Sample Week 4- Y4:M4:W4
TOPIC
Physical Health
FOCUS
Food
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Have I learnt anything about healthy foods in this session?
Session content
- Please read page 2-3 of the guidance (the section on food).
- Discussion:
- Pose this question to the class: what are whole foods? (answer: foods that are close to their natural state).
- Within this discussion, if possible, involve the words ‘unprocessed’, and ‘plant based’ foods.
- You might want to use this 5 minute video to find out what ‘whole foods’ and ‘unprocessed’ foods are …it also introduces them to doing a ‘whole food challenge’ in case they fancy trying it at home!
- Recap and explain that processed foods are foods that are NOT in their natural state.
- You may wish them to watch this quick video clip to learn a bit about whole foods: https://youtu.be/1XWTDskw0Iw
- Say that it is relatively hard to avoid food that has had no processing whatsoever, therefore, the message (Spector, 2023) should be that children should avoid ‘ultra processed food’ (food that contains ingredients you wouldn’t add when cooking homemade food, such as chemicals, colourings, sweeteners and preservatives).
- Explain that ‘plant-based’ foods are foods derived from plants (such as fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, nuts, seeds and oils).
- Explain that some people use the 80/20 rule and try to eat the healthiest/most nutritious of foods for 80% of their week (e.g. they have a day when they eat anything they fancy at the weekend etc).
- Ask them if they like this idea or not?
- Explain that on SLIDE 14 (found in the ‘Resources’ section below) there is a list taken from the Gut Brain Solution booklet that shows ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods to support the gut (friendly bacteria in the tummy) and to help with anxiety.
- N.B. Explain that it is not often helpful to label foods as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ but you are interested to know if they have heard of (or they eat) the foods on the ‘good’ list.
- Food information:
- Here is some information taken from the booklet about each type of food in case the children are interested. Try to stimulate a conversation about what mean they could make using these ingredients.
- Spinach and Swiss chard are rich in magnesium, which has been shown specifically to reduce anxiety. In studies involving mice, researchers have shown a relationship between magnesium and anxiety, whether these levels are depleted naturally or experimentally.
- Pumpkin seeds contain both zinc and tryptophan. In a study, individuals with anxiety had lower plasma zinc levels compared with control participants. Additionally, zinc antioxidant supplementation was shown to improve anxiety symptoms. Tryptophan is the only amino acid that produces serotonin.
- Berries are bursting with antioxidants and vitamin C, which have been shown to provide anxiety relief. One study found that taking vitamin C daily reduced anxiety symptoms after 14 days and that antioxidants may be useful for both the prevention and reduction of anxiety.
- Avocados are rich in stress-relieving B vitamins. Supplementation of these vitamins have been linked to improved mood in some people.
- Chia seeds and hemp seeds contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation and anxiety in medical students during exams7 . Hemp seeds were also shown to reduce anxiety in postmenopausal rats.
- Researchers have found that eating high fibre foods may reduce the effects of stress on our gut and behaviour. Levels of stress and anxiety-like behaviour were reduced when short-chain fatty acids (produced when friendly gut bacteria ferment fibre in the colon) were fed to mice.
- Turmeric contains curcumin, a compound studied for its role in preventing anxiety disorders. In one study, 20 mg/kg of curcumin produced significant anti-anxiety effects in stressed mice compared to those given a lower dose.
- Brazil nuts are high in selenium — repletion of selenium to normal levels reduced anxiety scores in clinical trials. Brazil nuts are also a good source of vitamin E — some research has suggested that low levels of vitamin E may be associated with increased anxiety at adulthood.
- Chocolate has been deemed beneficial for anxiety and irritability. A study of high anxiety volunteers showed that eating dark chocolate reduced stress hormone levels and relieved feelings of anxiety.
- As complex carbohydrates that are abundant in tryptophan, chickpeas have been proven to be a healthier way than drugs to naturally raise serotonin levels in the brain.
- Task:
- Go through the list (bullet points on slide) and ask them to do thumbs up if they have eaten it, thumbs to the side if they have heard of it (but not eaten it) and thumbs down if they have not heard about it or eaten it.
- Introduce them to the word ‘Microbiome’ (shown on SLIDE 14) and explain that it refers to the friendly bacteria in our tummies that are a community of gut microbes that are microscopic (very small) bugs in our intestines; there are thousands of them. They are amazing as they pump out chemicals that are vital for our bodies, but they are working at their best when we eat certain types of food (that keep our gut healthy) and this helps our immune system (the system in our body that protects us from illness etc). They can also produce chemicals (e.g. something called serotonin) to protect the brain that can help us to feel happier.
- Explain that serotonin is a mood stabilising hormone and is associated with feeling of wellbeing, confidence and also linked to the sleep cycle and digestion.
- Ask them to find out what types of food are gut healthy (e.g. fermented food) by researching this themselves.
- Explain that they might find out some new foods that they have never heard of before, e.g. sauerkraut, but also some things they will already know about, e.g. live yogurt.
- Ask them to think about physical signs that your body may not be in the best physical health (e.g. tummy aches, constipation, loose bowels, tiredness etc).
- Say that they will learn more about this in the Year 5 CORE MH sessions.
- Ask each child to put a counter in the SAPs (self-assessment pots) to show if they have achieved the LO and record results. If you get the opportunity, please ask them what they have learnt and make a note of anything they mention.
Related PSHE Programmes of Study
- 2H5
- 2H6