Nutrition Program For Teachers
Cafe Nutrition team conducted individual consultations and workshops with the teachers and support staff of an international school in Mumbai to increase awareness about the right food and lifestyle habits. It is proved that nutritionally informed teachers can be a great role model to children thus helping them develop sound nutrition habits for life.
Approach
Teachers were consulted at their designated slots on the school premises. The primary concern amongst all of them was a compromise in their diet and exercise routine due to lack of time and insufficient knowledge about the right foods. We observed the following at the individual nutrition consultations:
- High BMI levels in most teachers - almost 77% placing them in either overweight or obese category.
- Similarly, many from the support staff also had a high BMI with diabetes or hypertension as one of the comorbidities.
- Untimely meals in almost all.
- Increased intake of junk foods / poor food choices.
- Sedentary lifestyle with almost no physical activity.
- Improper sleep routine.
- Digestive issues like acidity and bloating even in young teachers.
- Hypothyroidism and PCOS in many young teachers - the main cause of weight gain.
Based on the observations, an individualized balanced diet plan was suggested for each person. Providing healthy food and snacking options - easy to prepare and less time consuming was the criteria. At the consultations, the merits of lifestyle changes were discussed with each person.
Parallelly, different interactive workshops and webinars were also organized to help them enhance their nutritional knowledge. The support staff workshops included eating healthy on a budget.
Results
Nutrition education in school provides benefits to teachers leading to staff health outcomes. We succeeded in helping them in making the necessary improvements in their food habits. They started eating healthier and most started with some form of daily physical activity. They felt energetic and were more focused at work and at home.