In the elementary grades, the Montessori students rate their snacks by using rubber fork stamps on a chart (the more forks, the better the snack!) and they’re taught to analyze food labels for the protein content, amount of carbohydrates, sugar, sodium, etc. “Protein is vital to learning because if we only eat carbohydrates and sugars, we get energy slumps when they burn off,” Boudreau notes. “Protein, especially as part of a good breakfast in the morning, sustains a child. The snacks we choose here must have eight grams of protein per serving, so they have a bolstering effect.”

Shelley Fitzgerald, Certified Health Educator and owner of the web-based business “Everythingfitz.com” says, “The standard American diet is killing us.” She recommends more whole foods, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. “It’s important to teach our children to stay away from processed, pre-packaged foods,” she adds. “Those foods contain high levels of trans fats and hydrogenated fats, along with added dyes and preservatives that often have negative affects on children, and adults.” Fitzgerald cites noted pediatrician Dr. William Sears, who often calls Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Nutrition Deficit Disorder. “Good fats, like omega 3 and omega 6 in foods will stimulate brain growth,” Fitzgerald points out.

Low fat/low carb diet fads for adults can also be devastating if forced on children. According to the Boston School of Medicine and Erickson Graduate School of Child Development, (http://www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders/), “Children need a high level of fat in their diets—some 50 percent of their total calories—until about two years of age. Babies should receive most of this fat from breast milk or formula in the first year of life. Whole cow’s milk can be introduced after the first birthday, and provides an excellent source of both fat and protein for toddlers in the second year. After two years of age, children should begin transitioning to a more heart-healthy level of dietary fat (no more than 30 percent of total calories); including lower-fat cow’s milk (1 or 2%).”

Carbonated soda beverages are banned at the Montessori School. “Even our staff members are discouraged from bringing them to school, to set a good example for the children. We don’t make it punitive; we explain why we don’t want them putting that stuff into their bodies.” Boudreau says she cannot stress enough the importance of “solid, well-balanced, protein-rich meals at least three times a day. Our students are not constantly snacking on empty calories and they get plenty of exercise,” she says. “We also emphasize eating as a social event, with chatting together and music. That encourages them to see meals as a civilized activity, not just the eating of food. As adults, we have to model the behaviors of healthy eating. You can’t say one thing to children and do the opposite. If you tell a child, ‘this is good for you’ then you should be doing the same thing yourself.”

Getting kids involved in preparing family meals is the best way to get them thinking about nutrition, Fitzgerald says. She teaches a program called “Nutrition Detectives,” pioneered by Dr. Dale Katz of Yale University. www.waytoeat.net “It engages the students in understanding that it’s best to shop the grocery store around the perimeter, not up and down the aisles,” she says. “That’s where all the fresh and whole foods are located. You save time shopping and avoid the high-priced, packaged products that are full of chemicals.”

Go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/ to access the specifics on the USDA revised food pyramid and guidelines for good nutrition, at any age.

Sources: www.csiro.au/science/ps8m.html