Canadian Food and Nutrition Resources for Educators
Resources for teaching healthy eating, growing/preparing food, body image, global citizenship and world hunger
Healthy Eating
Lessons, Workshops and Resources
• Action Schools! BC (K-9): Lessons,
workshops and resources. actionschoolsbc.ca
• BC Dairy Association: Lessons, workshops
and resources. bcdairy.ca/nutritioneducation/
• Heart & Stroke Foundation (K-9): Healthy
eating, active living and tobacco-free lesson
plans. heartandstroke.bc.ca/Heartsmartkids
Community Programs and Services
• Healthy Schools Initiative (Island
Health): Connect with Public Health
Dietitians and Nurses.
viha.ca/children/school_years/healthy_s
chools/
• Healthy Eating at School: One stop shop for school
nutrition information. healthyeatingatschool.ca
• Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC:
Have your nutrition questions answered,
in 130 languages. Call 8-1-1 (toll-free).
healthlinkbc.ca/healthyeating
• Vancouver Coastal Health Fact Sheets: Digging Up the
Dirt on Dieting; Fueling Your Mind and Body; Eating for
Peak Performance; Sharing Food, Creating Fun; How to
Be a Successful Lunchroom Monitor. vch.eduhealth.ca
• Sip Smart BC and Teacher Resource Guide
(Grades 4-6): Healthy beverage videos and
activities. bcpeds.ca
• Canada’s Food Guide, Educators’ Resource.
Available in 12 languages. Food Guide for First
Nations, Inuit and Métis, Interactive My Food
Guide. healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide
• Ted-Ed Lessons (Gr. 8-12): Short, engaging,
animated videos on many topics including
nutrition. Also a platform for educators to
create interactive lessons. ed.ted.com/
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Other Resources
• Non Food Rewards (Vancouver Coastal Health) [PDF]:
Ideas for free and low-cost classroom rewards.
vch.ca/media/NonFoodRewards.pdf
• Fact Sheet Generator: Create personalized handouts
for youth and parents on different topics, like sugar,
sodium and healthy bodies. bcfsg.healthlinkbc.ca/
Looking for a specific topic?
Find it quickly at Healthy Schools BC:
A searchable database of healthy
school resources. Click on “Program &
Supports” then type your topic
in the search box.
healthyschoolsbc.ca (English)
fr.healthyschoolsbc.ca (French)
• Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools:
healthlinkbc.ca/healthyeating/everyone/schoolscommunities.html
• Healthy Food Guidelines for First Nations
Communities: Guidelines for serving healthy food in
schools. Search “traditional food fact sheets”. fnha.ca
• Nutrition Displays and Resource Kits for Loan (Island
Health): Contact your health unit
viha.ca/locations/health_units
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Canadian Food and Nutrition Resources for Educators
Resources for teaching healthy eating, growing/preparing food, body image, global citizenship and world hunger
Preparing Food
Lessons, Workshops and Resources
• Cook it! Try it! Like it! Program Leader’s
Guide: An instructional cooking guide for
students in grades 4 to 7. Search “cook it”.
interiorhealth.ca
• Healthy Eating After School: Includes
nutrition and physical activity guidelines, a
variety of planning tools and cooking sessions
designed for kids. An online course is also
available. vanymca.org/health/HEAS/2014
• Food Safety Courses: Take the free Caring
About Food Safety course online in English,
French, Chinese and Punjabi.
health.gov.bc.ca/protect/food-safetycourses.html
Community Programs and Services
Other Resources
• Growing Chefs: Connects elementary school
classrooms and chefs to create an edible indoor
garden. growingchefs.ca
• Bake Better Bites: Healthier and tastier baked
goods recipes. healthyeatingatschool.ca
• Tips and Recipes for Quantity Cooking [PDF]:
healthyschoolsbc.ca
• Better Together BC: Resources, recipes and
tips. bettertogetherbc.ca
• Strive for Five at School: A Guide to
Promoting Fruit and Vegetables (Nova Scotia):
novascotia.ca/dhw/healthycommunities/healthy-eating-strive-for-five.asp
• Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food
Safety Education: K to 7 resources for
educators. befoodsafe.ca/learningcentre/educators/
2016 08
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Canadian Food and Nutrition Resources for Educators
Resources for teaching healthy eating, growing/preparing food, body image, global citizenship and world hunger
Growing Food
Lessons, Workshops and Resources
Community Programs and Services
Other Resources
• Patterns Through the Seasons (K to 7) [PDF]:
Year-round garden activities.
evergreen.ca/downloads/pdfs/PatternsSeasons.pdf
• Spuds in Tubs (BC Agriculture in the
Classroom): Provides potato tub garden kits to
schools, plus other related resources.
aitc-canada.ca
• School Year Garden Toolkit (K to 7): Lesson
plans and tips provided by the Richmond Food
Security Society.
richmondfoodsecurity.org/documents/schoolyear-garden-toolkit/
• Farm to School BC: Bring healthy, local food to
schools and hands-on learning opportunities
• West Coast Seeds: Planting charts, how-to
through gardens, school salad bars, etc.
grow guides and other resources
phabc.org/farmtoschool
westcoastseeds.com
• Growing Young Farmers Society (Victoria
area): Classroom teaching and hands-on
practical learning in school or nearby gardens,
led by grower-educators.
growingyoungfarmers.ca
• Evergreen Foundation: Grants, training and
resources. evergreen.ca
• Healthy Eating at School: Gardening
resources. healthyeatingatschool.ca
• Growing Chefs: Connects elementary school
classrooms and chefs to create an edible indoor
garden. growingchefs.ca
• Growing Schools (Victoria area): Hands-on
garden programs for elementary schools.
lifecyclesproject.ca/our-projects/
• Compost Education Centre (Victoria area):
Offers school workshops for schools in the CRD.
A small cost applies to each workshop.
compost.bc.ca
2016 08
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Canadian Food and Nutrition Resources for Educators
Resources for teaching healthy eating, growing/preparing food, body image, global citizenship and world hunger
Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems
Lessons, Workshops and Resources
• Agriculture in the Classroom: Lesson plans,
farm tours and school resources (Spuds in Tubs,
BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional
Program, BC Milk, Take a Bite of BC, etc.).
aitc.ca/bc/
• Classroom Connects [PDF]: A collection of
lesson plans to engage young people in critical
thought about our food system.
ecosource.ca/wp-content/uploads/CurriculumDocument_Final_Feb-2015.pdf
Community Programs and Services
Other Resources
• Farm to School BC: Bring healthy, local food to • BC At The Table: Educational videos on BC’s
schools and hands-on learning opportunities
food system. bcdairy.ca/bcatthetable/
through gardens, school salad bars, etc.
phabc.org/farmtoschool
• USC Canada: Provides teacher resources on
food and agriculture. Watch The Story of Food
• Vancouver Island and Gulf Island Farmers
and Seed Story. usc-canada.org/resources/for(Island Farm Fresh): See their list of farms for
educators
school tours. islandfarmfresh.com
• First Nations Traditional Food Fact Sheets:
Information sheets about the harvesting and
preparing indigenous foods in BC. Search
“traditional food fact sheets”. fnha.ca
• Statistics Canada: Canadian Agriculture at a
Glance: Lesson plans related to home
economics, family studies, geography, history
and science. www5.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olccel/olc-cel?catno=96-328-M&lang=eng
• Food For Thought: Lessons and videos on
agriculture and sustainability. Search
“education”. metrovancouver.org
2016 08
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Canadian Food and Nutrition Resources for Educators
Resources for teaching healthy eating, growing/preparing food, body image, global citizenship and world hunger
Body Image and the Prevention of Eating Disorders
Research supports a wellness approach that promotes positive self-esteem/body image, media awareness, healthy eating and enjoyable physical activity.
Lessons that teach about the signs and symptoms of eating disorders may cause harm by increasing the incidence of eating disorders!
Avoid calorie counting activities and “fasting” events to raise awareness about global hunger, as these can trigger restrictive eating practices.
Lessons, Workshops and Resources
Community Programs and Services
• Being Me (K to 9): Lessons and activities to
support positive body image and self-esteem.
actionschoolsbc.ca
• Eating Disorder Services (Island Health): Selfreferral. For South Island services, call (250)387-0000 for more information.
• Beyond Images (Grades 4-8): Self-esteem and
body image curriculum. beyondimages.ca
• Mental Health Services (Island Health)
viha.ca/mhas/
• Media Smarts (K to 12): Information on media
literacy. mediasmarts.ca
• The F.O.R.C.E. Society for Kids’ Mental
Health: Supports children, youth and their
families with mental health concerns.
forcesociety.com
• BC Friends for Life (K-7): A 10-12 week
program that focuses on anxiety and resilience.
mcf.gov.bc.ca/mental_health/friends.htm
• MindShift: An app for youth to reduce anxiety
and fear. anxietybc.com/mobile-app
• MindCheck: Mental health resources and
tools for youth. mindcheck.ca
2016 08
• Jessie's Legacy: Disordered eating resources
and support for educators, youth, families and
professionals. jessieslegacy.com
• Kelty Mental Health: Mental health and
disordered eating resources for educators,
youth, families and professionals.
keltymentalhealth.ca
Other Resources
• Eating Disorder Prevention: Information and
resources. nedic.ca
• Here to Help (BC Partners for Mental Health
and Addictions Information): Healthy living and
mental health information. heretohelp.bc.ca
• Promoting Health at Any Size: Teacher
training modules, including animated vignettes
and videos, to alert teachers (and parents) to
factors that trigger unhealthy dieting in children
and ways to prevent it.
aboutkidshealth.ca/thestudentbody
• Healthy Attitudes, Healthy Weights, Healthy
Schools (all grades): Free teacher/staff 2-hour
workshop for developing strategies and
confidence in promoting positive body image.
bcdairy.ca/nutritioneducation/workshops/
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Canadian Food and Nutrition Resources for Educators
Resources for teaching healthy eating, growing/preparing food, body image, global citizenship and world hunger
Global Citizenship and World Hunger (International Resources)
School-wide “fasting events” are not recommended as they can lead to poor health and trigger restrictive diets and disordered eating.
Dr. Mark Lysyshyn (MHO, Vancouver Coastal), suggests these positive alternatives to raise funds and awareness about global hunger.

WE: Ideas and activities about how students can make a difference in their neighbourhood, their school and the world. Library of 300+
teaching resources, searchable by grade and topic. www.we.org/

World Food Day: fao.org/world-food-day/2016/home/en/

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats (Time Magazine): A photo essay by Peter Menzel, the author of Hungry Planet.
time.com/8515/hungry-planet-what-the-world-eats/

Rise and Shine: What kids from around the world eat for breakfast (New York Times):
nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/08/magazine/eaters-all-over.html?_r=0

World Food Programme: Teaches about world hunger. wfp.org/students-and-teachers/classroom-activities

Engaging youth in world hunger (Edutopia): edutopia.org/blog/world-hunger-integrated-studies

The Joy of Food: The Communal Table (National Geographic): nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/joy-of-food/
Want more support, ideas or
resources about healthy schools?
Contact your local Public Health Unit
2016 08
Interested in a specific topic?
Find it at Healthy Schools BC:
healthyschoolsbc.ca (English)
fr.healthyschoolsbc.ca (French)
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