An academic course on nutrition called the "ABCs of Eating" would be a great way to outline all the food groups, their individual advantages and disadvantages, and what each person requires daily from each group.
It seems to go without saying that such a class would be beneficial to our everyday lives, but has anyone ever heard of a class addressing these issues being offered? Surprisingly, no, and you probably won't.
Our society seems to have deemed nutrition not important enough to be integrated into the general study of our educational system.
However, think of it this way: has drivers' education always been a necessary course of study? No, as driving wasn't a common practice until around the turn of the 20th century.
Now, driving is a standard course in the education system, taught to countless teenagers and adults every year.
The need to be educated in the basics of driving is not a traditional "old world" area of study, but as cars became more and more universal, so rose the need to be educated in driving safety.
Over the last 30 years, it has become increasingly evident that society needs education in the field of nutrition.
We are bombarded daily by advertisements promoting junk food in the name of profit over healthy eating choices.
Our children are watching commercials with nothing substantial in the way of their real nutritional needs, or which foods are the healthiest for them.
This is precisely where our education system needs to step in.
Just as they are being taught to read, write, and do arithmetic, children of today need to be taught about their eating habits.
It is important to educate children, as knowledge is power; knowledge which provides them with the ability to make good choices, get jobs, invent new products and processes, and to live their lives as they choose, in the best way possible.
Doesn't it stand to reason that they should also have a basic understanding of the food resources around them? Understanding the basics of individual food groups, how they're used with our bodies, the metabolic process of digestion, how our bodies store and use energy, and how to keep all these processes working at their highest level is just as important as knowing when and how to apply an algebraic theorem to a difficult math problem.
Figuring out where such a course would fit in the education realm is another matter.
People may argue that food health and nutrition simply doesn't fit within normal curriculum and would be best taught at home.
But how can it be taught at home if the people in the home have no basic knowledge themselves? Parenting doesn't come with a set guidebook on how to educate our children in smart eating habits.
In middle school science and health classes, some light attention is paid to the basic food groups, and which foods fall into which categories.
But we can't forget the importance of the metabolic process of digestion, interactions between foods, nutrients, and our daily energy needs? Being able to decide on our own which foods provide these basic necessities is a necessary wisdom.
Do you think children would continue carelessly consuming junk food if we equated the nutritional value of Twinkies to that of a pile of dirt?
It seems to go without saying that such a class would be beneficial to our everyday lives, but has anyone ever heard of a class addressing these issues being offered? Surprisingly, no, and you probably won't.
Our society seems to have deemed nutrition not important enough to be integrated into the general study of our educational system.
However, think of it this way: has drivers' education always been a necessary course of study? No, as driving wasn't a common practice until around the turn of the 20th century.
Now, driving is a standard course in the education system, taught to countless teenagers and adults every year.
The need to be educated in the basics of driving is not a traditional "old world" area of study, but as cars became more and more universal, so rose the need to be educated in driving safety.
Over the last 30 years, it has become increasingly evident that society needs education in the field of nutrition.
We are bombarded daily by advertisements promoting junk food in the name of profit over healthy eating choices.
Our children are watching commercials with nothing substantial in the way of their real nutritional needs, or which foods are the healthiest for them.
This is precisely where our education system needs to step in.
Just as they are being taught to read, write, and do arithmetic, children of today need to be taught about their eating habits.
It is important to educate children, as knowledge is power; knowledge which provides them with the ability to make good choices, get jobs, invent new products and processes, and to live their lives as they choose, in the best way possible.
Doesn't it stand to reason that they should also have a basic understanding of the food resources around them? Understanding the basics of individual food groups, how they're used with our bodies, the metabolic process of digestion, how our bodies store and use energy, and how to keep all these processes working at their highest level is just as important as knowing when and how to apply an algebraic theorem to a difficult math problem.
Figuring out where such a course would fit in the education realm is another matter.
People may argue that food health and nutrition simply doesn't fit within normal curriculum and would be best taught at home.
But how can it be taught at home if the people in the home have no basic knowledge themselves? Parenting doesn't come with a set guidebook on how to educate our children in smart eating habits.
In middle school science and health classes, some light attention is paid to the basic food groups, and which foods fall into which categories.
But we can't forget the importance of the metabolic process of digestion, interactions between foods, nutrients, and our daily energy needs? Being able to decide on our own which foods provide these basic necessities is a necessary wisdom.
Do you think children would continue carelessly consuming junk food if we equated the nutritional value of Twinkies to that of a pile of dirt?
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