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FoodScan®
is ideal for use with secondary and tertiary students and
is already used in many secondary schools and university departments,
both in faculties of education and in the health sciences.
User Friendly, Fast and Accurate
FoodScan® is very user friendly, particularly through
the liberal use of charts and tables that make the information
clear and interesting. With a very intuitive interface, students
quickly become familiar with program navigation and require
very little supervision to extract quite sophisticated information.
Full Site Licence
The program comes with a full site licence covering one school
campus or tertiary department, making it extremely economical
as an educational package.
How to Use FoodScan® in the Classroom
Teachers and educators in health education, home economics,
physical education and science will recognise many opportunities
to enhance their students' knowledge, inquiry skills and enjoyment
in the area of food and nutrition by using FoodScan®.
An obvious application is in the area of food intake analysis
of individuals and groups. Today's computer-literate youth
will enjoy the ease in which they can move from simple food
intake records to analysing the overall balance of their diet
and understanding the consequences of their own choices and
eating habits. Every student in a class is able to keep an
ongoing personal record that can be changed and added to as
necessary. Students can transfer their own data to a personal
disc to ensure privacy. Personal records can also be compared
with the food intake analysis of the whole group. As the use
of FoodScan® moves into the curriculum of senior classes,
the application can lead to more sophisticated questioning
and problem solving.
The following ideas and activities show how the FoodScan®
program can be used to enhance the school or tertiary curriculum.
Wise food selection promotes good health
"Health and Physical Education aims to develop in students
knowledge and skills to select food to promote health and
growth". This curriculum goal is stated in Victoria's
Health and Physical Education CSF II (Board of Studies 2000).
Activities
group 1:
Students are to evaluate their own food intake considering
the 'Dietary Guidelines for Australians'. The following
activity can involve students in:
• Recording their food intake over a period
of one to three days, considering details on food
type, serve size and method of preparation.
•
Developing a personalised file and evaluating nutritional
factors of their own diet in relation to the Healthy
Eating Pyramid model and the RDI Chart. Any deficiencies
and excesses in nutrient intake can be identified
and sources of more appropriate food selection investigated.
•
Comparing their own data with others in the class
or with the food intake analysis of the whole group.
•
Simulating a balanced diet for a younger brother or
sister; a grandparent, a parent with a sedentary occupation,
or a physically active friend on a vegetarian diet.
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Activities
group 2:
The focus is on major health concerns of the Australian
population, such as cardiovascular disease and considering
factors such as obesity, high levels of cholesterol
and saturated fats; and how the FoodScan® program
can help to find appropriate food sources to counteract
these problems.
•
Students investigate which nutrients are important
for growth and development, such as calcium and iron.
They can use the program to identify rich sources
of nutrients in foods suitable for vegetarians, vegans
and non-vegetarians.
•
Students could analyse the diet of an older family
member and, if necessary, identify alternative food
sources that are lower in cholesterol and saturated
fats.
"Food is fun"
Food enhances social gatherings at birthdays and other
celebrations.
Students develop a party menu that is within the guidelines
of a balanced dietary intake ('Dietary Guidelines
for Australians'). At the same time, the food should
be tasty and good to look at. Use FoodScan® to
analyse the recipes for nutrients, cholesterol and
total energy levels. Find alternative foods if the
party gets 'too fattening'. Students can translate
theory into practice by having an end-of-year class
party based on the recipes they developed.
•
Students can collate the nutrition information they
have gathered in the form of a recipe booklet or leaflets
directed at the appropriate user groups. They can
have fun combining their nutrition knowledge with
artistic and computer skills.
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Activities
group 3:
The following ideas are for working with senior secondary
students and with tertiary students.
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"Weight control, a community health issue"
Students are to evaluate the weight reduction debate.
This can cover:
Researching contributing factors to put this issue
in context such as social, cultural, economic, medical
and dietary factors, as well as the influence of the
media.
Analysing nutritional facts: Students are to collect
data on ("fad") slimming diets and weight
loss products. Using the FoodScan® program, students
analyse the food items and quantities recommended
in these products in the light of RDIs of essential
nutrients and the principles of a balanced daily food
intake related to age, sex and activity level of the
target population.
Students use the above analyses to report on possible
long-term health consequences.
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"Cultural factors and nutrition"
Mediterranean diets are often praised in the context
of prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Students can examine these claims by analysing a typical
daily food intake, based on menus characteristic of
a traditional Greek or Italian diet.
Further more, students can contrast these findings
by analysing a diet rich in processed foods, fried
foods or other energy-dense products.
Students can debate factors that influence families,
that have migrated to Australia, to move away from
their traditional practices. What are some of the
health consequences documented in the nutrition literature?
As alternatives, this investigation could be carried
out using traditional diets from migrant groups originating
from Asian countries.
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