Featured Story
A Nutritious Lesson
St. Luke’s Middle School students had the opportunity to meet with Kimberly Crudele, a dietitian nutritionist and wellness expert with FLIK. Associate Director of Athletics Jennifer Besgen shared details about the December sessions and what the students learned about healthier living.
What are some of the important points Crudele brought up with St. Luke’s 5th-8th grade students?
Nutrition is so much more than what we eat—it can affect our sleep, stress level, focus, and performance. On average, we make 225 food choices each day, many of which we don’t realize we’re making. Now is the time students need to create good eating habits because as we get older, bad habits just get harder and harder to break. She also talked about how their taste buds change over time and said they should keep trying foods they may not have liked in the past.
Did she suggest what they should eat?
She emphasized that nutrition is individual to each person. There are many things that factor into our choices such as, food allergies, height, age, weight, body mass index, and family history. As a general rule, she suggested the “My Plate” composition: half of the plate with a “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, low-fat or fat-free dairy, and whole grains whenever possible.
Did she have any important takeaway points?
There was a lot of great information. She reminded them it’s important to eat regularly and snacks that include at least two of the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, or grains).
So while they’d like to think Poptarts or chips are a “snack,” those are treats. It is not to say they can’t ever have them, but they shouldn’t think that’s the fuel their bodies need to get them through the day.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
