Healthy Me, Healthy World

By Allie Horwitz, Team Leader, SWB Granada

Here at Fútbol Sin Fronteras, we just wrapped up our first week-long taller (workshop) of the season. We kicked off a series of workshops themed “Healthy Me, Healthy World” with a week focused solely on nutrition and a healthy body. On Tuesday, we received an awesome nutrition lecture and presentation from the head of agriculture from a nearby technical school, Opportunity International. Saúl presented the food pyramid and explained what foods are best to eat as female soccer players (No milk before practice, grains give you energy!). He then led the girls through several dynamic grouping games, which they raucously enjoyed!

On Thursday, we began the activity with a fun review game of the pyramid. We quizzed the girls on what they had learned Tuesday, and if they answered the question correctly, they had to place one of six food items in the correct section of the food pyramid on the wall. It turns out that cucumbers are actually a fruit!

Next, we had our own mini-market. At each stand, we explained a different fruit or vegetable. We talked about its nutrients and benefits and then offered the girls an opportunity to taste the food in some delicious form. In small groups, girls rotated around the room to learn what each station had to offer and tasted each food excitedly (minus perhaps the beets). To finish the night, each girl received a bean in a cup as they left that they are now growing in their homes and giving it plenty of sunlight and water!

To cap off the week, we took a short trip to the nearby Diria Mirador where we enjoyed a short hike. Saúl accompanied us and explained a little bit about the flora and fauna that flourish in and around Laguna de Apoyo. This final activity gave a grander perspective to our nutrition taller. We interact with our natural environments in what we eat and in everything we do, Saúl explained to the girls. The hike provided for a physically active opportunity, of course another important element of a healthy body.

The girls enjoyed learning not only about healthy foods, but also a bit about agriculture and growing something of their own. They learned several useful ideas for making healthy meals and snacks with their families. And finally they experienced how everything we eat is connected to the greater natural environment. A healthy you is a great first step to contributing to a healthy world!