questions around the diet and health of children and young people.

Festival food triangle

A worksheet to assess what pupils have learned following a practical lesson.

Practical activity evaluation

A worksheet to assess the planning, making and sensory properties of a dish.

Cooking and nutrition pledge

A worksheet for pupils to pledge to improve and consolidate skills and knowledge.

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Nutrition and Learning in the Australian Context

• First Online: 23 May 2020

Cite this chapter

• Stefania Velardo 5 ,
• Jennifer Fane 6 ,
• Stephanie Jong 7 &
• Michelle Watson 5  

3111 Accesses

1 Citations

Good nutrition plays a key role in promoting physical and mental health throughout the lifespan. In exploring the link between nutrition and health, research confirms that dietary practices are particularly important during the early years of life. Good nutrition promotes immune function and supports the rapid growth that occurs during the childhood years, while helping children to develop healthy lifelong behaviours. In addition to positive health outcomes, there is evidence that good nutrition enhances brain function. For example, a healthy diet supports optimal learning capacity and cognitive ability, and enhances concentration, IQ scores and academic achievement. Despite this, many Australian children are consuming a diet that is characterised by increased consumption of foods with limited nutrient content. Disparities in nutrition and educational outcomes across diverse population groups also prompts consideration of broader social determinants of health. For example, strong scientific data indicates correlations between socio-economic disadvantage and poorer diets amongst children. The interconnectedness between nutrition and educational outcomes provides opportunities for teachers and schools to support and promote the role of nutrition for learning. Learning for nutrition equally shapes the work of teachers and schools. In considering the interdependence between nutrition and learning, and the broader factors that shape Australian children’s diets, this chapter investigates the importance of nutrition for learning, as well as learning for nutrition. In particular, we focus on diverse skills and competencies that can be developed across the primary years within the classroom. We then conclude with a brief discussion of the role of schools in promoting nutrition, through the promotion and availability of healthy food options for all children.

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Stefania Velardo & Michelle Watson

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Perth Psychological Services, Perth, Australia

Richard Midford

School of Education, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, Australia

Georgie Nutton

Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia

Brendon Hyndman

Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Australia

Sven Silburn

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Velardo, S., Fane, J., Jong, S., Watson, M. (2020). Nutrition and Learning in the Australian Context. In: Midford, R., Nutton, G., Hyndman, B., Silburn, S. (eds) Health and Education Interdependence. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3959-6_9

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On the Ground With the Schools Learning What It Takes To Improve Lunch Menus

Here’s how four trailblazing school districts are gaining traction, from getting buy-in from kids to upping creativity in the kitchen.

Last month, the USDA recognized four school districts for their work in improving the nutrition standards of their lunches. That’s no easy feat, says Brandy Dreibelbis, with the Chef Ann Foundation , an organization that helps schools transition to from-scratch cooking. 

Transitioning away from a system often characterized by carb-heavy, frozen and fried food can be a multi-year process, says Dreibelbis, and it starts with an in-depth assessment. “[Is the district] cooking anything at all? Are they buying everything prepackaged?” says Dreiblebis. “Do you have the equipment that you need to start cooking from scratch, even smallwares like cutting boards and knives? Some districts don’t even have that.”

From there, small changes add up to make a big difference: More than 28 million lunches are served every day in schools across the US, and for some students, that lunch is their most nutritious meal of the day. For schools with a breakfast program, evidence suggests that students who eat breakfast at school score higher on tests . But schools are up against many roadblocks, from staffing challenges to rising food costs .

Changing a school’s lunch program takes time, resources and commitment. Modern Farmer spoke with the four trendsetting schools to find out how they’ve made changes in their school lunches, what’s working and what the kids are saying about their new favorite foods. 

Students in the Clear Lake Community School District learn more about their vegetable of the month: corn. (Photography submitted by Julie Udelhofen)

Lowering the pressure 

“I was just reading that one in six kids have high blood pressure,” says Julie Udelhofen, food service director at Clear Lake Community School District in northern Iowa. “Sodium is an issue; so is sugar. We see it every day.” 

For Udelhofen, the health of the roughly 1,450 kids in her schools is a top priority, with sodium a particular issue. To combat the rise of sodium, Udelhofen has made two major changes. First, she’s moved away from pre-packaged and frozen foods as much as possible and brought in local fruits and vegetables, conducting taste-tests with her students. “We’ve done beets, kohlrabi, rutabaga and parsnips. We had all kinds of radishes, and about 10 different varieties of peppers, and the kids go down the line and pick their favorites,” says Udelhofen. The key, she says, is to introduce these foods in a low-pressure environment, making it a game of sorts. “It’s a lot of fun, because the kids are wholly invested in it. They will stop and taste things and talk to us.” 

Behind the scenes, Udelhofen and her team have drastically cut sodium levels by making their own spice blends, which have been a big hit with the kids. “That’s one of the best things we’ve done, especially in the middle school and high school.” They offer a garlic and herb blend, along with Greek and Italian seasonings that kids can add to their meals, without the heaping helping of sodium from traditional blends. 

At Sandy Valley School District, staff make up pre-packaged fruit and vegetable pouches for kids to grab and snack on. (Photography submitted by Tina Kindelberger)

Broccoli at breakfast

Most adults are probably not grabbing broccoli at breakfast, but somehow, Tina Kindelberger, food service supervisor at Sandy Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio, has turned the children in her schools into broccoli fiends. 

“It’s so cute when they do that,” says Kindelberger. “I see kids walking in here with packs of broccoli, and it’s 7:30 am.”

Kindelberger started her team’s transition to scratch cooking by first just making raw fruits and vegetables available to the kids at each meal. Rather than change everything they were cooking at once, they just added in a case in the cafeteria with packages of produce such as carrot sticks, tomatoes, snap peas, bananas, apples and yes, broccoli. “The kids seem to be excited when we bring out new things and try new things. I had plums out one day, and I couldn’t believe how many kids asked me what they were. They’d never seen a plum,” says Kindelberger. But they’re now primed to try these raw fruits and veggies, which also means they’re more willing to try the cooked options as the district moves to scratch cooking.

Kindelberger and her team feed about 700 students a day, from kindergarten to high school, and each age group has different tastes and preferences. For her, the first step to changing the menu was consulting with the kids. “I meet with [students] on a regular basis, and we get a lot of feedback,” she says. One request, from the older students, was a breakfast smoothie station. So, Kindelberger got a grant for a blender, and now there are fresh fruit smoothies. “The biggest thing is getting your kids involved, getting their opinions, because it does matter. They want to be heard.”

Carlee Johnson McIntosh has made many changes to her schools’ breakfast program, including adding a grab-and-go fruit station. (Photography submitted by Carlee Johnson McIntosh)

Spaghetti and moose balls

Local food looks a lot different in parts of Alaska than in much of the rest of the US. While many school districts are working with beef and potatoes, Carlee Johnson McIntosh, the food service director in the Petersburg School District in Southeast Alaska, has a freezer full of Sockeye salmon and moose meat. For her, working with local farmers sometimes means getting food delivered by boat from neighboring island farms. 

Her commitment to eating and preparing local foods started from a young age; Johnson McIntosh has allergies and was always looking for ways to alleviate and control her symptoms, so she became interested in what she was eating. Now that she supervises 450 students at her schools, she’s especially committed to ensuring they have high-quality and freshly prepared options. She’s spent the last decade advocating for changes at the school level, from altering when kids can eat breakfast to updating the kitchen facilities to allow for more scratch cooking. 

“Previously, the mealtimes were crammed together. The breakfast was before school and almost nobody showed up. Now, we’re after the bell,” and kids actually show up for breakfast, she says. She’s also had to push the district on purchasing more raw food and getting her staff certified to do more than just reheat frozen packages. “My first step was to talk to our health authority and see where our deficiencies are. Why is it that we are not adequately meeting a restaurant standard? We are feeding an at-risk population, so we should be held to the same standards [as other facilities].” 

That required some creativity on her part. While previous frozen options might be chicken nuggets, for Johnson McIntosh, local proteins are more likely to be moose, herring eggs or Sockeye salmon. So, that’s what they have. Now, the kids are chowing down on moose stroganoff or spaghetti and moose-balls, along with a daily salad bar. 

At RSU89, staff engage students in taste tests, to try out new recipes. And you even get a sticker for participating. (Photography submitted by Denise Tapley-Proctor)

One-bite policy

Not every new menu item is going to be a hit. Denise Tapley-Proctor, food service director at Regional School District 89 in Maine, knows that well. As she’s moved her team over to scratch cooking, there have been some fantastic wins and some less-than-stellar reviews. “We did a vegetable panini that the adults in the school system really liked and the high school kids were OK with. But the little kids were like, ‘no, don’t put vegetables in my grilled cheese.’ It was just a no go.” 

But that’s all part of the process, says Tapley-Proctor. One of the staff on her food service team introduced the “no thank you bite” policy when introducing a food of the month. You don’t have to eat the whole thing, but you have to take one bite to try it. Plus, you get a sticker if you do. 

The one-bite policy has been a great help to Tapley-Proctor and the team while they feed about 225 students a day. It’s allowed them to take a gradual approach with the changes, phasing in one new meal or even one new ingredient at a time. 

“Instead of bringing the box of instant potatoes, see how much longer it takes and how much better the flavor is [to make your own],” she says. “If we have leftover rolls from the day before that we didn’t serve the kids, if you cut them up and throw some spices on them, bake them in the oven, you have homemade croutons, and the kids are excited to put it on the top of their meal. It’s the little things that lead to the big thing.”

They’ve also started working with local farmers, teaching kids how plants grow. “We’ve learned that if the children have a stake in it somehow, like if they grow the food, they’re more apt to want to eat it,” she says. They’ve grown tomatoes in the school garden, then used the after-school program to make a salsa, which went on the menu the next day. “The kids were like, ‘this is our salsa,’” she says. 

Tapley-Proctor says it’s been a process for the staff as well. She’s helped them get training from the Chef Ann Foundation on kitchen skills and learning new recipes. But even with extra effort, she says the feedback from the kids is what makes it worth it. While serving a chicken pot pie, one of the students told them that it “made her belly happy.” Another boy was having a bad day, and then had some fresh watermelon with lunch. “This makes me think of summer and fireworks,” he said. “He had gone from a bad mental health day to a good mental health day because of the food.” 

A typical lunch tray at Sandy Valley School District. (Photography submitted by Tina Kindelberger)

Care about your cafeteria? Here’s how to get involved

The USDA will finalize proposed legislation around school lunches this month, with updates to its nutrition standards and exceptions for local and traditional foods. In the proposed changes , schools would have to reduce sodium levels, limit added sugars and would be allowed to use locally grown, raised or caught food that has been minimally processed in their menus. Updates will be phased in over the next five years , with the first changes coming to menus in the fall of 2024. 

If you have kids in school and are interested in helping bring about changes in your own district, everyone Modern Farmer spoke with recommended reaching out to the food service director at your school to find out what kinds of foods the school is working to introduce to kids and how. They’re the ones that feed your kids every day and can speak about their goals when it comes to nutrition. Some schools will even welcome parents to join their kids for a lunch period, to get a first-hand look at what’s on offer. 

You can also get involved at the state level, organizing around campaigns such as Healthy School Meals for All . For a list of what’s happening in your state, check out this map from the National Farm to School Network . 

And if you work in a school district, Dreibelbis advises that you make the switch to scratch cooking one step at a time. Take a cafeteria classic: boxed macaroni and cheese. You can change one element at a time, such as purchasing a pre-mixed cheese sauce but cooking your own pasta. Once that’s second nature, add one more element. “If you’re making something like a homemade cheese sauce, you’re using flour, butter, milk, cheese and salt. And right there alone, you’re going from what was probably 30 ingredients to five.”

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Food Systems Learning Journey

Read the final report

View the recordings and slides of all sessions (chronological list)

Boosting skills in Food Systems understanding and practice

Over the last few years, the concept of Food Systems has been gradually gaining visibility, resulting in the September 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. But what do we really mean by 'food systems'? In the current context, how can we have more sustainable and resilient food systems, which allow for and encourage healthy and nutritious diets for all? And most importantly, how will this impact our strategic orientation and interventions? ​

It is to answer these questions, at a global level but also in a much more regionally anchored and operational manner that the AFS network has decided to embark on a one-year journey - the Food Systems Learning Journey (FSLJ). From September 2022 to June 2023, we will travel through different regions of the world, in order to:

• develop our understanding of and capacities in addressing food systems, and
• provide the tools and first steps to integrate this more holistic approach in our interventions, programmes and projects.

​​​ Objectives

• what a food system is in terms of its holistic complexity, and how a food systems approach is different from the current programming approaches being applied;
• how food systems work in various parts of the world and to what degree they can be profiled regionally;
• which actors (partners) are involved and what roles and responsibilities they have;
• how they relate to adjacent topics such as climate change, water, nutrition, disaster risk reduction and markets systems development;
• and how stakeholders, from donors to the private sector, can contribute towards more sustainable food systems.
• the means and framework to assess a food system;
• the tools to act upon and identify the activities and leverages to improve food systems, both through cooperation programmes and policy dialogue
• strategic insights that may inform SDC and partners’ future programmatic orientation in the realm of food system transformation.
• a virtual introductory webinar open to all;
• a series of short and dynamic in-person regional workshops, one per region;
• a virtual session after each regional workshop with the conclusions of each being systematically fed back into the network through;
• a final global hybrid synthesis, summative event to bring everything together.

Sessions - Open for all

08 September 2022 | 09 – 11 CET or 15 – 17 CET Food Systems Essentials – Launch of the Food Systems Learning Journey

Introduction on the structure and activities of the Learning Journey organized by the SDC Agriculture & Food Systems Network, keynotes by SDC management and a topical presentation of food systems concepts.

​​ Slides and recordings

View the slides of the session

Introduction by Bruce Campbell & Stéphanie Piers - Focal Points of the SDC Agriculture & Food Systems Network

Keynote by Patricia Danzi, SDC Director General

Keynote by Christian Frutiger, Head of Thematic Cooperation at SDC

Presentation of food systems concepts by Dr. John Ingram, Associate Professor and Leader of the Food Systems Transformation Programme at the University of Oxford, and Lead Consultant of the Learning Journey

31 October 2022 | 10 –​ 12 CET 

Food Systems – Framings, Boundaries, and thematic linkages

Expert: John Ingram, Associate Professor and Leader of the Food Systems Transforma-tion Programme at the University of Oxford

Facilitators : Bruce Campbell & Stéphanie Piers, Food Systems Section and focal points for the AFS Network, SDC

View the slides of the session Setting the stage Recap of Key Features (Food Systems Essentials) and introduction to concepts of system framing and the importance of system boundaries by John Ingram, University of Oxford

Entering the inter-thematic space Short expert panel discussion with Corinne Huser (Gender), Olivier Praz (Health), Stephanie Guha (Social Protection), Patrick Sieber (Climate Action)

Looking ahead The Food Systems Dashboard by Lawrence Haddad, GAIN

5-6 December 2022 | Bamako

Region N°1: West Africa | Focus Climate Change

Regional Workshop in Bamako

12-13 December 2022 | Cairo

Region N°2: MENA | Focus Water

Regional Workshop in Cairo

12 January 2023, 10-11:30 CET | online

In this session we will have a look at the relationship and related effects between Food Systems and Water in the MENA region.

View the slides of the session Session recording (jump to presentations and inputs with links below )

05:53 - Presentation 1 (John Ingram)   20:29 - Presentation 2 (Walid Abed Rabboh) 37:40 - Presentation 3 (John Ingram) 01:04:49 - Input 1 (Mufleh Alalaween) 01:11:29 - Input 2 (Ahmed Nasr-Allah) 01:14:35 - Input 3 (Walid Abed Rabboh)

16-18 January 2023 | Harare

Region N°3: East & Southern Africa | Focus Nutrition

25 January 2023 | 10 – 11:30 CET | online

Region N°1: West Africa | Focus Climate Change In this session we will have a look at Food Systems in the region of West Africa and the impacts and interrelatedness of Climate Change on Food Systems.

Region N°3: East & Southern Africa | Focus Nutrition In the same session we will also learn more about Food Systems in the region of East and Southern Africa and how, through a Food Systems approach, better outcomes in nutritious diets for all have been and can be achieved in the region.

View the slides of the session Session recording (jump to presentations with links below)

00:01 - Presentation 1 (John Ingram)   14:41 - Presentation 2 (Theodore Kabore) 27:24 - Presentation 3 (Anna Brazier) 43:26 - Example 1 (Abel Gouba) 54:54 - Example 2 (Veronica Massawe) 1:03:22 - Presentation 4 (John Ingram)

16-17 March 2023 | Tashkent 20-21 March 2023 | Bangkok 

Region N°4: Asia | Focus Disaster Risk Reduction

Regional Workshops in Tashkent and Bangkok

5 April 2023, 09-10:30 CET | online

Join this session to learn more on changing Food Systems in the Asian region and what implications we can draw for Food Systems in other regions. ​

Session recording (jump to presentations with links below)

20-21 April 2023 | Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Region N°5: Latin America | Focus Markets

Regional Workshop in Santa Cruz

16 May 2023, 16 – 17:30 CET | online

Join this session to learn more on lessons learnt from the work in Food Systems in Latin America. 

Marcelo Collao Panorama de los principales aspectos de los sistemas alimentarios en América Latina

Marcelo Collao Overview of key food system issues across Latin America (English translation)

Amparo Ergueta Perspectiva de género y conceptos de los sistema alimentarios

Amparo Ergueta Gender perspective and food system concepts (English translation)

Monika Zurek Outcomes of the workshop with a particular focus on similarities and differences between market systems approaches and food systems thinking

Monika Zurek Resultados del taller, con especial atención a las similitudes y diferencias entre los enfoques de los sistemas de mercado y el pensamiento de los sistemas alimentarios  (traducción al español)

25 May 2023 | 09:30 – 11 CET

Food Systems – Resilience, Foresight and Scenarios

Experts: John Ingram, Associate Professor and Leader and Monika Zurek, Senior Researcher, Food Systems Transformation Programme at the University of Oxford Facilitators : Bruce Campbell / Stéphanie Piers, Food Systems Section & focal points for AFS NW

John Ingram Resilience building - five questions and three approaches

Monika Zurek Foresight and Scenarions for Food Systems planning

John Ingram Food System Typologies - choices and implications

Final Summative Events

14 June 2023 , 9.30-12.30 + 14.00-16.30 CET Technical Segment Working Sessions interactive 2 half-day sessions, with ENG/FR/ESP translation available

15 June 2023, 9.30-11.00 / 15.00-16.30 CET Summative Final Session last global webinar with summary and closing speeches, 2 slots  for all timezones, with ENG/FR/ESP translation available

In this group of online sessions, we will draw conclusions and recommendations from the journey we will have covered across the period of the entire Learning Journey. Join us​​ as we bring the FSLJ to an end and simultaneously look out on the future.

Summative Final Session - Morning (English / French)

Keynote by Ambassador Christian Frutiger, Assistant Director General and Head of Thematic Cooperation, SDC

Keynote de l'ambassadeur Christian Frutiger, vice-directeur et chef de la division Coopération thématique, DDC

Presentation by John Ingram: High-level conclusions and recommendations from the FSLJ

Présentation de John Ingram : Conclusions et recommandations de haut niveau du FSLJ

Presentation by John Ingram: High-level conclusions and recommendations from the FSLJ (part 2)

Présentation de John Ingram : Conclusions et recommandations de haut niveau du FSLJ (partie 2)

Presentation by John Ingram: Summary of regional contexts and possible interventions to enhance food system outcomes (from summative workshop of 14th June)

Présentation de John Ingram : Résumé des contextes régionaux et des interventions possibles pour améliorer les résultats du système alimentaire (extrait de l'atelier récapitulatif du 14 juin)

Summative Final Session - Afternoon (English / Spanish)

Keynote by Marylaure Crettaz Corredor, Co-Head Food Systems Section, SDC

Discurso de apertura de Marylaure Crettaz Corredor, Co-Jefe de la Sección de Sistemas Alimentarios, COSUDE

Presentación de John Ingram: Conclusiones y recomendaciones de alto nivel de la FSLJ

Presentation by Monika Zurek: Summative insights into regional findings and potential interventions towards better balanced food system outcomes (from summative workshop, 14th June 2023

Presentación de Monika Zurek: Perspectivas sumativas sobre los hallazgos regionales y las posibles intervenciones para lograr resultados mejor equilibrados de sistemas alimentarios  (del taller sumativo, 14 de junio de 2023)

  Documents

Take it from the rats: A junk food diet can cause long-term damage to adolescent brains

A new USC-led study on rats that feasted on a high-fat, sugary diet raises the possibility that a junk food-filled diet in teens may disrupt their brains' memory ability for a long time.

"What we see not just in this paper, but in some of our other recent work, is that if these rats grew up on this junk food diet, then they have these memory impairments that don't go away," said Scott Kanoski, a professor of biological sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. "If you just simply put them on a healthy diet, these effects unfortunately last well into adulthood."

The study appears in the May issue of the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity .

In developing the study, Kanoski and lead author and postdoctoral research fellow Anna Hayes considered that prior research has shown a link between poor diet and Alzheimer's disease. People who suffer from Alzheimer's disease tend to have lower levels of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine in the brain that is essential for memory and functions such as learning, attention, arousal and involuntary muscle movement.

The team wondered what this could mean for younger people who may be on a similar fat-filled, sugary Western diet, particularly during adolescence when their brain is undergoing significant development. By tracking the impact of the diet on the rats' levels of acetylcholine, and running the rats through some memory testing, they could learn more about the important relationship between diet and memory.

The researchers tracked the acetylcholine levels of a group of rats on a fatty, sugary diet and in a control group of rats by analyzing their brain responses to certain tasks designed to test their memory. The team examined the rats' brains post-mortem for signs of disrupted acetylcholine levels.

The memory test involved letting the rats explore new objects in different locations. Days later, the researchers reintroduced the rats to the scene that was nearly identical except for the addition of one new object. Rats on the junk food diet showed signs they could not remember which object they had previously seen, and where, while those in the control group showed familiarity.

"Acetylcholine signaling is a mechanism to help them encode and remember those events, analogous to 'episodic memory' in humans that allows us to remember events from our past," lead author Hayes explained. "That signal appears to not be happening in the animals that grew up eating the fatty, sugary diet."

Kanoski emphasized that adolescence is a very sensitive period for the brain when important changes are occurring in development. "I don't know how to say this without sounding like Cassandra and doom and gloom," he said, "but unfortunately, some things that may be more easily reversible during adulthood are less reversible when they are occurring during childhood."

There is at least some hope for intervention. Kanoski said that in another round of the study, the research team examined whether the memory damage in rats raised on the junk food diet could be reversed with medication that induces the release of acetylcholine. They used two drugs, PNU-282987 and carbachol, and found that with those treatments given directly to the hippocampus, a brain region that controls memory and is disrupted in Alzheimer's disease, the rats' memory ability was restored.

But without that special medical intervention, Kanoski said more research is needed to know how memory problems from a junk food diet during adolescence can be reversed.

In addition to Kanoski and Hayes, the team included other USC Dornsife researchers Logan Tierno Lauer, Alicia E. Kao, Molly E. Klug, Linda Tsan, Jessica J. Rea, Keshav S. Subramanian, Cindy Gu, Arun Ahuja, Kristen N. Donohue and Léa Décarie-Spain; Natalie Tanios of Keck School of Medicine of USC; as well as Anthony A. Fodor, Shan Sun of University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

The work was supported by the following: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant DK123423 (SEK, AF), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant DK104897 (SEK), Postdoctoral Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Aging F32AG077932 (AMRH), National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (separate awards to LT and KSS), Quebec Research Funds postdoctoral fellowship 315201 (LDS) and the Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity AARFD-22-972811 (LDS).

• Diet and Weight Loss
• Alzheimer's Research
• Dieting and Weight Control
• Alzheimer's
• Animal Learning and Intelligence
• Raw food diet
• Developmental psychology
• Atkins Diet
• Healthy diet
• Neurobiology

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Southern California . Original written by Emily Gersema. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Anna M.R. Hayes, Logan Tierno Lauer, Alicia E. Kao, Shan Sun, Molly E. Klug, Linda Tsan, Jessica J. Rea, Keshav S. Subramanian, Cindy Gu, Natalie Tanios, Arun Ahuja, Kristen N. Donohue, Léa Décarie-Spain, Anthony A. Fodor, Scott E. Kanoski. Western diet consumption impairs memory function via dysregulated hippocampus acetylcholine signaling . Brain, Behavior, and Immunity , 2024; 118: 408 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.03.015

Cite This Page :

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Monitoring, evaluation & learning manager, usda mcgovern-dole food for education and child nutrition program- malawi.

• Counterpart International

Counterpart International is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Manager for its anticipated USDA-funded McGovern-Dole Food for Education Project in Malawi. Under the supervision of the Chief of Party, the MELManager will be responsible for developing Counterpart's systems, skills and approach to planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning. He/she will promote, enable and improve our culture and practice of measuring progress against plans, and learning from evidence and successes, or otherwise, of our work. He/she will champion monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEL) within Counterpart International Malawi, providing leadership and technical oversight.

The location of this position has not been determined, but is likely to be based in Blantyre. The position will be engaged though a host-country national (Malawian) contract with no assistance for relocation to Malawi and/or work permit.

Responsibilities

The MEL Manager will work under the direction of the Chief of Party to manage all aspects of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEL) plan for the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition project. The Manager will work to develop MEL strategies (in line with the approved MEL plan) outlining M&E systems for data collection, targeting and monitoring and USDA indicators, knowledge management, impact evaluations, learning activities and reporting. He/she will ensure that the project delivers high quality programming and reporting, while continuously improving the impact of its programming and advancing Counterpart's technical vision. The Manager will be responsible for:

• Developing and overseeing monitoring systems to report on program implementation.
• Designing research and evaluation efforts to assess the impact of the McGovern Dole program.
• Improving data systems -- collection, storage, use -- to increase the efficiency and scalability of M&E systems.
• Acting as the key technical lead for MEL quality design, including tools, methods and budget, tailored to the domain, context and technical requirements of project design and proposal development.
• Exploring and providing recommendations for innovative technologies to streamline monitoring, evaluation and other operational functions.
• Promoting learning with project staff and partner teams and facilitate Collaboration, Learning and Adaptation (CLA) strategies, including oversight of partner learning and research staff.
• Managing and implementing all MEL activities throughout the relevant project cycles -- project design, start-up, implementation and closure -- to ensure efficient and effective implementation in line with
• Counterpart's MEL policies and procedures, donor requirements, program quality principles and standards, best practice and budget.
• Ensuring project team and partner staff use appropriate MEL systems and tools, including adaptive learning and management. Coordinate with Counterpart-led consortium partners to ensure quality
• implementation of project performance and impact evaluations, in line with the donor-approved evaluation plan and terms of reference.
• Ensuring the quality and proper functioning of data management systems and practices, with specific attention to compliance with data security and privacy regulations and standards.
• Analyzing MEL data (both qualitative and quantitative), and work with the Chief of Party to integrate analysis, reflection, interpretation and use of data into ongoing project activities for evidence-based decision-making.
• Preparing high-quality reports for both internal and external audiences, including donor and host government.
• Building an organizational knowledge base through research and partnerships.
• Developing and maintaining partnerships with international academic and research institutions to provide additional technical support for evaluation.
• Effectively managing talent and supervising the Field M&E Manager and data analysts in data collection and analysis and ensuring that M&E activities are completed on schedule.
• Mentoring and strategically adapting individual development plans, contributing to the recruitment process for MEL staff, and completing performance management for direct reports.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in international development, international relations, statistics or education required. Additional experience may replace some studies.
• Minimum 8 years' MEL experience required, particularly with systems mapping, activity monitoring, data collection, training data quality assessments, third-party monitoring and evaluation, and adaptive learning and management methods.
• Minimum 7 years' relevant field experience in coordinating or managing light to moderately complex projects, preferably with an international NGO.
• Knowledge of the main quantitative and qualitative monitoring methodologies and proven ability to design monitoring instrumentation tools
• Advanced data analysis presentation and report writing skills combined with a proactive, energetic approach to problem solving.
• Experience with a variety of partner organizations is an asset.
• Previous experience working with USAID, USDA, or other international donors required.
• High level of proficiency in Windows Excel and/or statistical software (SPSS, STATA)
• Professional command of written and spoken English required.
• Malawian or significant Malawian experience with Malawian residency.

How to apply

To apply, please use the following link:

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Live updates, i’m a nutritionist — here are 2 overrated and 4 underrated health foods.

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She has a bone to pick with these products.

Nutritionist Claire Sorlie is spilling the tea on the two “health foods” she believes are overrated — collagen powders and probiotic supplements — and four she finds underrated — bone broth , raspberries , sauerkraut , and Sleepytime tea .

“Items your grocery list does & doesn’t need!” Sorlie captioned her TikTok , which has captured more than 40,000 views since it was posted this month.

First on the list are collagen powders , which are intended to boost skin elasticity, make hair shinier, and strengthen bones, among other improvements.

“Don’t get me wrong, there are some good collagen powder brands,” Sorlie explained. “I just found in my clinical experience that my clients get better results with things like their hair, skin, nails, joint health when we use a whole-food source of collagen versus a powdered form. They also tend to be highly processed, have weird, funky additives, [and] can contribute to gas and bloating.”

@clairethenutritionist Replying to @dee more items your grocery list does & doesn’t need! 👆🏻 #wholefood #ingredientsmatter #overrated #underratedproducts #nutritiontip @Bonafideprovisions ♬ original sound – ClaireTheNutritionist

Sorlie instead recommends bone broth, a collagen-containing liquid made from boiling animal bones and connective tissue.

She prefers Bonafide Provisions Organic Bone Broth for its “simple ingredients” that “taste amazing.”

Also underrated are raspberries, which “have a decent amount of fiber,” Sorlie said.

One cup of red raspberries is said to contain 8 grams of fiber .

The Food and Drug Administration recommends  consuming at least 28 grams of dietary fiber a day.

On the overrated list are probiotic supplements to help with gut health and digestive issues.

“There are very specific instances where I use probiotic supplements with my clients,” Sorlie noted. “But if we’re just trying to get a daily dose of probiotics, food sources like sauerkraut are a much better option and often contain more strains of probiotics.”

“Don’t need to consume a lot — with sauerkraut, you can start with just one teaspoon per day,” she continued. “Sauerkraut is something that will contain pre- and probiotics [and] tends to be a little bit more affordable.”

But buyer, beware — a 2014 analysis of sauerkraut studies found that while the fermented cabbage boasts “a variety of beneficial effects on human health … it can also cause some unwanted or even allergic reactions.”

And finally, Sorlie is a fan of Sleepytime tea.

“These herbs listed in the ingredients will not only help you get to sleep but also stay asleep,” she shared as she showed a box of Sleepytime caffeine-free herbal tea, which contains chamomile, spearmint, lemongrass, tilia flowers, blackberry leaves, orange blossoms, hawthorn, and rosebuds.

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• Victor Mukhin

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Trains Moscow to Elektrostal: Times, Prices and Tickets

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Moscow to Elektrostal by train

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is .

Get from Moscow to Elektrostal with Virail

Virail's search tool will provide you with the options you need when you want to go from Moscow to Elektrostal. All you need to do is enter the dates of your planned journey, and let us take care of everything else. Our engine does the hard work, searching through thousands of routes offered by our trusted travel partners to show you options for traveling by train, bus, plane, or carpool. You can filter the results to suit your needs. There are a number of filtering options, including price, one-way or round trip, departure or arrival time, duration of journey, or number of connections. Soon you'll find the best choice for your journey. When you're ready, Virail will transfer you to the provider's website to complete the booking. No matter where you're going, get there with Virail.

How can I find the cheapest train tickets to get from Moscow to Elektrostal?

Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. You can find train tickets for prices as low as , but it may require some flexibility with your travel plans. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets. Unfortunately, no price was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find price results. Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets.

How long does it take to get from Moscow to Elektrostal by train?

The journey between Moscow and Elektrostal by train is approximately 32.44 mi. It will take you more or less 2 hr 7 min to complete this journey. This average figure does not take into account any delays that might arise on your route in exceptional circumstances. If you are planning to make a connection or operating on a tight schedule, give yourself plenty of time. The distance between Moscow and Elektrostal is around 32.44 mi. Depending on the exact route and provider you travel with, your journey time can vary. On average, this journey will take approximately 2 hr 7 min. However, the fastest routes between Moscow and Elektrostal take 1 hr 3 min. If a fast journey is a priority for you when traveling, look out for express services that may get you there faster. Some flexibility may be necessary when booking. Often, these services only leave at particular times of day - or even on certain days of the week. You may also find a faster journey by taking an indirect route and connecting in another station along the way.

How many journeys from Moscow to Elektrostal are there every day?

On average, there are 71 daily departures from Moscow to Elektrostal. However, there may be more or less on different days. Providers' timetables can change on certain days of the week or public holidays, and many also vary at particular times of year. Some providers change their schedules during the summer season, for example. At very busy times, there may be up to departures each day. The providers that travel along this route include , and each operates according to their own specific schedules. As a traveler, you may prefer a direct journey, or you may not mind making changes and connections. If you have heavy suitcases, a direct journey could be best; otherwise, you might be able to save money and enjoy more flexibility by making a change along the way. Every day, there are an average of 18 departures from Moscow which travel directly to Elektrostal. There are 53 journeys with one change or more. Unfortunately, no connection was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find connections.

Book in advance and save

If you're looking for the best deal for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal, booking train tickets in advance is a great way to save money, but keep in mind that advance tickets are usually not available until 3 months before your travel date.

Stay flexible with your travel time and explore off-peak journeys

Planning your trips around off-peak travel times not only means that you'll be able to avoid the crowds, but can also end up saving you money. Being flexible with your schedule and considering alternative routes or times will significantly impact the amount of money you spend on getting from Moscow to Elektrostal.

Always check special offers

Checking on the latest deals can help save a lot of money, making it worth taking the time to browse and compare prices. So make sure you get the best deal on your ticket and take advantage of special fares for children, youth and seniors as well as discounts for groups.

Unlock the potential of slower trains or connecting trains

If you're planning a trip with some flexible time, why not opt for the scenic route? Taking slower trains or connecting trains that make more stops may save you money on your ticket – definitely worth considering if it fits in your schedule.

Best time to book cheap train tickets from Moscow to Elektrostal

The cheapest Moscow - Elektrostal train tickets can be found for as low as $35.01 if you’re lucky, or $54.00 on average. The most expensive ticket can cost as much as $77.49.

Find the best day to travel to Elektrostal by train

When travelling to Elektrostal by train, if you want to avoid crowds you can check how frequently our customers are travelling in the next 30-days using the graph below. On average, the peak hours to travel are between 6:30am and 9am in the morning, or between 4pm and 7pm in the evening. Please keep this in mind when travelling to your point of departure as you may need some extra time to arrive, particularly in big cities!

Moscow to Elektrostal CO2 Emissions by Train

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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