A balanced diet, particularly during early childhood, has a profound effect on a child’s mental and physical growth. A good diet has been proven to enhance school performance. Early nutrition education promotes healthy eating and exercising habits for life. Children who are raised in an atmosphere that values healthy eating and physical exercise have a reduced risk of chronic disease in adulthood. This essay explores the importance to teach nutrition basics in school.

Rodrigo Peres wrote in an article titled Nutrition Education: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities that “During the school years, children become increasingly independent”. They “start making personal food decisions, and taking their own choices”. Peres goes on to say that “nutrition is essential for optimal learning capacity and maintaining health”. Further, eating habits that continue through adolescence tend to persist into adulthood. The children must make the decision to be healthy. Their environment also has a big impact on their mentality. If a child’s school takes a special interest in health and nutrition, and encourages self-recognition through specific classes, then they will learn to take care of themselves and develop a healthy way of life.

Behavioral Science shows that children will choose food that’s more visible and available. Even a small adjustment to the cafeteria environment can have a big impact on children’s dietary preferences. In elementary schools, there is a low level of access to fruit and vegetables. Some programs are addressing this issue through the distribution of fruits and veggies in schools and making it available to students.

In a society that offers a wide variety of food, children and youth should be taught how to select their own food. However, nutrition education should not just be about diets. It should also help children develop a positive self-image and teach them how to prepare and store food.

A school can employ several methods for teaching nutrition basics. These include classroom discussion and cooking classes. Schools can make use of interactive technologies like CD-Roms and the World Wide Web.

In conclusion, it could be said that nutrition education is very influential for children in school. It has a huge impact on their cognitive and physical growth. Healthy eating can be encouraged in schools through a variety of methods.