Department of Health

 Celebrating 2017 National Nutrition Month with Eagle College Preparatory School

In honor of National Nutrition Month 2017, educators with the Let's Move! STL initiative recently provided nutrition education at Eagle College Preparatory School in the Tower Grove South neighborhood.  The nutrition education was incorporated into the school's weekly all-grade assembly, in which nearly 200 kindergarten through 6th grade students take part.  The goal of this education was to educate about MyPlate and motivate the students to follow the MyPlate nutrition guidelines.  Educators covered the basics on MyPlate, including as explanation of the five food groups, the importance of variety and portion sizes.

Student participation and engagement was high during this activity.  Students displayed excitement as they shouted out which foods fit into each food group.  After correctly identifying the food groups, they were quizzed on their ability to choose the appropriate serving sizes as established by the United States Department of Agriculture.  The students were provided options for servings for a variety of food items and tasked with determining which ones were the correct serving sizes.  Afterwards the students learned about the recommended number of servings they should be consuming each day from each food group to ensure a balanced diet.  Finally, the students discussed the health concerns that arise when they consume too little or too much from certain food groups.

A final assessment showed that the students really enjoyed the activity.  They were excited to participate in the nutrition education and walked away with an enhanced understanding of nutrition based on MyPlate.  Most importantly, they demonstrated that they were ready to put their new-found knowledge into action.  This education has prepared them to avoid childhood obesity along with all the associated negative health consequences and live healthier lives.

St. Louis is a Let's Move! City.  The Let's Move! STL initiative is managed through the City of St. Louis Department of Health.  There are activities planned throughout the year as part of this initiative.  For more information about this initiative, please contact Melissa Ramel at RamelM@stlouis-mo.gov or (314) 657-1571.

Department of Health

City of St. Louis