I am a special education teacher in a self-contained classroom for grades 6th - 8th. We currently study the human body in Life Science.
Nutritional intake has a direct influence on health. This correlation can be positive or negative. We all know that good nutrition is the key to good health. What we do not always consider or know is that even if we follow the traditional diet, “eating out of the four basic food groups”, it may not be enough.
We have to consider what is in our food. Some things are added and others are deleted while other things are just left alone. Usually we feel content that the government is regulating the food industry and keeping it safe.
Modern technology has changed the production, storage and preparation of food, from the simple farm to market, to a complex system that includes producers, processors, distributors and retailers. This new system has compromised food safety.
For instance, it has been acknowledged that disease caused by foodborne illness causes thousands of deaths and millions of diarrhea illnesses. The Department of Health and Human Services has responded to these events by implementing new expanded performance -- based requirements and standards for sanitation and microbial testing in the food industries. It has also created and implemented programs to educate the public. Everyone involved in the system from beginning with producer and ending with the consumer, must assume responsibility for ensuring that their food is as clean as possible and that it is handled safely.
With my class I plan to examine disease and illness that are nutritionally related, their specific causes and how we can avoid them. We will evaluate studies and come up with topics that we can investigate for a science fair project. My goal is that at the end of this unit we will become healthier because of educated decisions we make toward nutritional value and nutritional safety of the food we eat and prepare.
