Carmel Health App

Check out the Carmel Health App. Follow this link on your smartphone and then add it to the homepage of your phone. This will then operate like an app allowing you to check out the @carmelhealth tweets, the blog, the podcasts on i-tunes and the scoop.it site that highlights Carmel successes in the news.

And The Winner Is...

I find that of all of the topic areas that I cover in Health class, it's the nutrition unit that students react most positively to. It's also the topic area that hopefully they think about on a daily basis. Every day they get to choose what to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I enjoy those moments in the cafeteria when I see students of mine standing in line for the less healthy (cough!) food items and with the raise of one eyebrow (a la Roger Moore) I can guilt them into making a healthier choice.
In class we used the Government diet analysis tool found at www.mypyramidtracker.gov This assignment revealed that the website, although free and easily accessible, has its faults. Users plug in their diet and the site will analyze the contents of the foods letting you know how healthy, or otherwise, your diet may be. However,if you eat ethnic or cultural foods you probably won't find these on the site. Also if you make your own foods then you also will find the site lacking.
As is common every year the results are always cause for much discussion with students realizing that their diet isn't as healthy as they thought. I asked students this semester to condense all of the information and reflect upon their diets....in less than 140 characters. The student submissions were of a very good standard and can be found at this link.
With an i-Tunes gift card being awarded to the best submission I can reveal the top three answers, as chosen by teachers, peers and some of the people that follow @carmelhealth on Twitter.
1. "Through My Healthy Plate inputs I learned that my fat, sodium, sugar & calorie intake is better when I eat meals with my family" I felt that this reflection was particularly good as not only did it show evidence of dietary analysis but that it also showed how improvements could be made. Eating together with the family, particularly when eating at home, is so beneficial to our physical, mental and social health. What's that old adage? The family that eats together stays together?
2. "Many ppl, including myself have been tricked w/the so-called healthy foods. In order 4 me 2 improve my diet I need 2 b more careful" This reflection again showed greater reflection and was particularly health literate. I agree that food manufacturers can do so much more to educate us as consumers but perhaps this isn't in THEIR best interest. If we had better information to make healthier choices would we buy less of the profit-making, addictive junk food? I think so.
3. "I should watch my fat & salt intake while aiming to eat more fruits & vegetables, because my diet is mostly just proteins & grains" This response identifies both the strengths and weaknesses of this individuals diet. Proteins and grains are essential components of the healthy plate but it is important that a balanced diet also includes fat and salt. Although those latter two foods are needed to a much lesser extent, they do both allow our body to work more efficiently.

What is your diet like? Are there foods that you eat that maybe you could make a healthier choice? What impact has your family diet had on the health of your family? Please feel free to share your comments below.

Great Food Podcast - And Others

Every morning on my drive to school I plug my smart phone into my car (well, I use one of those plastic tape cassette adapters) and use the Stitcher app to play podcasts. Mostly I'll listen to sports related podcasts but I do listen to some more obscure shows (when my wife isn't in the car). One of my favorite's is the BBC4 Food Programme They discuss food related issue and the recent episode talked about food politics comparing the differences on both sides of the Atlantic.
The good thing about the podcasts are that they are free and can be accessed readily and if you subscribe to them online you can play through your ipod/phone etc.
If you are interested, other shows that I listen to include 5 live Football Daily, Farming Today, ESPN:PTI, ESPN:Around The Horn, Freakonomics Radio and The Naked Scientists.

Do YOU listen to podcasts? Which ones? Do you use any health related Apps? Please share them in the comments box.

Mental Health Brochures

Once again my health classes have produced some fantastic tri-fold brochures on a mental health disorder of their choice. They researched the disorder, found appropriate images, discussed symptoms and strategies, and then provided further sources of information. All this, and they produced QR codes for the first time.
Here I share just 5 of the many examples of student work that will go on display in the classroom.
Click on the image above and you will be taken to a youblisher document where you can scroll (with sound) and zoom in on the text.

Blood Donation

LIFESOURCE, Chicagoland's blood center will be visiting Carmel High School on October 28th for our next blood drive.
Did you know that 60% of the population is eligible to give blood and yet only 5% of the national population actually donates?
If all blood donors gave 2 to 4 times a year, it would help prevent blood shortages.
4.5 million Americans would die each year without life saving blood transfusions.
ONE DONATION CAN SAVE THREE LIVES!

Check this link for frequently asked questions or see Miss Capelle for more details.
Are you eligible to donate? Check this link.

If you have donated blood before, I am very impressed. If you haven't donated before please consider doing so. What a wonderful feeling knowing that you have contributed to saving the life of another person. At the last blood drive we collected 125 UNITS. Can we beat that this time around?

Jordan Burnham - Unbreakable

Teaching the mental health unit can sometimes be tough, but when I am able to share stories like the one here, it makes the lesson so much better. I show some Jordan Burnham footage to my students to demonstrate the effects of depression and to open up the discussion of the topic of suicide.
This ESPN documentary is a great production. Take the time (15 minutes) to watch this and please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Great Smartphone App

I am increasingly impressed with the range of health-related apps that are available for phones and tablets. The best ones among them provide great health information at your finger-tips and among those is the "Everyday Health" app that one of my students shared with me this week in class.
The "Everyday Health" app is a spin off from their website www.everydayhealth.com
The app includes healthy tips, a health A-Z, a Doctor Q&A, and some great food and fitness tips. Scrolling through one of the options I noticed the following information. If I wanted to burn 50 calories I could do any of the following:
Take a walk for 15 minutes, vacuum for 10 minutes or jump rope for 5 minutes.

The app is free and definitely useful. If you use any other apps that make you healthy then please recommend them in the comments section below.