Nutrition: Physical Education Assignment Increases Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Update.com

While fruits and vegetables are primary components in any healthy diet, many students eat less of them than they should. Whether it's because they think they're eating more than they actually do, or because they simply forget, fruits and vegetables are often overlooked at meal times.

Trent Stellingwerf, a track coach, PhD in nutrition and high-level nutrition consultant, has found that even some of the elite athletes he's worked with, when submitting nutrition logs, sometimes go several days without eating fruits or vegetables!

So here's one of his tips for increasing the fruit and veggie intake that you can use with your students.

Fruit and Veggie Assignment
Give your students a one-week assignment in which their job is to eat a fruit and veggie at every meal. It doesn't have to be much and don't worry about portions. A slice of orange and a carrot for breakfast; some green beans and an apple for lunch with their sandwich; a salad with supper with their meat and potatoes.

The key is to make it easy and convenient. If they try it for a week, eating fruits and veggies at every meal may become a habit for them!

Reference: The Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre, Audio Interview, Part 1, with Dr. Trent Stellingwerf, High Performance Nutrition Consultant, November 24, 2007
http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/default.aspx?pid=1&;spid=81

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