Fun Ways to Be a Fearless Healthy Food Advocate at Your School

As you begin preparing for the upcoming academic year, check out our toolkits filled with tips for advocating healthy foods at your school. Learn how to present nutrition information to your principal, how to nudge students toward healthier snack choices in the cafeteria, and more:

 1. Be a snack food sleuth. Identify all the areas where food is sold in your school (i.e. vending machines, cafeteria à la carte, school stores, fundraisers), and then do a simple survey to document the types of foods and drinks being sold. Use the data to create a presentation for your principal or superintendent. A free survey template is available at: https://www.neahin.org/bagthejunk/act/

2. “Nudge” students toward healthier food choices by making the healthy choice the easy choice at school: https://www.neahin.org/bagthejunk/blog/how-to-use-nudges-in-the.html

 3. Walk the talk! Let your students see you making healthy snack and beverage choices, and encourage other educators and school staff to do the same.

 4. Switch up classroom rewards. Try using non-food prizes such as stickers, pencils or extra recess to incentivize students; you’ll be surprised how well kids respond. For more ideas check out: http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/constructive_classroom_rewards.pdf

 5. Sign up to become an NEA HIN Healthy School Food Champion. You will receive assistance and personalized support from school food experts: https://www.neahin.org/bagthejunk/become-a-healthy-school-food.html