|
American Institute of Wine & Food Days of Taste
Team Nutrition has partnered with The AIWF and their Days of Taste project to reinforce nutrition messages to children. In order to facilitate cooperation between AIWF chefs and the school, and to strengthen the connection between the classroom and the dining room, the following suggestions were developed.
Dining Room Connections for AIWF Days of Taste
It is important for students to see the connection between what they learn in the classroom and what they eat in the school dining room. It would be ideal if the child nutrition manager could accompany the chef to the classroom and be involved with the Days of Taste activities and in delivering the messages. This would encourage child nutrition personnel to reinforce the Days of Taste messages through out the year and would encourage students to try new options when they are offered in school meals. The following are suggestions on how to help make these connections.
Day 1 - Exploring the ABC's of Taste and Health
- Have children use a worksheet to identify the "tastes" included in the school lunch menu
- Have signs for the different tastes of the foods (bitter, sweet, sour, salty, etc.) on the serving line
- Serve "tasting foods" from the Days of Taste as part of the lunch menu
- Have children classify the foods they taste into the Food Guide Pyramid groups
- Identify specific spices used in foods on the school lunch line
Day 2 - A Visit with a Local Farmer
- Add samples of the farmer's fresh vegetables and fruits to the lunch menu that day - or use them in decorations on the serving line
- Add signs that say which foods on the lunch line are grown locally
- Discuss where the farmer's products fit into the Food Guide Pyramid
Day 3 - Preparing a Harvest Salad
- Provide the harvest salad recipe to the child nutrition manager in advance and arrange to have it served as part of the regular school lunch on the day it is prepared in the classroom
- Have students design their own "Harvest Salad" with options from the salad bar if one is available
Day 4 - Visiting the Chef's Restaurant (suggested messages to include)
* Discuss similarities between restaurant and the school dining room
- Both use fresh fruits and vegetables when possible
- Both offer a variety of foods
- Some options are available in both restaurants and schools
- Students can help decorate the school dining room to make it attractive - like a restaurant
- Students choose a restaurant that serves the foods they like; they influence what the school offers by making suggestions to the child nutrition manager or participating in a nutrition advisory council
- Both schools and restaurants like to have satisfied customers
* Discuss how a restaurant and school kitchen and dining room are different and why
- School meals meet Dietary Guidelines, including no more than 30% of calories from fat
- School lunch meets 1/3 the RDA for key nutrients
- Schools have limited dollars to spend for meals and price meals lower than restaurants
- Schools serve large number of meals in a short time - this affects the type of service
- Some schools don't have kitchens - food is cooked elsewhere and delivered to school
- Restaurants have staff available to prepare and serve food as it is ordered by customers
|
