Hopkinton Public Schools partnered with Framingham State University (FSU) for the first time this spring to connect graduate and undergraduate nutrition students with elementary, middle, and high school students in Hopkinton for nutrition education opportunities.  Hopkinton Public Schools, as detailed in their 健康政策Food Service and Nutrition Departmentis dedicated to comprehensive and continuous health and nutrition education for all their students.  To help in reaching this goal, they have brought in student dietitians from FSU to talk about important topics that are relevant to their students.  Shane Toman, a graduate nutrition student, came in to teach students about various nutrition topics.  One of these was “Ditch the Fizz,” a lesson for 6th graders about making educated drink choices based on their sugar content.

Students learned about the health effects of added sugar and empty calories and the need for other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They investigated the nutrition facts label on various drinks, such as sodas, milkshakes, and juices, and figured out how to determine the serving size and the amount of sugar per serving.  They also participated in an activity where they calculated the teaspoons of sugar in each drink based on the grams on the label and were able to visualize just how much sugar can be found in everyday drinks!

For more information and nutrition education resources, please visit The John C. Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition’s Resource Center of Framingham State University.

Submitted By: Shane Toman, Graduate Food and Nutrition Student in the 营养学协调程序 at FSU.