Live.Life.Healthy Celebrates Food Day 2015
The Live.Life.Healthy (LLH) students at Winter Park High School held a successful Food Day for approximately 2,800 students on October 21st. Food Day is part of a national movement to educate and lead Americans to change their diets and our country’s food policies.
The national theme of Food Day 2015 was “Toward a Greener Diet.” A missive posted on the Food Day website states, “The typical American diet is contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Those problems cost Americans more than $150 billion per year. Plus, a meat-heavy diet takes a terrible toll on the environment. Eating Real can save your own health and put our food system on a more humane, sustainable path. With America’s resources, there’s no excuse for hunger, low wages for food and farm workers, or inhumane conditions for farm animals.”
Based on the theme, LLH students researched, designed and manned educational stations including:
- Impact of American agriculture practices on climate change and information on the “Meatless Monday” movement (with meals to sample);
- Benefits of grass-fed beef & chicken, and the difference between organic and natural meat;
- An “Herban” Garden demonstration on how to plant herbs in grow boxes;
- Five practical and affordable ways to “Eat Real on a Budget;”
- Facts about the American diet and damaging effects of soda on the body;
- Good health & nutrition habits including a smoothie recipe, how to read a nutrition label and reminders to limit eating foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce;
- A mini-farmers’ market using locally grown produce from Long & Scott Farms in Apopka; and
- Healthy snacks and meals such as hummus, three-ingredient, no-bake pumpkin cookies, pizzas, trail mix, grass-fed beef tacos and smoothies.
A special guest, Fannie Brown of the Florida Department of Agriculture’s “Fresh from Florida” Program, attended the LLH Food Day, touring the stations and speaking with LLH and other WPHS students.
