According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not only do children and adolescents not meet their fruit and vegetables recommendations found in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but “empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents age 2-18 years” (2019). Nine first-graders and eleven second-graders at the Donald E. Cline Elementary School in Campbell County, KY participated in Professor Popcorn, a nutrition education series, during their after-school program. This program was facilitated by the Campbell County Cooperative Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program assistant. This program took place throughout the students’ academic year.

The Professor Popcorn program included six hours of direct education aimed to increase children’s knowledge on food from the five food groups, in addition to learning more about the importance of washing their hands and increasing their physical activity. Students in this program started with a MyPlate sampler and each of the following weeks including another healthy sample of foods from each food group. Many of the students got to try new foods like garbanzo beans, snap peas, turnips, avocados, whole wheat crackers, skim milk, mangoes and more. Most of the foods were items that the children expressed they had never heard of, seen, or tasted before. Children were encouraged to taste each sample with their peers and were then asked to describe the food’s textures and flavors.

By the end of the series, students had tried many new foods and found new favorites to add to their diets. According to a summary of exit questionnaires, 75% (15 of 20) children that attended the program improved their abilities to choose healthier foods in accordance to Federal Dietary Recommendations. These small fruit and vegetable consumption improvements now, lead to a lifetime of a better diet and overall health.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019). CDC Healthy Schools: Childhood Nutrition Facts. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm