Nurse's Corner
School Nurse: Paula O’Hara, RN, MEd, CSN
Email: [email protected]
Attendance Line / Nurse Phone: 908-709-6246
Fax: 908-709-6724
At Brookside Place School we are focused on being a caring, healthy community of students, staff and families. Please check here often for ideas and important information designed to keep our BPS community healthy. The Nurse's Corner will also feature monthly health and safety updates (see below).
If you have a student to report absent, please call 908-709-6246 or email [email protected]
Be well,
Nurse O’Hara
MARCH Healthy Hints from the School Nurse
Celebrating Spring, St Patrick's Day and National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month is an annual campaign created 50 years ago by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This year’s theme, Fuel for the Future, focuses on making food choices that have a healthy impact on our bodies and our environment. No matter your age or activity level, making healthful food and drink choices will provide your body with energy now and fuel for the future. Plus, the benefits of eating healthfully add up over time.
Understanding food labels guides you in making healthy choices, eating breakfast fuels your body and being active burns calories and builds muscle. The Academy also recommends that you add more fruits and vegetables (2 cups fruit and 2 ½ cups vegetables) to your daily diet, set a goal to eat seafood twice a week and reduce added sugars in your food and beverages. They also encourage you to explore creating more plant based meals.
Also, eat with the health of our environment in mind. Buying foods that are in season and shopping locally not only benefits the environment, it may help keep your food costs down. The motto “reduce, reuse, recycle” can be applied to food choices too! Reduce food waste by considering meal plans that involve ingredients you have on hand, use canned or frozen vegetables if possible and freeze perishable foods to be used later rather than thrown away. Reuse food by finding creative ways to use leftovers. According to FeedingAmerica.org, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted in America each year, that is 40% of our food! Recycling leftovers into another meal or snack is good for everyone; but the food should be used within three to four days.
For more information, please visit the website https://www.eatright.org/national-nutrition-month-2023 which offers resources on various topics. The articles include: Smart Snacking for Kids, Smart Snacking for Adults and Teens, Smart Tips on Plant Based Eating and Eating Right to Reduce Waste.
Be well and enjoy all that March and the upcoming spring weather have to offer!
Mrs. O'Hara
Brookside Place School Nurse