Author: Vanessa Harris
Planning Unit: Menifee County CES
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Outcome: Initial Outcome
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 are designed to provide current dietary advice to promote health, reduce risk of chronic disease, and meet nutritional needs across the lifespan. The guidelines also serve as a foundation for federal food, nutrition, and health policies and programs like the National School Lunch Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which aim to reduce hunger and increase food security through access to healthy, affordable food. The Menifee County SNAP-ED Assistant partnered with the Menifee County School District to deliver LEAP: Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschool/Primary to first grade students. Many children were unfamiliar with the differences between fruits and vegetables. The LEAP curriculum focuses on the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables every day. Students were given fruit and vegetable samples to taste, and then asked to describe the taste, color, and shape. Students were also taught the history of fruits and vegetables and the role they play in their diet. As a result of pre and post-tests, students made improvements identifying fruits and vegetables as follows: 73% correctly identified vegetables and 47% fruits. A parent of one of the students said that her child was identifying different fruits and vegetables they eat and had never done that before. She also said that her child is now trying different fruits and vegetables since the LEAP classes.
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