On April 9, 2019, Framingham State University student Laura Villani taught 9^th-12^th grade consumer science students at Watertown High School in Watertown, MA.

Students learned how to calculate how many teaspoons of sugar were in their favorite beverage based on the nutrition facts label.

She taught the students about the various risks to their health from regularly consuming sugar-sweetened beverages through a lesson titled “Rethink Your Drink”. Watertown Public School’s School Wellness Policy states that the district’s food service & nutrition department strives to provide students with quality nutrition education that helps them develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors. Through Framingham State’s Скоординированная программа по диетологии , student dietitians like Laura visit various schools throughout the state each week to help them achieve these nutrition education goals.

The class compared the amount of sugar in their favorite beverages using sugar packets.

During the “Rethink Your Drink” lesson, students learned about some of the possible health risks associated with the over-consumption of sugary drinks. They also learned where to find the sugar content on the Nutrition Facts Panel, how to calculate how many teaspoons of sugar were in their drinks, and some tasty, lower-sugar alternatives to their usual beverages. After calculating how many teaspoons of sugar were in their favorite drinks, the students got to compare their findings with the rest of the class by counting out sugar packets and putting them on display.

For more information on how to reduce sugar in schools, please visit the John Stalker Institute’s Sugar Solutions for Schools resource page.

Submitted by: Laura Villani, FSU Food and Nutrition Student in the Скоординированная программа по диетологии.