In Good Taste
Sardines help students learn more, says a teacher
who serves them as class treats
By Laurel Rosenhall, Sacramento Bee Staff Writer
Saturday, April 16, 2005
A funny smell hangs in the air in Lauren Ayers' classroom at Caroline Wenzel
Elementary School as students pile in from morning recess. With the kind of
glee usually reserved for shouts of "ice cream!" the children skip through the
door and cry: "Sardines!"
All but two students head for the plastic cups containing a sardine apiece
which Ayers has placed on a desk. They dig in with delight. The unusual
morning snack at this school in Greenhaven is the cornerstone of Ayers'
mission to improve childhood nutrition in the Sacramento City Unified
School District.
Ayers believes her students behave better and learn more when they eat
a steady diet of sardines, which are high in DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty
acids, considered essential to human health. Studies have shown omega-3
fatty acids boost brain function, lower high blood pressure and reduce
depression.
Nutritionists say many Americans eat too many of the unhealthy fats found
in processed foods and too few of the nutritious fats found in some fish and
plants. The imbalance, they say, is one factor contributing to high rates of
obesity among American children. Almost one-third of California students
were overweight in 2004, according to the state Department of Education.
The prevalence of childhood obesity makes the current generation of
American youngsters the first in 200 years that could have a shorter life
expectancy than their parents, a recent study in the New England
Journal of Medicine reported.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Whittier, have
proposed eliminating soda and junk food from vending machines on the s
tate's school campuses. [Sodas can’t be purchased during school hours
now.] Ayers wants to take the idea further. Schools shouldn't focus only
on taking away unhealthy foods in machines, she says, but also on adding
nutritious items to cafeteria meals.
And reducing obesity isn't the only reason she thinks students should eat
better. A good diet helps children pay attention, according to academic
studies as well as Ayers' anecdotal evidence. That's why she spends about
$35 of her own money each month giving students daily snacks of sardines.
"To me it's worth it because they're so much better behaved and I'm less
crazy as a teacher," she said. Ayers' students are second-and third-graders
in special education because of disabilities related to communication. But
Ayers said she would give the nutritious snacks to any class.
How did she get them to eat the sardines? By offering them up on a dare.
Ayers introduced the snack by saying only the bravest students would dare
give sardines a try. The tactic apparently worked. On a recent school day,
many children lined up for seconds after finishing their first cup of fish.
Experts applaud her efforts.
"Omega-3 fatty acids are essential, good for you and kids don't get enough,"
said John Burgess, a professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University in
Indiana. Burgess researched consumption of omega-3 supplements among
children deficient in the fatty acid who also had attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, or ADHD. He found improved attention and uplifted moods among
those who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids, though the supplement had
little effect on hyperactivity.
Better attention is obvious to Raynette White-Walls, whose son Cedric Stone
adores eating sardines in Ayers' class. The 9-year-old boy now asks his mother
to buy sardines at the grocery store, she said. "I've noticed tremendous change,"
White-Walls said of her son's learning. Previously, she said, if she asked Cedric
a question, he frequently responded by repeating the question. Now, she said,
"I ask him, 'What did you read? Can you explain it to me?' Without a doubt, he
comprehends it."
When she goes grocery shopping now, White-Walls said she carries a list of
foods Ayers recommends and makes sure to buy Cedric lots of seafood and
fresh veggies.
Ayers has developed a Web site loaded with information about her nutritional
philosophy [which is now Alt-Health.weebly.com].
And she hopes to expand her school nutrition program next year. She is
searching for grant money that would allow five campuses to overhaul their
school lunches by removing foods high in trans fat and replacing them with
meals rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fresh produce.
The question then will be whether students outside Ayers' classroom will also
learn to love fish. If her own experience is any indication, the odds are good.
As Ayers scurried around her room picking up empty plastic cups at the end of
snack time, she offered students the dregs from a can of sardines. "I have a few
extras here if anyone would like thirds," Ayers said. Instantly and eagerly, three
little hands shot into the air.
What is omega-3?
Omega-3 fatty acid is a type of polyunsaturated fat essential to human health.
The brain and the retina of the eye are composed largely of it. Foods rich in
omega-3 fatty acids include oily fish (such as salmon, sardines and mackerel),
pastured meat and butter, and free range chickens with access to flax seeds or
bugs, or their eggs. [Humans only convert 5-15% of the short-chain omega-3
(ALA) found in flax seed meal, chia, hemp, and walnuts into DHA or EPA.
However, birds are more efficient converters, hence flax seeds fed to chickens
will create DHA-rich eggs. Fish get their DHA and EPA from lower in their food
chain, starting with algae and seaweed.]
Saturday, April 16, 2005
A funny smell hangs in the air in Lauren Ayers' classroom at Caroline Wenzel
Elementary School as students pile in from morning recess. With the kind of
glee usually reserved for shouts of "ice cream!" the children skip through the
door and cry: "Sardines!"
All but two students head for the plastic cups containing a sardine apiece
which Ayers has placed on a desk. They dig in with delight. The unusual
morning snack at this school in Greenhaven is the cornerstone of Ayers'
mission to improve childhood nutrition in the Sacramento City Unified
School District.
Ayers believes her students behave better and learn more when they eat
a steady diet of sardines, which are high in DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty
acids, considered essential to human health. Studies have shown omega-3
fatty acids boost brain function, lower high blood pressure and reduce
depression.
Nutritionists say many Americans eat too many of the unhealthy fats found
in processed foods and too few of the nutritious fats found in some fish and
plants. The imbalance, they say, is one factor contributing to high rates of
obesity among American children. Almost one-third of California students
were overweight in 2004, according to the state Department of Education.
The prevalence of childhood obesity makes the current generation of
American youngsters the first in 200 years that could have a shorter life
expectancy than their parents, a recent study in the New England
Journal of Medicine reported.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Whittier, have
proposed eliminating soda and junk food from vending machines on the s
tate's school campuses. [Sodas can’t be purchased during school hours
now.] Ayers wants to take the idea further. Schools shouldn't focus only
on taking away unhealthy foods in machines, she says, but also on adding
nutritious items to cafeteria meals.
And reducing obesity isn't the only reason she thinks students should eat
better. A good diet helps children pay attention, according to academic
studies as well as Ayers' anecdotal evidence. That's why she spends about
$35 of her own money each month giving students daily snacks of sardines.
"To me it's worth it because they're so much better behaved and I'm less
crazy as a teacher," she said. Ayers' students are second-and third-graders
in special education because of disabilities related to communication. But
Ayers said she would give the nutritious snacks to any class.
How did she get them to eat the sardines? By offering them up on a dare.
Ayers introduced the snack by saying only the bravest students would dare
give sardines a try. The tactic apparently worked. On a recent school day,
many children lined up for seconds after finishing their first cup of fish.
Experts applaud her efforts.
"Omega-3 fatty acids are essential, good for you and kids don't get enough,"
said John Burgess, a professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University in
Indiana. Burgess researched consumption of omega-3 supplements among
children deficient in the fatty acid who also had attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, or ADHD. He found improved attention and uplifted moods among
those who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids, though the supplement had
little effect on hyperactivity.
Better attention is obvious to Raynette White-Walls, whose son Cedric Stone
adores eating sardines in Ayers' class. The 9-year-old boy now asks his mother
to buy sardines at the grocery store, she said. "I've noticed tremendous change,"
White-Walls said of her son's learning. Previously, she said, if she asked Cedric
a question, he frequently responded by repeating the question. Now, she said,
"I ask him, 'What did you read? Can you explain it to me?' Without a doubt, he
comprehends it."
When she goes grocery shopping now, White-Walls said she carries a list of
foods Ayers recommends and makes sure to buy Cedric lots of seafood and
fresh veggies.
Ayers has developed a Web site loaded with information about her nutritional
philosophy [which is now Alt-Health.weebly.com].
And she hopes to expand her school nutrition program next year. She is
searching for grant money that would allow five campuses to overhaul their
school lunches by removing foods high in trans fat and replacing them with
meals rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fresh produce.
The question then will be whether students outside Ayers' classroom will also
learn to love fish. If her own experience is any indication, the odds are good.
As Ayers scurried around her room picking up empty plastic cups at the end of
snack time, she offered students the dregs from a can of sardines. "I have a few
extras here if anyone would like thirds," Ayers said. Instantly and eagerly, three
little hands shot into the air.
What is omega-3?
Omega-3 fatty acid is a type of polyunsaturated fat essential to human health.
The brain and the retina of the eye are composed largely of it. Foods rich in
omega-3 fatty acids include oily fish (such as salmon, sardines and mackerel),
pastured meat and butter, and free range chickens with access to flax seeds or
bugs, or their eggs. [Humans only convert 5-15% of the short-chain omega-3
(ALA) found in flax seed meal, chia, hemp, and walnuts into DHA or EPA.
However, birds are more efficient converters, hence flax seeds fed to chickens
will create DHA-rich eggs. Fish get their DHA and EPA from lower in their food
chain, starting with algae and seaweed.]
