High school students across the country are about to experience firsthand how the foods they eat impact their bodies, through a national educational program designed to teach them about the dangers of excessive sugar consumption.
Atkins Nutritionals Inc. (Atkins) recently unveiled its partnership on the education initiative with HealthCorps, a national non-profit organization that gives teens tools to improve physical and mental health so they can live happier and more productive lives.
The program, which will be taught in all of HealthCorps’ 22 Living Lab high schools, was unveiled recently at Coral Gables High School. The program curriculum focuses on highly interactive and engaging activities that help students understand the harmful effects of hidden sugars and the importance of healthy snacking.
Utilizing HealthCorps’ curriculum for the initiative, Atkins and HealthCorps updated the organization’s popular “Think Before You Drink” activity which shows how establishing healthy behaviors, such as making better beverage choices, helps the body function more efficiently.
Together HealthCorps and Atkins also updated the “Understanding Diabetes” curriculum which examines the different types of diabetes, their causes and effects, and methods of treatment and prevention.
Participating students will get a chance to test out a virtual reality (VR) experience, dubbed the Sugar Goggles. This activity, which enhances the updated HealthCorps curriculum, takes users through a tunnel in the human body and shows how the body responds to low-sugar foods (which provide balanced energy) and high-sugar foods (which cause blood sugar spikes and crashes).
HealthCorps, founded by heart surgeon and Daytime Emmy Award-winning host Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife, Lisa, recruits recent college graduates, called Coordinators, to educate high school students across the country about health and wellness issues. HealthCorps currently features Atkins-created content in all its school — and community —focused programs, including its professional development training program, HealthCorps University.
“We share a deep commitment with Atkins to helping people understand the connection between lifestyle choices and chronic illnesses such as diabetes,” said Michelle Bouchard, HealthCorps president.
“We are grateful to partner with Atkins’ nutritional and medical experts to help young Americans understand how much sugar they are consuming and the toxic effects of excessive consumption,” she added.
“HealthCorps’ work aligns with Atkins’ core mission to educate and empower people to live healthier lives — which is especially consequential for our younger generations,” said Joe Scalzo, CEO and president, Atkins Nutritionals Inc. “With the life expectancy declining and so many fatalities linked to obesity, we all need to do our part to reverse these staggering statistics — because what we are seeing today is truly unnecessary.”
