There’s a growing need to engage students with food literacy.

In a very real and interactive sense, the cafeteria or dining hall is an extension of the classroom. It’s where students learn that what they eat fuels their life, connects them to their community, and helps them in their life-long journey to well-being.

But do they really know it?

The Meaning of Food Literacy

The Food Literacy Center defines food literacy as “understanding the impact of your food choices on our health, environment and economy – and understanding that these impacts are not experienced equitably.”

This is a huge topic that encompasses everything from addressing food insecurity to fostering sustainable food systems. At its most basic level, it’s about learning what to eat for life.

Find Your Footing

Every student – not to mention every school and university – will have their own pace on the path to food literacy. There’s a growing consensus that we’ll all need to get there eventually, but it’s OK to go gently creatively in your quest to build a program that touches on the total impact of our food choices.

The NACUFS report “Campus Dining: 2030 and Beyond” highlights how vital it is to “meet the students where they are at.” Doing so requires training staff and calling on other school organizations to engage students with educational content they’ll happily explore.

Here’s how to start.

Key Topics to Tout

Holistic vs. “Healthy”

Help students think in terms of total nutritional balance and break free of the “healthy versus unhealthy” mindset. Explain how many products marketed under the halo of health contain extra added sugars and other undesirables.

Good-For-You Comfort

Tear apart the well-worn association of comfort food with junk food. Teach students to go beyond the quick pleasure of extra-fried, extra-sugared foods and explain how the nutritionally rich meals you create also have a feel-good quality with real psychological benefits. There’s a deep satisfaction that comes from experiencing a breadth of international stews, rice dishes and other foods that are as nutritionally balanced as they are heartwarming. Help them explore a world of comfort, and what comprises nostalgic dishes across cultures.

Getting the Word Out

Find Fellow Advocates

Collaborate with school nurses and other health and wellness experts, such as student counseling and psychological services. Perhaps there’s a student group or club that could brainstorm creative ways to engage other students in the wonderful web of effects of what we eat.

Serve the Whole Story

Tell students how certain foods will help them perform academically, emotionally and physically.

Guide them in their ongoing journey of decision-making through signage and cooking demos throughout the cafeteria or dining hall. Explain the potential of certain ingredients to elevate mood, decrease inflammation and boost mental clarity.

Get Interactive

Fun-filled food literacy classes and events can be tailored to appeal to any age student. Add any gamification you can, whether in-cafeteria prizes or app-based incentives.

For young students:

• Create boards and murals on “How the Food I Eat Makes Me Feel” to emphasize the brain-food-mood connection. Encourage classrooms to participate.
• Add cards or signs to trays that explain a key function of a certain food, such as how healthy fats from olive oils and seeds are essential for brain health and can improve concentration, or how spinach, kale and beans have iron that provides energy to run and play.

For young adults:

• Host cooking demos or classes that deconstruct a recipe and explain not only how to make it, but also how the ingredients contribute to their day and their overall performance.
• For example, make SunButter® Overnight Oats with:
  - Bananas for mood stability
  - Oats for sustained energy
  - Sunflower seeds for muscle & nerve function
  - Milk for muscle growth and repair
  - Chia seeds for blood sugar regulation
  (Note these are examples only, not product health claims)
• Explore the full journey of key ingredients that you serve, including how they’re grown, processed and packed. (Hey, you could even call on us at SunButter® to help show the seed-to-plate journey of the nutrient-rich sunflower seed.)

Meet students where they’re at, and remember that the joy is in the learning.