While I was searching for nutrition education examples to share, I was expecting to come across a lot of boring examples with very basic information. So I was very happily surprised when I came across the “Name that Food!” presentation on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Food’s website. It is a free slideshow that teaches and tests whoever is reading it on the characteristics of foods. The slides are presented in a PowerPoint format where you get three clues for one of the nine different foods on one slide and when you flip to the next, it gives you a humorous picture of the fruit or veggie it is talking about.
There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this slideshow, from its whimsy, to the useful information it provided. I like how it includes the vitamins and minerals they contain in their clues. There were surprisingly a couple facts about the foods that I did not know myself. For example, I did not know that almonds are related to peaches and apricots. I was also surprised that the slideshow included ways to store foods in the clues. The clue for bananas said “Store me at room temperature until I ripen; then refrigerate me” and the next clue is “Though my skin darkens in the refrigerator, I’ll still be light inside.” These are facts that I had not known before reading this nutrition education example, which I think means it clearly educates individuals. I also enjoy how the PowerPoint ends with a really hard “food riddle” that stumped me and was the only one I did not guess correctly.
This would be very useful for myself as a nutrition educator. I think that it would be a very good and fun icebreaker if I were teaching a class, the students could get into groups and I could have them write down their answers as we go before I reveal the food. The winning team could have an incentive such as a recipe book or a new kitchen utensil.
I thoroughly enjoyed going through the PowerPoint, but if I had to change anything, I would make it an interactive game. The people who are going through the presentation at home do not have a presenter to make it into an activity for them. There could be a box that you type your guess into, or the gamer could be given a list of options to choose from. That way, it makes the person actually think about what fruit or veggie it is rather than clicking “next” to see the answer. I would also make the range of food wider by including more sources of healthy proteins and fats in the game.
Overall, I think that this nutrition education presentation is both fun and informative. I would highly recommend it to any nutrition educator who is looking for a fun way to teach students or adults of any age more about food in an entertaining way. There are also other games like “Name that Veggie!” and “Color Yourself Healthy” that give useful information in a pleasant way! The registered dietitians of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension did a great job on creating an enjoyable presentation.
Visit their full website here: http://food.unl.edu/fnh/educational-resources
-Megan Stanley