Initiative for a Healthy Lifestyle through Food: Think Global, Eat Local
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Luther College Students prepared the following community assessments as part of their Psychology of Health and Illness class in the Fall Semester 2008.
![INITIATIVE FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE THROUGH FOOD: ‘THINK GLOBAL, EAT LOCAL’ KATIE CUMMINGS, ALICIA HALE, ANDREA HATLELI, ABBI LACARTE, UFRA MIR ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Luther Suggestions According to Luther’s Sustainability Coordinator, Caleb Mattison, incorporating more local foods into schools is a fairly viable concept. The best way to approach initiating a local foods program into schools is by starting with a small, realistic goal. Mattison first suggests introducing one to two items into the menu versus an entire meal. By starting with just a few items versus the entire meal this reduces both the time and work it takes to process whole foods, i.e. a frozen chicken or potatoes, and thus creates a more feasible approach. The next step to ensure that the one or two local items chosen are in a similar price range as those items bought from the processing distributor, such as apples and pears (see chart for more price comparisons). By starting with small steps and realistic goals introducing a local foods program into the Decorah schools is an achievable task. PROS:- Local food has more nutrient value because of the freshness. Local food consumption would increase the local economy by increasing demand. Parents are satisfied in knowing where their children’s food is coming from. Students can improve their diets when good options from local farms are available. Foods such as apples and pears are of equal monetary value compared to distributors. They also require little preparation to use. CONS:- Processing some food could be time-consuming. For example potatoes need to be cleaned and peeled or chopped. However, availability of a wide variety can combat this problem; for instance, one could easily consume lettuce which just needs to be washed before consuming. Some items may be costly to purchase, but others are not. Current funding may also be used towards local foods. It is advisable to start small at first, which would be economically beneficial. References Buzby, J. C., Guthrie, J. F., Kantor, L. S. (2003). Evaluation of the USDA fruit and vegetable pilot program. Retrieved October 24, 2008, from http://ers.usda.gov/publications/efan03006/efan03006.pdf Caballero, B. (2004). Obesity prevention in children: opportunities and challenges. International Journal of Obesity, 28, S90-S95. Abstract retreived October 3, 2008, from PsychINFO database. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2005). About BMI for children and teens. Retrieved November 6, 2008, from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_BMI/about_ childrens_BMI.htm Ellis, N. R. (2008). The effect of nutrition knowledge on food choices and body mass index percentile rankings of elementary school children: results from an in-school nutrition education program. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 68(8-B), 5145. Abstract retrieved October 3, 2008, from PsychINFO database. Olver, L. (2004). Food timeline-American public school lunches. Retrieved November 6, 2008, from http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodschools.html Preston, S. H. (2005). Deadweight? – The influence of obesity on longevity [Electronic Version]. New England Journal of Medicine, 352, 1135-1137. Sohn, E. (2005). Generation XXXL [Electronic Version]. Minnesota Monthly. Story, M., Kaphingst K. M., French, S. (2006). The role of schools in obesity prevention. TheFuture of Children, 16(1), 109-142. Abstract retrieved October 3, 2008, from PsychINFO database. ABSTRACT Eating locally is one way to help support local economy. Implementing locally grown fruits and vegetables into the schools of Decorah will help our community and its farmers thrive and grow. By presenting an informational binder to the food coordinator of the Decorah public schools we were able to provide facts dealing with the pros and cons of eating locally, suggestions from Luther about how to get started, along with funding and contact information. Hopefully this provided information will be beneficial and be put to use in order to implement locally grown foods into the schools within the next five years.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/think-global-eat-local-1231862781607635-3/85/Initiative-for-a-Healthy-Lifestyle-through-Food-Think-Global-Eat-Local-1-320.jpg)
