Omega 3 & Vitamin D

OMEGA 3 – 1 lesson – Fish twice a week (especially oily fish)

Learning Outcomes:

  • To learn that oily fish is rich in essential omega 3 fats
  • To understand the importance of omega 3 fats for physical and mental wellbeing
  • To be able to name sources of omega 3 fish and other foods

Key Vocabulary:

  • Omega 3, oily fish, essential fats

Key messages:

  • Omega 3 is a type of essential fat that helps our brain development, mood & concentration.
  • Omega 3 also helps to keep our heart, skin, and lungs in good condition.
  • Most people get too little omega 3 fat in their diet
  • Oily fish is the best source of omega 3
  • There is some omega 3 fat in white fish, shellfish, walnuts, rapeseed oil and some green vegetables
  • We should eat 2 portions (2 x 140g) of fish twice a week, making at least 1 portion an oily fish
  • Oily fish includes salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel and trout
  • Fresh, canned, frozen, pickled and smoked versions all count
  • Fish also contains protein, vitamins and minerals

Suggested activities: Pupils can explore the following:

  • Pupils can look at the graph of Omega 3 levels per 140g portion highlighting which ones they have tasted, which ones they have seen in the shops, and which ones they eat quite often.
  • Do the ones they eat often have high levels of omega 3? (Do they eat fish at all!)
  • Are there any oily fish items on the school meals menu and have you tried it?
  • Which omega 3 rich fish would you recommend for a family on a budget?
  • Pupils can discuss ways of including oily fish in the diet including smoked, fresh, frozen, pickled and canned versions.

Cross-Curricular Opportunity

  • Link with history: eg: Highland Clearances and the development of the herring fishing boom in Scotland (Why Ullapool, Golspie and Wick were built!)
  • Link to ecological aspects of biology: Look which fish are recommended and which are not depending on their sustainability. Can search for specific fish at fishonline.org

Further Support: Look at the Seafood in schools resources www.seafoodinschools.org and consider joint working with them to promote fish intake. They can arrange fish tasting, cooking and learning events involving high school and older primary children within your ASG. Visit www.seafoodinschools.org for more information.

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Vitamin D, Physical activity and Outdoor vs Indoor Activity

Learning Outcomes

  • To learn that sun is important for healthy bones & possibly good mood
  • To appreciate that burnt skin is damaged skin and increases skin cancer risk
  • To know what other lifestyle choices affect our bones
  • To understand that vitamin D & physical activity may both improve our moods

Key vocabulary

Vitamin D, rickets, osteoporosis, skin cancer, sunscreen, calcium

You can consider building a lesson plan around the following key messages that link spending time outdoors with physical activity, vitamin D, healthy bones and health & wellbeing more widely. (It compliments, and is complimented by, parts 3 & 4 of the “Eatwell Nutrition Foundation” in the “Nutrition folder”).

Key messages

  1. One in 3 people in Scotland do not have enough vitamin D.
  2. Too much sun causes burnt skin and the risk of skin cancer.
  3. Clothing and “sunscreen” protect the skin from burning.
  4. We need to expose our skin to some sun (without clothing or sunscreen) in the summer to make vitamin D.
  5. Spending too much time indoors in summer means you can’t make enough vitamin D.
  6. It is easier to be active outdoors than inside.
  7. Without vitamin D we have weak bones (rickets in childhood or osteoporosis in middle age).
  8. Diet is a poor source of this vitamin (only liver and oily fish are good sources).
  9. Exercise also makes your bones strong.
  10. Taking milk, cheese and yoghurt can help build strong bones too as these give you calcium.
  11. Drinking cola and lots of salt makes your bones weaker.
  12. Vitamin D is needed to help get the calcium into your bones.
  13. Vitamin D deficiency may affect your mood.

One idea is to ask pupils to keep a record of how much time they spend indoors and how much time outdoors. Do this between April and September when the sun is strong enough to produce vitamin D in our skin. They can record the number of times they were being physically active while indoors and outdoors. Define “physically active” as something that makes you breathe more deeply and your heart beat faster.

Cross Curricular Link:

The obvious link is to PE.