Information and resources to support knowledge and competency in teaching related to healthy eating and nutrition.
Developed by Interior Health British Columbia, this resource explains how weight bias and stigma can affect all dimensions of students' wellbeing in the school context. The authors outline multiple steps school staff can take to reduce weight bias and offer links to many recommended resources to extend learning in this area. https://www.interiorhealth.ca/sites/default/files/PDFS/weight-bias-and-stigma-in-schools.pdf
This online resource was created by the Masters in Public Health program at Baylor University's Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. It provides an overview of the concept of body image and the need for body neutral approaches to health promotion. There are numerous links to both popular press and academic research related to positive body image and eating disorder prevention. This resource also addresses the need for intentional social media use and positive self talk, which are key for positive mental wellbeing in youth. Website Link: https://onlinegrad.baylor.edu/resources/body-neutrality/
Dairy Farmers of Canada's Teach Nutrition website contains tools and resources that can be helpful to educators in all provinces and territories or elsewhere in the world. The tools and resources are created by registered dietitians and are designed with a specific curriculums (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and the Maritimes) in mind. Visit the website here: https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/teachnutrition/intl
Based in Ontario, Ophea's vision is that all children and youth value and enjoy the lifelong benefits of healthy, active living. They champion healthy, active living in schools and communities, work with and support teachers, education leaders, health professionals and pre-service teachers and provide resources to support the implementation of health and wellness initiatives in Ontario schools. View the Ophea website to learn more. https://www.ophea.net/
Based in BC, Dedicated Action for School Health (DASH) promotes, supports and facilitates the creation of healthy school communities. DASH works with cross-sector partners to promote comprehensive school health. It runs a variety of school-health initiatives. It also has resources to support healthy school communities. View the DASH BC website to access these resources, and also sign up for the newsletter to keep up with its work. https://dashbc.ca/
Body confidence and self-esteem affect young people's learning. Although 8 out of 10 girls opt out of everyday activities because of concern about their looks, Dove is working to change that. Dove launched its self-esteem project to help young people grow up feeling confident. Teachers and educators have access to the Dove School Workshops on Body Image: Confident Me. These are evidence-informed resources aimed at 11- to 14-year-olds. The free downloadable tools allow teachers and educators to run body-confidence workshops. Explore the impact that image ideals portrayed in the media have on young people's self-esteem. The single- and five-lesson tools adapt to your time frame, and Dove proved that both tools make a positive impact on improving body confidence. https://www.dove.com/us/en/dove-self-esteem-project/school-workshops-on-body-image-confident-me.html
Developed by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), Beyond Images is a turn-key media literacy curriculum for students in grades 4-8. It is made possible with support from the Dove Self-Esteem Project. The free online lesson plans include activities to combat appearance-based bullying and negative stereotypes. Students will explore key issues around body image and self-esteem, as well as messaging within the media. They will develop critical thinking skills in this authentic learning and collaborative inquiry opportunity. Beyond Images provides a safe and comfortable setting for students to discuss challenges and questions about their bodies. NEDIC provides information, resources, referrals and support to Canadians affected by eating disorders through open and supportive dialogue. It offers a helpline, prevention-based outreach and educational programming. https://beyondimages.ca
The Student Body, a teacher training module, exists to help alert teachers (and parents) to the factors that can trigger unhealthy dieting among children, as well as ways to prevent it. The website sheds light on six areas of concern: Media and Peer Pressure Healthy Eating Active living Teasing Adult Role Models School Climate These learning modules use animations, videos and background information to emphasize some of the positive and negative factors affecting body image and unhealthy eating habits. http://thestudentbody.aboutkidshealth.ca
Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) is a national charitable association. It encourages healthy, active kids by promoting quality health and physical education opportunities, as well as healthy learning environments. PHE Canada inspires all to live healthy, physically active lives. Since 1993, it has provided quality programs, professional development services and community initiatives. https://phecanada.ca
The Health and Physical Education Council (HPEC) is a specialist council of the Alberta Teachers Association. HPEC's vision is that Alberta teachers will provide quality instruction and programs in health and physical education to promote the development of healthy active lifestyles in students. Check out their blog here: http://albertahpec.blogspot.com
Raising Our Healthy Kids is a series of 60-90 second videos with up-to-date health information for parents and care providers. These short snappy videos will help Canadian families live healthier lives. They were developed for parents, parents to be and grandparents; pre-natal groups and classes; health care providers who work with parents; teachers; childcare workers; and many more groups and individuals who could benefit. Topics range from nutrition to physical activity to oral health. The videos are the vision of Shadow Light Productions and Kay Watson-Jarvis. The video content was developed by a multi-stakeholder group including Dietitians of Canada, Alberta Health Services and Canada Research Chair in Food Marketing, Policy and Children's Health, Dr. Charlene Elliott, with input from physicians and community stakeholders across Canada. The content of the videos is consistent with messages from Health Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, Alberta Health Services, and nutrition messages are consistent with PEN: Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition®. The videos were produced by Shadow Light Productions with principal funding from the Calgary Health Trust. Financial support for French translations provided by EatRight Ontario. http://www.raisingourhealthykids.com
APPLE Schools (A Project Promoting healthy Living for Everyone in schools) is an innovative school-focused health promotion initiative. By improving healthy eating, physical activity and mental health habits, APPLE Schools improves the lives of more than 20,000 students annually. The project works in 74 schools across Manitoba, northern Alberta, British Columbia the Northwest Territories. The project is guided by the APPLE Schools Board, a registered charitable foundation. http://www.appleschools.ca
The Alberta Healthy School Community Wellness Fund (AHSCWF) is a joint initiative between the University of Alberta's School of Public Health Centre for Healthy Communities and the Government of Alberta. AHSCWF promotes sustainable, healthy school communities across the province. Its mission is to support Alberta school communities to improve students' health and learning outcomes. AHSCWF addresses wellness in a planned, integrated and holistic way. It uses a comprehensive school health framework to carry out its work and envisions children and youth able to flourish. https://www.ualberta.ca/alberta-healthy-school-community-wellness-fund/about-us
Canada's 2019 Food Guide includes a variety of recommendations on healthy eating. It references food choices and eating habits, and provides tips, recipes and resources. Learn about diets and food trends. Explore strategies to improve your eating habits and learn to adjust recipes to meet your needs. View tips for different life stages, as well as for home, school and work. The food guide is available in many languages to assist a broad range of Canadians. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/food-guide-snapshot/
Wellness education in Alberta envisions students becoming educated, informed, and contributing members of society. Student wellness occurs when students develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be well: physically, emotionally, socially, mentally and spiritually. Alberta Education has developed a framework for wellness education in Alberta's K-12 schools (2015), which is informed by a comprehensive school health approach. It incorporates the needs and priorities of 21st century learners to nurture the whole child. https://education.alberta.ca/wellness-education/wellness-education/
Ever Active Schools (EAS) is a provincial initiative in Alberta to create and support healthy school communities. Using a comprehensive school health approach, it addresses health and education goals to improve the social outcomes of children and youth. The Health and Physical Education Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association created EAS as a special project. It uses collaborative partnerships, projects-based work, knowledge exchange and competency-based learning opportunities to accomplish goals. It is a connecting point within the province for supporting healthy children and youth. EAS runs projects such as Learn to Skate, Teachers of Tomorrow and more. It also provides professional learning and plenty of classroom-ready resources for teachers. It hosts conferences and events for both professionals and youth to further its work in the health and education fields. EAS shares content through an annual magazine and a monthly e-newsletter, along with other channels such as social media. Ever Active Schools receives funding from government as well as private grants and partners. It has worked closely with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities to increase capacity for sport and overall student well-being in Alberta school communities. Visit the Ever Active Schools website to learn more about comprehensive school health, access resources and professional learning, and get involved with provincial projects. http://everactive.org
Comprehensive School Health is an internationally-recognized and effective approach for building healthy school communities. It can be used to address a variety of health issues and can improve health, education, and social outcomes for children and youth. Using a whole-school model, CSH builds capacity to incorporate well-being as an essential aspect of student achievement. Alberta Health Services has dedicated a page to CSH implementation resources, including an introduction to the CSH framework, steps for building a healthy school community, and the distinct, but inter-related, components of CSH that comprise the approach. https://schools.healthiertogether.ca/en/learn/the-csh-framework/