Second graders at Apalachin Elementary School celebrated National Eating Healthy Day by learning to “eat the rainbow.”
On National Eating Healthy Day, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association wants to remind everyone that by adding more color to meals through fruits and vegetables, people can take simple yet significant steps to a more vibrant, healthier, longer life. Fruits and vegetables are important for our heart health, have more nutrients than less healthy food choices, and have fewer calories.
With help from Broome-Tioga BOCES, Laura Dragon, a dietetic intern with Cornell University, taught a group of more than 65 second graders at Apalachin Elementary School why it’s so important to eat a variety of colors in the form of fruits and vegetables. Each color of the rainbow provides different nutrients and can help improve different aspects of our health.
Students started out by drawing and coloring their favorite fruits and vegetables, then learning what those foods do for our bodies. The entire group taste-tested a rainbow of foods including red strawberries, yellow or orange peppers, green snap peas, and blue blueberries. Students then voted on their favorites. Red strawberries were the winners. The lesson ended with a visit from Rex & Roxy of the Rock On Café.
For tips and recipes to help you add color to your meals visit the American Heart Association’s Healthy For Good website.