Another side to nutrition

Maybe this is a little off track, but I also think that while we are talking about nutrition, it might be a good idea to talk to kids of this age about eating disorders and what can happen to them if they let the media distort the way they see themselves. Poor nutrition and obesity is a growing problem, but so is lack of nutrition and the obsession to be supermodel thin. By 4^th/5^th grade, the kids are already becoming more media and socially influenced. I think it is important for them to understand early how lack of calories can be just as harmful as excess calories, because if we just talk about all the food and calories and consumption that is bad for us, that may scare them in the opposite direction. We get hammered into us since we are little with the D.A.R.E. programs that drugs and alcohol are bad for us and on and on, but no one really talks about eating disorders. I knew several classmates that were very unhealthy by the time we were in 5^th and 6^th grade, just because they wanted to be popular and catch the boys’ attention. We want our students to understand that they need a healthy balance and to not go to either extreme.