The National Nutrition Week in India is an annual event that takes place from September 1st to September 7th, aiming to raise awareness among the public about the importance of nutrition and healthy eating habits. Education is about understanding the child and how they learn, grow and develop in the Geetanjali Group of Schools Hyderabad, we believe that it starts with what’s on their plate. This year we have made this come to life with fun activities, classroom learning and simple everyday lessons that will last a lifetime with our students.
Why Nutrition Matters for Every Student
Childhood and adolescence are crucial time periods for development, and what children eat directly impacts how they learn, play and feel, day by day. During Nutrition Week our students learnt some key messages:
- Balanced meals are in support of learning and energy. A well-fed brain can think longer and a well-fed body can play for longer, and then have the stamina to go through school, sports practice and play time.
- All of the food groups contribute. Proteins help to build and repair the body, vegetables and fruits help provide vitamins and fibre, whole grains help provide sustained energy and healthy fats help support brain development. A well-balanced plate combines all these in just the right amounts, about half vegetables and fruits, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein, and a small amount of healthy fats.
- The nutritional requirements differ from one individual to another. They’re also distinct, depending on the age, activity level and health status of the child in question; a growing child has varying requirements, as do an exam-clad teenager and a young athlete.
Everyday Habits that Make a Real Difference is a collaborative effort that includes the following hooks:
In addition to the lessons in class, we want students to develop habits that will be simple but effective and will compound over time:
- Please read the label prior to consumption. Frequently, packaged healthy snacks packaged with a healthy appearance contain added sugar, salt or preservatives. When reading the ingredients and packaging details, students will be able to make better and more intelligent decisions.
- Eat whole foods instead of processed foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables, dals, milk, nuts and whole grains are digested easily and provide a steady release of energy as opposed to processed snacks that cause a rapid rise, followed by a drop in energy.
- Never skip a meal. Not eating breakfast is not a healthy practice as it has a negative impact on concentration and mood well before lunchtime. Fasting for a particular period allows the body and mind to function properly.
- Keep active and drink plenty of water. Keeping the body hydrated, active and rested also plays a critical role in ensuring a high level of energy during the school day.
- What is practiced will become a habit. Making it a habit makes healthy habits easier. Choices made one week at a time are insignificant compared to small, consistent choices made every day.
How our school Geetanjali makes this happen
Nutrition education at Geetanjali is more than just posters and talks — it is embedded in school life:
- Healthy Plate Workshops, where students create a healthy plate using cut-outs of food groups. This is where they get to see what a plate of healthy food would look like: half of it vegetables and fruits, a quarter dal, paneer or eggs (protein), a quarter with whole grain like roti or millets, and a small portion with healthy fats like nuts or seeds.
- Colourful and nutrient-rich fruit and salads offered at the canteen on Fruit and Salad Bar Days.
- Poster/slogan competitions, encouraging students to creatively express a healthy eating message.
- Guest speakers on nutrition and health issues, Q&A with students, and busting food myths.
- Parent awareness sessions – healthy habits really do take root at home.
- Sports periods, yoga and outdoor play integrated into the school day to create a genuinely healthy lifestyle and good nutrition.
- Everyday school life – reinforcing healthy eating daily through regular reminders to eat breakfast, tiffin tips for parents and a varied school menu, which makes eating well a habit, rather than a one lesson lesson each week.
What Sets Us Apart
Academic excellence and infrastructure are not the only things that make the best international school in Hyderabad; it’s about providing care for the entire child, both physically, emotionally, and socially. Our commitment to a well-rounded education with health and wellness given due consideration is evident in initiatives such as National Nutrition Week. When parents ask what makes a difference in a child’s life, these values, nurtured in the daily life of the school, is a key answer to the question.
Taking the lesson to the next level
The celebration of National Nutrition Week is an example of the measures we take throughout the year at Geetanjali Group of Schools to ensure our students eat a balanced diet, make healthy choices and demonstrate healthy habits. We hope our entire school community will continue these simple lessons at home as we wrap up this year’s celebrations: Eat whole foods, read labels, don’t skip meals, and practice good health just like good learning one simple habit at a time.
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