Milton’s Nutrition Services Department believes that encouraging healthy eating habits in the early years helps students grow and learn to their fullest potential, allowing them to go on and lead long healthy lives. Milton’s Wellness Policystates that Milton “commit[s] to using the most updated nutritional information available for instruction.” In an age where information is instantly and readily accessible and with the rise of social media, it is important that students learn how to identify credible resources and verify what they see and read.

Through Framingham State University’s Coordinated Program in Dietetics, student dietitians visit multiple schools throughout the district to further Milton’s wellness goals regarding nutrition education.  On December 5, 2019, student dietitian Shahira Orcel taught 9-12^th grade culinary arts students at Milton High School the importance of questioning and fact checking nutrition claims using credible resources.

During the “Busting Nutrition Myths” lesson, students learned how to identify nutrition myths by cueing in on too-good-to-be true statements, unqualified individuals claiming to be experts, and the shortcomings of fad diets that might be harmful to their health. Students tested their knowledge with a Bust a Myth Challenge and worked through a Fact Checking Scenario activity that described students like them navigating claims or looking for resources to help them make more healthful choices. The students’ favorite part of the lesson was the Kahoot Bust a Myth Challenge where they could compete against each other for the highest score by busting nutrition myths.

To discover useful lesson plans and more interactive ways to incorporate nutrition education in the classroom, visit The John C. Stalker Institute’s Resource Center.

Submitted by Shahira Orcel, FSU Food and Nutrition Graduate Student in the Coordinated Program in Dietetics.