The magic of nutrition

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Students at Dutch Broadway Elementary School in Elmont indulged in a magical lesson of ‘5 a Day,’ an assembly designed to highlight the importance of nutrition from an early age. On March 13, Brian Richards, the “nutrition magician,” used magic and put on a fun and interactive educational show for students to teach them about the ‘5 a day’ program, which emphasizes the need to incorporate fruits and vegetables into each child’s diet everyday.

Richards explained to the children that different fruits and vegetables serve various purposes. He warned students about the dangers of obesity and about how it is rapidly becoming a national epidemic. He urged the importance of diet and exercise and said that children must be taught to live healthy lifestyles by parents.

“It’s a battle that has to happen nationally and in the school with parents,” said Richards. “The message has to get home. It is important that [children] are healthy for anything they want to do in life.”

As part of National Nutrition Month, Dutch Broadway students have participated in several nutrition-based classroom activities. In an effort to bring the message home, have also been urged to tell their parents about what they have been learning.

““The assembly really brought to life how important nutrition is,” said Assistant to the Principal Shawnée Warfield, adding of Mr. Richards, “He connected the fruits and vegetables that we eat to overall health, and he was able to capture it in a fun and educational way.”