The Center for Disease Control reports more than 40% of daily caloric intake for adolescents ranging in age from 2-18, come from empty calories such as solid fats and added sugars.  Furthermore, half of these calories come from sodas, fruit and sports drinks, desserts, pizza, and whole milk.  The Kentucky Core Academic Standards  require students grades Kindergarten through eighth and high school students as well, be taught curriculum that focuses on nutrition. This curriculum should contain; being able to identify the basic food groups, how to select healthy snacks, learning proper eating habits and recognizing correct serving sizes.  In addition, students must be taught the importance of exercise, and how it plays a significant role in their overall health.Children need to be given the knowledge and skills at an early age so they can make informed decisions as they grow older.

Partnering with the Grayson County Middle School, the Nutrition Education Program Assistant from the Grayson County Extension Office, taught a series of six (6) nutrition classes over a period of five months.  The curriculum that was used was “Professor Popcorn.”  This curriculum is targeted toward youth, grades K-6.  It helps students grow into healthy adults by gaining the knowledge and interest in eating healthy foods, how, to safely handle foods, and helping them understand how to make physical activity part of their daily lifestyles. 

There were 2 sixth grade classes that participated in this series.  Age appropriate surveys were given to each student before the series began, and after it was completed.  The survey results showed that the students increased their level of knowledge and understanding regarding nutrition and exercise in all 14 categories that were covered during the series.

There was a 69% improvement in students eating more vegetables, 41% improvement in eating more whole grains, 39 % improvement in their actively level, and also a 39% improvement in choosing low-fat foods.I feel with these considerable improvements, that the students have most definitely benefited from the “Professor Popcorn” curriculum series; and, there are plans to continue this series for the upcoming school year as well.  

Some Quotes from the students:

• “I didn’t realize that low-fat foods tasted as good as the regular kind”
• “I like when you bring us new foods to try; I had never eaten yogurt before”