Students at PS 209 teach peers about nutrition, including good
and bad carbohydrates, during a health fair.
Dark chocolate can be good for you. Canned vegetables might not be.
Those were just some of the lessons seventh graders at PS 209 imparted to their peers this past week during a nutrition fair at the Brooklyn elementary school.
Working with their science teacher, the students researched the pros and cons of foods and ingredients they commonly consume, including transfats, carbohydrates, starches, fruits, vegetables, salt, and sugar.
"I really liked talking to our visitors and answering their 
questions," a seventh-grader, Allison Kaim, said. "It is amazing how our body reacts to everything that we eat."
Allison and her classmates talked to students and faculty about making healthy food choices, and showed them how to read food labels.
"This event brought my students many surprises," science teacher Valerie Fabi said. "For instance, they realized that canned vegetables have much more sodium than fresh and frozen vegetables. With this discovery, another group of students researched how sodium can cause high blood pressure and should be limited in their daily diets."
The health fair coincides with a heightened focus on nutrition across the five boroughs. New York City has banned transfats in restaurants and now requires food chains to post calories on menu boards.
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