Whole Foods Nutrition Class: Eat the Rainbow

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We are fortunate to have Maria Whitworth, Marketing Team Leader, and Lacey Baxter, Healthy Eating Specialist, from Whole Foods Market- Forest at Preston partner with our school this year to help us educate our students in the abcs of healthy eating. Lacey, visits our school once a month for a nutrition /cooking demonstration class. The first class was on October 14th and was about the nutrition rainbow connection.

Lacey explained that "eat the rainbow" means choosing a variety of different-colored whole foods throughout the day and week. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables means eating foods with naturally occuring colors. She also explained that each color offered particular nutrients and helps to support a healthy body.

 

Color                 Foods                                           Possible nutrients              Supports_________

Red             apples, red cabbage, tomatoes      lycopene, vitamin C           heart health, memory

 

Orange/       carrots, papaya, peaches               beta-carotene,                     eyes, heart

Yellow          pumpkin, squash, mango              vitamin A & C                      immune function

 

Green         asparagus, collards, kale                 vitamin K, omega 3            healthy bones, teeth,  

                    grapes, green peppers                      chlorophyll                           eyes

 

Blue/Purple    eggplant, beets,                           anthocyanin                        memory, healthy aging

                          blueberries

 

    

 

    Lacey also brought pomegranates to share with the students and discussed exotic fruits.

    Some students had never eaten pomegranate seeds and found they weren't so bad.

    

 

 

   Students were then treated to a skewer of "rainbow" fruit. Some students were  

   trying some of the fruits for the first time.

    

     

     Students enjoyed learning about the nutritional value of the fruits they eat and vowed to add

     new fruits to their diets.

 

 

 

We have a persimmon tree in our butterfly garden that has given us hundreds of persimmons for the past 2 years. Many of our students have never eaten a persimmon.

We harvested them along with radishes, tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos before the freeze this week, Nov. 20th and found a warm place by the window to let them ripen.

 

    

 

As they ripen, students are given the opportunity to taste a persimmon.

 

The persimmon is cut and a little is put on a spoon for a taste test. Delicious!