UA Nutrition Network

February is Heart Healthy Month!

February is a great time to talk about heart health and nutrition. Below you will find information and vocabulary words to help students understand the connection between nutrition and heart health. Share this information with students and help them achieve healthy habits for happy hearts.

A normal heart is a strong muscular pump.It is a little larger than the size of your fist, and during an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times. The average heart beats about 100,000 times each day and pumps about 7,200 litres (1,900 gallons) of blood.

Your heart pumps blood to the organs, tissues, and cells of your body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to every cell and removing carbon dioxide and waste products made by those cells.

When there is too much cholesterol in the blood, it can damage the arteries and veins that carry blood  throughout the body.

For Complete Newsletter: Nutrition Nibbles Schools 2012 – February

With the new year upon us, many households will be thinking about eating right and exercising more. This makes January a great month to talk with your students about energy balance! Below are a few vocabulary words and facts that will help you and your students maintain a healthy weight in 2012!

Energy balance is the number of calories consumed, compared to the number of calories used by the body. If you use as many calories as you consume, you can maintain a healthy weight.

Metabolism, is the rate at which people break down food for energy, and it is different from person to person, based on age, gender, activity level, and other factors.

Basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the amount of calories that your body uses for all of your basic daily functions, like breathing and keeping your body warm. This rate also varies from person to person.

For Completer Newsletter: Nutrition Nibbles Schools 2012 – January