Running Head: Choose My Plate

Choose My Plate

Ruby Padilla

Arizona State University

PPE 310

October 20, 2017

CHOOSE MYPLATE
CHOOSE MYPLATE

Introduction

As most people know, physical activity and healthy nutrition can maintain a healthy body. As an

educator, I am a role model to all of the students that I am surrounded by. Therefore, it is important for

me to be healthy and be a great example for them. It is also very important that I teach my students how

to live a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent obesity, and diseases. Considering the fact, that nutrition is a

major factor that can impact a childs development; children in school need to be encouraged and given

the proper resources in school to do so.

Analysis

While looking at the options that are given at this school, it is very apparent that the breakfast

and lunch being served meets the Nutrition Standards for School Meals. This was surprising considering

that The percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s.

Today, about one in five school-aged children (ages 619) has obesity.(Healthy Schools, 2017). Fruit such as

oranges, were offered during breakfast, and apples at lunch time. The only vegetables served were carrots

during lunch time. There was a good amount of dairy offered at both meals such as yogurt, and milk. It is

safe to say that these guidelines follow the Nutrition Standards.

As I review the data, that I formed from the Myplate website, I can see that protein was missing

during breakfast time. However, they did offer protein in the hamburger, during lunch time. The sodium,

sugars, and fat, were all fairly balanced. However, there could still be improvements in this outcome.

3 Changes That Apply Standards

Although, the meals offered at this school do well meeting the Nutrition Guidelines; there are a

few changes that can be made to improve their system. The first one would be providing more sources of

vegetables. The Dietary Guidelines talks about how we should be eating a variety of vegetables from all

of the subgroups. Therefore, our vegetables should be of all different colors such as, broccoli, cauliflower,

carrots, peas, corn, etc. The next change that I would have changed with the meals provided were adding

more source of protein. At breakfast time, it is important to have a healthy source of protein such as
CHOOSE MYPLATE

freshly made eggs. Boiled eggs would have also been a great option. The last change I would make is

giving the students more options to choose from. Kids can sometimes be very picky. Therefore, they

should have at least two options to choose from in order to have more of a chance of eating a healthy

meal.

Reflection

This project was very helpful in giving me a detailed and visual understanding of what is being

served in this school. The chart allowed me to see a breakdown of all of the sodium, fat, and sugars that

were being served in every meal. This tracker can help people to see their diet first hand and be able to

adjust it in order to meet their health goals. This observation can also be very helpful in a workplace to

improve and encourage healthy eating for employees.

As a leader, encouraging and motivating employees to be healthy can benefit their lives and the

company itself. According to Willis North Americas Health and Productivity Survey, 61 percent of

employers said their employees health habits were their biggest concern when it comes to managing

rising healthcare costs(2014). If we can prevent our employees from living unhealthy lives, then we can

prevent the loss of lives and money in our business. In order to do this, we need to find methods in

creating a healthy workplace for employees.

As a leader, my main target would be preventing obesity. Many studies have shown that obese

individuals are more likely to be absent from work( Burton, Chen, Schultz, & Edington, 1998). This

location is also near multiple fast food restaurants. Within three miles, there is a McDonald's, Wendys,

Jack in the Box, and Chik fil a. The low cost of meals could be intriguing to employees who are staying

on a budget. Also, the quick trip to getting a meal could also be enticing to the employees as they

sometimes could be in a hurry. This is very dangerous because our employees have multiple unhealthy

options that they could choose because of its convenience.

CHOOSE MYPLATE

Although, this information is alarming, there is still ways that we can make a change. If

employees use this tracking website, they can see what their diet consists of. If it does not meet the

Dietary Guidelines then we will encourage them to make a change. If employees track a day worth of

meals for at least one day a month, then this can help them to see the progress that they are making. This

activity can benefit them both inside and outside of the working environment.

References:

Feachem, R. G. (1992). The Health of adults in the developing world. New York: Published for

the World Bank by Oxford University Press.

Dietary guidelines for Americans. (1986). Washington, D.C.?: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Human

Nutrition Information Service.

Burton, W.N., Chen, C.Y., Schultz, A.B., & Edington, D. W. 1998. The Economic Costs Associated with

Body Mass Index in a Workplace. Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine, 40(9): 786-92.

Healthy Schools. (2017, January 25). Retrieved October 20, 2017, from

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm
CHOOSE MYPLATE