SCSD #1 promotes nutrition and fitness for students
by Sublette County School District #1
February 18, 2011
The Sublette County School District #1 in Pinedale is promoting Nutrition and Fitness for their students. School Nutrition has taken some hard hits on the national scene the past few years and the Nutrition Team has been proactive, by taking steps to provide healthy options. We have also been working to ensure students; teachers and parents get informed, eat right and stay fit. We have made it our mission to create a healthy school nutrition environment and hope it will carry over to healthy eating and exercise habits.
Good nutrition during the school aged years is vitally important for helping children grow strong, succeed in school, and establish healthy eating habits. Poor eating habits prevent kids from reaching their full potential. And poor eating habits combined with a sedentary lifestyle, or lack or physical exercise, contribute to overweight and obesity among children. The incidence of overweight children between 6 to 11 years of age in the United States has doubled in the past 20 years, and tripled for adolescents between 12 to 19 years of age.
Poor eating habits are contributing to a lack of nutrition in the diets of American children. More than 60% of children and adolescents in the US eat too much fat and saturated fat, and not enough fruits and vegetables. It is estimated that only 39% of kids get enough fiber (found in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes such as lentils, chick peas. and black beans). 85% of families don’t consume enough calcium, and over the past 25 years milk consumption for adolescent females has decreased by 36%. Between 18 and 20 percent of calories consumed by children comes from added sugars.
Overweight children have higher rates of type II diabetes, high levels of blood lipids, high blood pressure, early malnutrition, bone and joint problems, and are more likely to experience discrimination, bullying and low self-esteem. Furthermore, overweight children and teens are more likely to become overweight adults, who are at an increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and gallbladder disease.
The Nutrition Team in Pinedale is doing something about it. They believe that nutrition education is the key. We have developed a Nutrition Services department website to promote nutrition education, healthy eating and the importance of physical exercise. The website is designed to benefit students, parents and teachers in the district, as well as, the community at large.
You can visit the department’s interactive and user friendly website by going on the district website – www.pinedaleschools.org and click on the Nutrition Service link. There are interactive nutrition lesson plans, nutrition videos, slide shows, nutrition games, fitness calculators, educational activities, and healthy recipes along with the district’s meal program information. At the bottom of the home page is a language translator. Click on it to translate the entire website.
Gail Wilkerson, Director of Nutrition Services ascribes the success of her department to her team of food and nutrition professionals that serve the students every day. They share her focus on the health and well being of the students. When nutritional needs are met it is easier to focus and learn. Exercise and physical activity make a student more alert, more positive and enjoy a better quality of life. The Nutrition Team in Pinedale knows that the combination of good nutrition with physical activity will help kids feel better and perform better in school. We are committed to helping students to form the healthy habits today that will last them a lifetime!
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