The Living Universe: Discovering the Human Body

WHY TALK ABOUT FOOD AND THE HUMAN BODY IN CLASS?

The Québec Education Program (QEP) (Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec) emphasizes the overall development of students, including their physical and mental well-being. Teachers therefore have an essential role to play, not only with respect to knowledge acquisition, but also to health and well-being. Scientific literature shows that developing and maintaining positive eating habits during childhood promotes health, growth and cognitive development, and contributes to the adoption of positive habits in adolescence and adulthood. In light of this, it seems important to integrate food-related activities into the curriculum of children.

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FOOD IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE LIVING UNIVERSE

The human body is a machine that is both complex and fascinating. When talking about it, it is important to adapt the information to the age of the children. How can you get started? Teach Nutrition offers free, turnkey resources to discuss the subject in a dynamic and original way with your students. Linked to the QEP and designed in collaboration with teachers, the proposed activities are varied and tailored to each grade level.

• With preschoolers, you can use a video, a nursery rhyme and a snack-time activity to explain how the body uses food as a source of energy to move, play, grow and learn. You can also go on an adventure to discover the five senses.
• With Cycle 1 students, a video, a poster and an art activity will help you explain the importance of hydration and the various functions of water in the body. These resources will also help discover beverages and foods that can contribute to hydration.
• Cycle 2 students can understand the role of various macronutrients in the body, for example that carbohydrates provide energy, that protein is responsible for building and repairing body tissues, and that fat helps the brain function properly. You can use a video, a discussion, an escape game or an art activity to explore the subject with them.
• In Cycle 3, you can delve deeper to discover the impact of vitamins and minerals on the body, including the role of iron in transporting oxygen to muscles and organs, as well as the importance of vitamin D and calcium in the bone system, and of vitamin C in the immune system. The proposed video, discussion ideas, escape game and art activity will allow you to do just that.

INTRODUCTION

From an early age, children love to discover the human body and understand its various functions. In preschool, they become aware of their bodies and what they can do with them. Then, through experiences in school, particularly with their teachers, children acquire the knowledge they need to understand this incredible machine that is the human body and to adopt healthy behaviours for its proper functioning. So how can we help students understand this subject?

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EATING IS A BASIC NEED

Eating is one of the natural and essential behaviours of the human body. Food has an impact on many of the body’s systems, and positive eating habits are especially important for children as it provides the energy they need to play, concentrate, learn, grow and develop. In other words, a healthy diet contributes to the creation of an environment conducive to learning.

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IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN OUR DIET AND THE BRAIN?

Diet has an impact on concentration and learning, but it has an even greater impact on the brain. An article combining several studies has shown that children with a good-quality diet have a lower risk of developing certain mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. The evidence even confirms that diet quality influences mood. This is because some nutrients in food are essential for the development of neurotransmitters, which send various signals to the brain. And when the body does not get enough of certain nutrients, for example as a result of a diet that is not nutritious enough, the production of feel-good neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, can be impaired. This can contribute to low energy, brain fog and depressed mood at any age. Because the mental health of young people is a subject of concern, its link with food quality is very interesting.

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