We Are What We Eat: Diet & Environments’ Affect on

Students’ Behavior & Academic Performance

Importance of a Nutritional Breakfast

Environmental (internal & external) challenges facing students

Solutions and success stories

Breakfast of ChampionsComplex carbs (i.e. oatmeal) –vs- simple carbs (i.e. “ready-to-eat cereals) (Muthayya 142)

Simple carb breakfasts may require mid-morning snack for added energy

Affects memory performance throughout the morning (Muthayya 148)

Schools should account for this in terms of optimal test scheduling

Micro (vits. & mins.) & Macro (fats, proteins & carbs) nutrient benefits (Soh 219)

“Breakfast Eaters –vs- Breakfast Skippers”

Tests done in rural Jamaica and Peru on implementing a nutritional breakfast over 2 semesters (Rampersaud 752).

Results: “Breakfast eaters” in both countries showed increases in “academic performance” as well as increased school attendance compared to “breakfast skippers” (Rampersaud 752).

In Boston, lower GPAs & school attendance have been linked to elementary & middle school students with lower nutrient intakes (Kleinman 29).

The Hurdles That Lie AheadInternal (school) Environment

Students whose dietary habits rank in the lowest or highest quartiles in 6th grade remain so until 12th grade (Bauer 36)

Nutrition-vs-Money: Snack carts & vending machines offset costs for school events, trips and scholarships (Bauer 41)

What about disadvantaged areas where money is even more scarce for school activities?

The Hurdles That Lie Ahead External (neighborhood) Environments

Inverse relationship between income and number of fast food outlets (FFO) (Kestens 34)

Hispanic areas are twice as likely to have a restaurant, snack store and/or liquor store located within 400m of the middle school (Sturm 688)

Fast food geomarketing plans may be geared towards lower income areas (Kestens 37)

Keys To VictoryEducating school principals (gatekeepers) about the benefits of proper nutrition (Shahid 559).

Better nutrition = Improved testing (Shahid 553).

Implement a intervention plan with a school health coordinator (SHC) (O’Brien 178).

Students eat healthier, drink less soda, watch less tv, increase attendance rates compared to non-intervention schools (O’Brien 182).

Keys To VictoryMichigan Model (MM) Nutrition Curriculum90% of schools statewide implement plan (Fahlman 222)

Supplement book: What’s Food Got To Do With ItEducates both students and staffStudents answered 14 of 19 questions correctly in post-assessment evaluation (Fahlman 221)

Funds of KnowledgeDominican middle school students in NYCIncorporate plantain in science experiments to increase student engagement (Abder 142).Increased participation and grades of previously failing science students (Abder 143-144)

RecommendationsAugment existing universal-free school breakfast program (USBP) to include healthier, more nutrient rich options (Kleinman)

Educate students so they can better navigate the perils of fast food and cafeteria menus (Bauer)

Educate principals, staff and students about the benefits of a more comprehensive diet so it creates a healthier, long-term lifestyle Recognize that lower-income groups are more prone to having less healthier options in their neighborhoods (more FFO, snack stores & liquor stores (Sturm)

Incorporate students’ funds of knowledge into learning as well as involving them in cafeteria food decision making