The Community Adventure Program (CAP) rounded out 2011 with a great project on healthy alternatives to fast food.  The students researched and used  experience with their peers eating habits to shape a project based on finding healthy and affordable alternatives to the easily accessible fast food chains near the school.  CAP students became interested in a few different aspects of eating well: from thinking about waste in restaurants and packaging, to how animals are treated,  the distance the food travels to get to your plate, in addition to basic nutrition.

The class had a great resource experience meeting with Whitney Johnson, Whole Foods’ healthy eating specialist and hearing from their meat department.  They learned about the ways that animal lifestyles are qualified for meat labeling in the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Program.  The class toured the different departments of Whole Foods looking for nutrition, less packaging and good deals.  They also made delicious and simple black bean humus with Whitney’s assistance.  The deli was very kind to the students, providing a late lunch with lots of yummy options and highlighting their new deal of 5 choices for $5 starting this winter.

CAP finished the quarter with a presentation about what they had learned and a plea to their fellow students to be thoughtful about their eating decisions.

The class’ closing remarks from their presentation were as follows:

“We all knew that fast food was bad for us, but we didn’t know what went on behind the scenes.  We all live in a time where we’re trying to make a change.  What we put into our bodies is a big part of our lives. Know what it is you’re eating.  We can’t force you to eat better, but it’s your choice to eat well or eat badly.  Keep in mind what’s in the food you’re eating, and how far it’s traveled to get to you.  It costs a little more to eat real food, but it’s worth the price.”

A huge thank you to Whitney and Whole Foods for providing us with great resources and ideas!