Transcript Slide 1

Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for
Children and Youth –
A Childcare, School and
Recreation/Community Centre Resource Manual
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Outline
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Introduction to the Guidelines
Why the Guidelines are important
Food Rating System
Recommendations for school facilities
Additional resources
Summary
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
The Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for
Children and Youth
• The nutrition guidelines will help facilities make
decisions about healthy food choices in:
– childcare settings,
– schools and in
– recreation/community centres.
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Why do we need nutrition guidelines?
• Most children do not meet the recommended servings of
vegetables and fruit (Garriguet, 2004).
• 61% of boys and 83% of girls do not meet the recommended
minimum of 3 servings of milk per day (Garriguet, 2004).
• Almost half of Albertan children report consuming high fat, high
calorie foods on a daily basis (Foundations for School Nutrition Initiatives in
Alberta, 2006)
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Recommended Servings
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php
Why do we need nutrition guidelines?
• Eating habits and nutritional status have been linked to
academic performance, behaviour and self-esteem in children
and youth (Walsh-Pierce and Wardle, 1997; Corbin et al., 1997; Whalley, 2004).
• A significant number of children and youth are overweight or
obese in Alberta, at 22% (CCHS 2.2, 2004).
• Obesity and unhealthy eating are strongly linked to the
development of chronic diseases
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
What can we do?
• We can support the implementation of the guidelines in
our facilities, childcare centres and schools
• We can be role models.
• “Eat better, move more – Our children are
watching us.”
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
The Food Rating System
3 categories :
• Choose Most Often
• Choose Sometimes
• Choose Least Often
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Choose Most Often Category
• These foods should be consumed daily and in amounts
and appropriate portion sizes, based on age category.
• These foods are all recommended as healthy choices in
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide.
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Choose Sometimes Category
• While foods in the Choose Sometimes category may
still provide beneficial nutrients, they tend to be higher
in added sugar, unhealthy fat and sodium (salt).
• No more than three servings from the Choose
Sometimes category are recommended per week.
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Choose Least Often Category
• Eating these foods is not recommended.
• One serving could be eaten once a week.
• Small portions of energy-dense, nutrient poor foods
should represent only a small portion of energy intake.
• Serving sizes for foods that are high in
unhealthy fat, sugar, and salt are based
on approximately 100 calories per serving.
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Categories and Criteria
• Each of the food rating system categories are
divided into:
– the four food groups from Eating Well with Canada’s Food
Guide
– mixed dishes
• Criteria is provided specific to each category
including:
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Serving size
Fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Fibre
Sugar
Protein
Vitamins and minerals
Artificial sweeteners
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Food Criteria…an example
Grain Products: Choose Most Often
Serving Size: One serving equals
Bread = 1 slice about the size of a CD case, or 35 g/ slice
Grains and pasta = ½ cup/125 mL , about the size of a computer mouse
Granola bar = 30 g to 38 g
Fat: 5 grams (g) or less, unless it occurs naturally from the grain.
Saturated fat: 3 grams (g) or less
Processed trans fat: 0 grams (g)
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams (mg)
Sodium: 200 milligrams (mg) or less
Fibre: at least 2 grams (g)
Sugar: 12 grams (g) or less
Protein: 1 gram (g) or more
Vitamins and minerals: all amounts acceptable, the exception is sodium
Artificial sweeteners: not present
Example: Granola bar that fits into the
Choose Most Often category of Grain Products
Nutrition Guideline
Criteria for
Choose Most
Often
Nutrition Facts for
Granola Bar
Example
Meets the
Criteria?
Serving size
30 – 38 g
35 g
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Fat
5 g or less
5g
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Saturated
Fat
3 g or less
1g
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Trans Fat
0g
0g
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0 mg
0 mg
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200 mg or less
90 mg
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Fibre
at least 2 g
4g
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Sugar
12 g or less
5g
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1 gram or more
7g
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Cholesterol
Sodium
Protein
Beverages
The guidelines encourage facilities to:
• Promote the consumption of water to quench thirst and provide
adequate hydration. Provide water fountains that are clean,
accessible, and in good working condition.
• Provide access to refrigerated milk, fortified soy beverages, and
100% vegetable and fruit juices.
• Not serve beverages such as pop, iced tea, sports drinks, diet
beverages, fruit punches, fruit drinks, and fruit ‘ades’.
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Guideline Recommendations
• Schools Facilities
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
School Facilities
• Schools can provide a consistent healthy
eating message for students by ensuring
access to nutritious foods, and by teaching
and modeling healthy eating behaviours
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
School Facilities
• Classroom nutrition education should be
reinforced by making healthy food options
available in school cafeterias, vending
machines, stores or canteens, and at special
events.
School Facilities - Recommendations
• How to provide healthy food
• How to enhance access to a safe eating environment
• How to create environments that support healthy food
choices
• Criteria according to grade level of school
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Recommendations – Schools Can
Provide Healthy Foods
• Use Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide to ensure meals
contain foods from at least four food groups, and snacks contain
foods from two food groups.
• Individual portion sizes should be consistent with Eating Well with
Canada’s Food Guide.
• Stock vending machines with appropriate sized
packages/containers.
• Offer only small portions sizes of Choose Least
• often options ( when these foods are permitted)
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Recommendations - Schools can enhance
access to safe and nutritious foods
• Ensure that healthier food choices are competitively priced
relative to less nutritious foods.
• All vending machines should contain healthy food options
• Healthy food choices should be available and clearly visible on
special food days and at special functions
• The frequency of special food days should be
defined in school policies
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Recommendations - Schools can create
environments that support healthy food choices
• Provide appropriate time and space to eat
• Healthy food choices should be plentiful and visible
• Fundraising activities should be consistent with healthy
eating concepts taught in classroom
• Include staff, parents and students in the decision making
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Recommendations - Grade Level of School
• In elementary schools, 100% of
the foods available should be
foods from the Choose most
often food category
• In high schools, 50% of the foods
available should be foods from
the Choose Most Often category
and 50% from the Choose
sometimes category.
• In Junior High Schools, 60% of
the foods available should be
foods from the choose most often
category and 40% from the
choose sometimes category
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Are You Ready For Change?
School Level Implementation
The following steps are critical to the successful
implementation of healthy eating guidelines:
1. Form a School Healthy Eating Action Committee and
identify a key champion
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
School Level Implementation
2. Define the Action Committee’s vision and goals
– Ask questions such as:
– Why is change to the school food environment important to
the group?
– How will these changes impact the overall school
environment?
– Where is the school at now? Where does the school want to
be?
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
School Level Implementation
3. Choose a priority issue
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Food sold or provided in schools
Beverages sold or provided in school
Snacks sold in vending machines
Fundraising
Food and beverage in the classroom and food rewards
Special lunch days
Special events
Physical environments where students eat
Other – such as Recess before lunch or breakfast and
lunch programs
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
School Level Implementation
4. Develop school level plan
• Begin with short term, easy to attain objectives
5. Implement the plan
• Ensure that the committee has completed steps 1-4 as they
are the groundwork for your implementation plan
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
School Level Implementation
6. Monitor and evaluate the change to the school
food environment
– Ask Students
– Ask Staff
– Ask Parents
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Also included…
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Glossary
Guidelines for Policy Development
Understanding food labels
Additional Resources
FAQ’s
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
Resources to support the Guidelines
http://www.healthyalberta.com
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php
Taken directly and/or adapted from: Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth, Alberta
Health and Wellness – Public Health Division, Healthy Living Branch (June 2008)
More Resources to Support the Guidelines
• Healthy Active School Communities Resource
available at
http://www.everactive.org/activeresource.aspx
• A list of foods that meet the guidelines.
• http://www.movingandchoosing.com/
• “The Case for Healthy kids” is available at your
local Community Health Centre
http://www.healthyalberta.com