Healthy Eating is Key to a Healthy Mind Erasmus Project

Project Title

Healthy Eating is Key to a Healthy Mind

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Context / background:
In a globalized, always faster moving world healthy food is key to a healthy mind. Many studies underline that a fibre rich diet is the key to a healthy and happy mind. A diet comprised of fibre-rich food such as leafy green salads, vegetables and whole grains has been consistently associated with a reduced risk for depression. At the same time an unhealthy diet high in processed food and high fat dairy has previously been found to be associated with increased odds for depression. Lifestyle factors such as sleeping problems, snacking behaviour and exercise activity have all been found to be associated with children’s mental health. Our project will be essential to help educate both countries on the importance of a healthy diet and how this can help develop a healthy mind for young children in our primary schools. The children begin to understand the benefits of eating healthily, not just the physical benefits but also the enormous mental benefits for their lives.

Aims of the project under the aspects of health, wellbeing, creativity and culture as well as intercultural communication:
– The students learn what constitutes a healthy, sustainable and regional diet
– Based on individual eating diaries, the students talk about consciously sustainable food handling and are empowered to avoid unhealthy eating habits
– New and traditional English and German regional dishes are prepared, presented and tested by the children, so that a cookbook can be created by all students on the basis of the dishes
– The students understand the relationship between healthy eating and a healthy mental state, so that their positive mental state gives them better access to their mental resources
– The students discover, experience and document the effects of too much sugar and fat on their everyday life and their well-being
– They understand the connection between healthy eating and a healthy mental state
– The students experience the differences and similarities of a healthy, balanced, sustainable and regional diet in Germany and England and compare them
– They will be empowered to prepare the appropriate dishes by using instructed cooking units
– They present their self-made cookbooks and dishes from the other culture to their school community
– The students run mini-restaurants in their schools and invite local, extracurricular coalition partners
– They develop interest and joy in language learning and in other living environments
– They acquire, test and consolidate elementary language resources in the foreign language
– The students handle simple language situations in the foreign language
– They communicate through the real-life discussion event of nutrition and thereby open up and compare new living environments and actions
– All children are encouraged to act in an open and appreciative manner across national borders

Participants:
– School administrators and teachers
– Pupils: Germany: 20 children of the 3rd / 4th year
England: 20 children of the 5th / 6th year
– Students who take part in the project but do not attend the partner school in England / Germany

Activities:
The children
– will visit places outside of school and will be introduced to the corresponding work processes
– will learn the basics of regional, sustainable agriculture
– will prepare the dishes themselves
– will take pictures of their work steps and the ingredients for creating their cookbooks
– will visit the diet kitchen of St. Franziskus (the hospital in Münster) and will be introduced to the basics of a healthy, balanced diet
– will work in the school vegetable garden with representatives of the cooperation partner Ackerdemie
– will visit weekly markets and buy ingredients

Results / long-term benefits:
The participants will be empowered to
– improve their language skills and build linguistic confidence
– revise the school’s own curricula (nutrition / performance) at a new level
– act health-promoting not only in school but also in the private sphere
– identify the negative effects of high sugar and fatty foods on their mental state
– name and recognize the connection between nutrition and performance
– deal with their own needs and take care of their body
– protect our nature through a conscious, sustainable, regional diet

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 3000 Eur

Project Coordinator

Overbergschule Selm & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Dearham Primary School