Improving Food In Schools Improves So much More

There’s a fundamental problem happening around our country when it comes to how we feed our kids and the lifelong health risks they face as a result. Many schools in America don’t even pretend to offer healthy meals.

Kids spend more time at school than any other place outside their homes and The Institute of Medicine calls schools “the heart of health” because they should be a focal point in the effort to help children lead healthy lives. A 2014 review of the science by the CDC entitled Health and Academic Achievement documents the clear link between poor nutrition and academic performance, including lower test scores, lower grades, poor cognitive function with less alertness, attention, memory, processing of visual information, and problem solving.

Jill Shah joins me on The Doctor’s Farmacy to discuss improvements in student behavior and academic performance when schools provide lunches made from real, whole food.

Jill Shah is the President of the Shah Family Foundation, which supports innovative and transformative work where education, healthcare, and community intersect in the city of Boston. The foundation’s primary work and support is centered on Boston’s schools and community organizations, with the goal of sharing broadly the programs and solutions that prove successful. Jill’s civic interests include healthy food in schools, food access in high-needs neighborhoods, rigorous and successful public schools for all kids, and a deeper collaboration between education and healthcare around issues of physical, mental, emotional, and social health.