Two days a week, I have lunch duty. I see what fourth graders eat. My campus is Title I which means a large percentage of students are eating free or reduced lunch-school food. In defense of mystery meat, schools do provide some healthy options, but that is not what students are choosing.

As the styrofoam trays leave the cafeteria line, it is a parade of yellow. (Remember the visual eating plan where you should have something red, green and yellow for a well-rounded meal?) Cheese pizza, mac-n-cheese, potatoes, fries, rolls-the yellow choices are always the first picks in the lunch line, every time.

If teachers were mandated to teach nutrition to elementary school students, many of us would whine that we don't have enough time in the day to teach the state-tested subjects, let alone nutrition. We'd argue that this is the parents' job, not ours. However, diet and exercise could easily be integrated into math or science. Many companies offer free curriculum to make it as simple as possible for teachers. Websites like kidshealth.org and mypyramid.gov/kids both offer free teaching resources, posters and activities and interactive games for students.

School P.E. teachers could (and should) be teaching this subject also. During a staff Biggest Loser contest, a local coach was inspired to teach her entire elementary population about nutrition. The result-the cafeteria ladies had to start making more salads due to high demand.

My daughter's first grade teacher taught a whole unit on nutrition. It was so effective that she'd ask before eating, "Is this in the food pyramid?" Students love to talk about food. Their next meal is relevant to real life. Just make sure not to talk about it right before lunch time when their stomachs are growling from no or unhealthy breakfast.

But the reality is: many teachers do not care about their own personal nutrition. We eat yellow lunches too. I have gone a whole day and thought, "The only vegetables I have eaten today were the lettuce and tomato on my cheeseburger." Teachers not only have to teach nutrition, but we must model it as well.

Here are some easy ideas to implement school-wide nutrition:
1. Be a cheerleader for eating a variety of foods and physical activity;
2. Have students accompany their parents on a grocery trip for a weekend homework assignment;
3. Bring in real food products and teach students to evaluate nutritional labels;
4. Provide posters along the long lunch lines that are eye-catching and informative; and
5. No homework one night a week to promote family dinner night.

As teachers, we often make a lasting impact on our students. Teaching young consumers about nutrition will be one of the best gifts we can provide. It will empower them to make healthy food choices for a lifetime.

Learn more about this author, Stace Hunt.
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