“KICK IT” - JUNK FOOD
The London Bus Theatre Company
Established in 1995, The London Bus Theatre Company is one of the most respected Theatre in Education companies in the United Kingdom and has been funded by BP, The Big Lottery, The Arts Council, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Tesco, Umbro and Essex Police as well as working for councils and NHS Trusts. Set up with the express objective of tackling head on the twin problems of drugs and bullying amongst young people, The London Bus drama workshops and DVDs have proved to be extremely helpful to schools, colleges and youth organisations as part of their social studies programmes and PSHE requirements.
Football/Sports for Young People
From running workshops for tens of thousands of school children in the last six years, London Bus has learnt that sports culture has superseded all others for both boys and girls. Football, in particular is the ideal vehicle for Nutrition Education as it can motivate young people to a healthier, substance free lifestyle.
Healthy Eating for Young People
NHS research states that currently a quarter of 2-10 year olds and a third of 11-15 year olds are overweight or obese.
It is imperative that we, as a community, do our utmost to support schools in delivering health education. Empowering young people with information on junk food is not always easy to deliver in schools, either due to lack of time available in the curriculum or pupils being too young to take advantage of available literature. One fantastic way of achieving this is by producing a DVD as impactive as the TV and computer games which already excite them.
“Kick It” - Junk Food
Rather than producing a DVD covering the usual bases in healthy eating, we have focused on the disadvantages of eating junk food. We believe by providing children and young people with the facts on junk food this will lead to better food choices.
“Kick It” - Junk Food is approximately 9 minutes in length and delivers a powerful anti-junk food message for both boys and girls. The DVD covers topics such as what “junk food” means, why it is bad for our bodies, healthier options, examples of healthier meals and a fun game show “Fruit Machine.”
Ideas for class work and extension activities
1. What is junk food? It’s food of no nutritional value, high in sugar, salt and the wrong type of fats. How many junk foods can students name?
2. Drama Game. Things in Common - “The object of this game is to find the other people in this room who have the same thing in common as you and get into a group.”
Same favourite breakfast
Same favourite soft drink
Same favourite sport at school
3. Drama Game. California. Ask students to form a circle. One student begins with “I went to California and took an apple.” The second student next to the first student in a clockwise direction says: “I went to California and took an apple and a .... (they add in another fruit). The third student next to the second student in a clockwise direction says: “I went to California and took an apple and a .... (they name the second persons fruit) and a (they add in another fruit). You can keep going until the students can’t name any more fruits. You can also try the game with vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and nutrients which are essential for health. Students should be aiming for at least five portions every day.
4. Ask students to design three posters for a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Children and young people need a varied and balanced diet rich in fruit, vegetables and starchy foods, such as pasta, bread, rice and potatoes. On the posters they need to include:
a. milk, cheese, eggs, yoghurt, soya and nuts - these are rich in calcium, which is needed for healthy bones and teeth. Cheese and eggs are also a good source of vitamin A, which is important for good vision and healthy skin.
b. Breakfast cereals, margarine and oily fish - these are good sources of vitamin D, essential for healthy bones.
c. Meat (unless vegetarian). Red meat in particular is rich in iron. Iron is needed for healthy blood. Beans, lentils, green vegetables and cereals are also a good source of iron.
d. Fish - a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals and it’s low in saturated fat. Oily fish also contains omega 3 fatty acids which can help prevent heart disease.
e. Citrus fruits - foods such as lemons, oranges and tomatoes are all good sources of vitamin C, which is essential for health.
5. Fats are often labelled as the bad guys, but actually we need some fats to keep us healthy. Saturated fats are the ones that are bad for us because they raise cholesterol and can block up arteries to the heart. Examples of saturated fats are: sausages, pastry, cakes, biscuits and cream. Fats that are good for us are known as polyunsaturates such as oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocadoes and olive oil.
Ask students to look at some food labels and work out if the food is high in fat. High is more than 20g fat per 100g. Low is 3g fat or less per 100g.
6. Salt is found naturally in many foods so there is no need to add salt to a meal. If a child is 4-6 years they should have no more than 3g of salt a day. 7-10 years it’s 5g and 11 years upwards it’s 6g.
7. Many snack foods such as sweets, chocolates, biscuits and cakes are high in sugar which can cause dental decay. Ask pupils to name some healthier snack foods such as nuts, dried fruit and malt loaf.
8. Ask pupils the benefits of avoiding junk food. Is it risky to eat junk food in the long-term? An unhealthy diet can lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.