Did you know that students who eat breakfast, fruit, and vegetables each day have higher grades than students who do not? Recent studies have shown that there is a connection between what students eat and how they do in school. We also know that people with healthy diets live longer and have a lower risk for certain chronic diseases.  Find resources here to help you learn more about healthy diets.

Useful links:

Disordered Eating + Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses.  They lead to harmful thoughts about food, eating, and one's own body.  They can cause extreme physical illness and even death. 28.8 million Americans or 9% of the United States population will have an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime. They can affect anyone regardless of age, race, sex, or status. Deloitte Access Economics. The Social and Economic Cost of Eating Disorders in the United States of America: A Report for the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders. June 2020. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/striped/report-economic-costs-of-eating-disorders/. Arcelus, Jon, et al. “Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders. A meta-analysis of 36 studies.” Archives of general psychiatry 68,7 (2011): 724-31.

Resources

Wellness

What is wellness? 

  • Working to have a healthy and happy life

  • Striving to be free of illness and pain

  • Practicing healthy habits and making healthy choices each day

  • Not just having a healthy body, but also mental health and meaningful relationships.

The following resources connect nutrition to overall wellness and school achievement:

Smart Snacks 

Smart Snacks are nutrition guidelines for all food sold in schools during the school day.   The rules were created by the United States Department of Agriculture and include limits on fat, sugar, sodium, and calories. This helps to ensure that students have access to healthy food all day long, whether it’s in the lunch line, vending machine, or school store. 

While Smart Snacks were created for food sold in schools, they are also a great tool to use when planning food to bring for packed lunches or school celebrations.  Click here to learn more and use this Smart Snack calculator to learn if a specific food meets the guidelines.

Community Partners 

DINE

  • DINE,  Durham's Innovative Nutrition Education program, is a unique school and community-based nutrition education program that serves the people of Durham, NC through all stages of life. It’s a program designed and implemented by the Durham County Department of Public Health in Durham, North Carolina, and is supported by funds from both SNAP-Education and Durham County.

    • DINE provides nutrition education in several elementary and middle schools throughout Durham County. Programming varies from school to school, but lessons often include taste tests, student/parent handouts, and cooking labs. DINE also participates in after-school and summer programming.

    • To learn more about DINE, visit: Dine for life or follow us on social media: Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram! Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter full of healthy eating ideas and recipes.

The Hub Farm

  • The Hub Farm is a 30-acre outdoor learning center in Durham, NC, with a mission to engage the DPS community in meaningful outdoor experiences. The farm grows vegetables, herbs, and flowers, tends chickens and ducks, and manages three honeybee hives. Through field trips and volunteering, the Hub Farm supports the growth and well-being of DPS students by providing meaningful outdoor educational experiences.

  • Check out some photos of our students at the Hub Farm! Learn more here:  The Hub Farm

hub farm photos

NC FARM-TO-SCHOOL 

Durham Public Schools is proud to participate in the NC Farm to School Program. The NC Farm to School Program was founded in 1997 and supplies schools across North Carolina with fresh, local produce grown right here in NC! The program is offered for 22 weeks during the school year and includes crops such as strawberries, watermelons, cantaloupes, apples, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, apples, kale, collards, peaches, Asian pears, romaine, honeydew melon, and blueberries. Learn more here - Farm to school 

north carolina farm

FARM-TO-SCHOOL EVENTS

NC Crunch! In late October, DPS joins schools, child care centers, and organizations across North Carolina in celebrating National Farm to School Month by crunching into a locally grown apple. The NC Crunch promotes healthy eating and supports farm-to-school and other local food purchasing initiatives throughout the state. It’s also a fun way to connect food and agriculture to all kinds of classroom curricula – from science to art. 

-Check out a past DPS Farm to School Month and Apple Crunch celebration