Transforming Health and Nutrition Education in Schools – The STRONG Student Shift
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 14
- 7 min read
Written by Lauren Dorman, Registered Dietitian
Lauren Dorman is known as a game-changing Registered Dietitian. She is the founder of Don't Diet Dietitian and Schools, Master Food and Mood. She is a speaker and expert in Nutrition, Food Psychology, and Emotional Eating. She developed The Nine to Nourished Experience, 9 core strategies to refuel one's relationship with food, body, and brain.
Eating should be one of the most natural human behaviors. Yet for many of us, it feels anything but simple. That’s because we live in a culture that rarely teaches the foundational skills required to build a healthy, relaxed relationship with food. From an early age, we’re often guided away from our internal cues of hunger, fullness, satisfaction, and instead handed rules, restrictions, guilt, and fear.
Over time, we lose the ability to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger. Many people eat out of habit, stress, boredom, coping, or shame, often without realizing it. Doing so may lead to dieting, bingeing, and engaging in restrictive behaviors. At the same time, we’re frequently bombarded by one-size-fits-all definitions of health that lack nuance, compassion, and context.
Let’s be clear: Nutrition is complex. It’s not just about what we eat; it’s also about how, why, and when we eat. It’s about our food behaviors, emotional regulation, nervous system resilience, body awareness, and mental health. And it’s about learning that true well-being is never built through restriction, but rather through connection, curiosity, and self-care.
Without a strong mental and emotional foundation, enhancing total well-being becomes nearly impossible. Our habits, routines, and food choices are all shaped by how we think and feel about ourselves. That’s why traditional models of health education fail to create lasting change.
Diet culture can show up in various ways, such as through specifying foods to avoid and/or remove from one’s diet, labeling certain foods as being good or bad, and focusing on tracking fat and calorie intake. When students receive these types of messages, especially at a young age, they can begin to associate eating with stress, failure, and self-judgment. As a result, they can develop an unhealthy relationship with food and their body. In fact, recent studies show that 77% of adolescents do not feel good in their own skin.
Nutrition education could instead shift to a STRONG and empowered relationship with food, focusing on curiosity, flexibility, cultural respect, self-awareness, and a sense of wonder.
What if students could become the CEO of their own bodies and brains?
That very question is what led to the birth of my solution-focused Schools Master Food and Mood program, founded in 2022 after 20 years of working in the nutrition/mental health field. Every student, parent, and staff member deserves to have access to a Registered Dietitian, or a qualified healthcare professional who translates the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living.
It’s backed by student voices themselves. In a survey conducted as part of the programming, students were asked three questions. Their responses revealed a concerning trend:
Does thinking about food, eating, and your body take up a lot of your time? 50% said yes
Do you feel guilty after eating certain foods? Or do you sneak food? 92% said yes
Do you go for long periods of time without eating? 54% said yes
These numbers are not just statistics; they are internal struggles that many students experience on a daily basis. In today’s high-tech digital world, students are often exposed to sensory overwhelm, which can impact their relationship with food and their bodies. This overstimulation can have a profound impact on their health habits, potentially leading to feelings of anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and disconnection from their bodies’ basic needs (such as nourishment every few hours). With the right guidance, support, training, language, and effective tools, we can change these statistics.
This program isn’t just a curriculum about nutrition. Rather, it consists of bite-sized lessons that are grounded in brain-based strategies to help students understand the connections involving their mind, body, emotions, and informed food choices. It’s about taking action with science-backed strategies based on neuroscience, brain behavior, nutrition science, and emotional intelligence. We walk students through a reliable path toward strength, self-trust, and sustainable nourishment.
As a thought leader and Mental Health Registered Dietitian, I challenge the norm and disrupt the “quick fix” culture that still dominates the diet industry. My role allows me to partner with schools, educators, and families to elevate how food, feelings, and the body are discussed.
Why? Because eating is a behavior, and all behaviors stem from thoughts and feelings. Every choice around food reflects internal narratives. To truly support students in developing a healthy relationship with food and their bodies, we need to explore the root of behavior change. Thus, rather than simply focusing on the food itself, we examine the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that drive students’ eating habits.
We ask meaningful questions that invite curiosity and purpose:
How do you decide when and what to eat?
How do your meals make you feel?
What does nourishment mean to you?
What questions do you have about the reels and posts you see on social media about nutrition and food?
When students begin to answer from a place of self-awareness, they unlock the ability to make empowered decisions that align with their goals. Students really enjoy these honest and refreshing conversations, with many who follow a presentation, some with tears in their eyes, express a sense of both relief and validation. They often describe the experience as being unlike anything they've ever heard before regarding nutrition and health.
These moments matter. They mark the beginning of a shift from shame to self-compassion, from confusion to clarity. When we create safe, judgment-free spaces for students to explore their relationship with food and self, we don’t just educate, we empower.
Are you ready to enter the STRONG student shift?
This shift is about a whole-person approach:
Improving mood, focus, and energy
Enhancing self-worth and emotional resilience
Creating a practical, stress-free toolbox of lifelong habits
Can you imagine a classroom where students aren’t dragging through the day, distracted or disengaged, but are present, focused, and energized? Because that’s what happens when students learn to support both their physical and mental well-being. They’re no longer just surviving the school day; they’re thriving throughout.
STRONG is a tool that helps students rewire their thinking, take inspired action, and build confidence.
S: Spot social media scams
Sift through truth over trends and learn the four questions to challenge diet and wellness culture ideals.
T: Think about your vision and why
Explore what real health, happiness, and success look like for you. Answer the five powerful questions that provide real direction and clarity.
R: Respect your body
Honor its needs and worth at every shape, size, and stage of life. Regulate your nervous system through techniques that promote relaxation, reduce stress, and make you feel safe (exercising, taking deep breaths, practicing mindfulness).
O: Overcome obstacles
View challenges as opportunities for growth, not proof of failure.
N: Nourish rather than restrict
Build meals and snacks that feel good and support energy. Think fuel, strength, and color, not rules, fat, or calories.
G: Grow your mindset
Strengthen the mind and build awareness. Activate your success formula for confidence, motivation, and momentum.
What makes Schools Master Food and Mood and the Strong Student Shift truly effective is that they are both science-based, trauma-informed, and inclusive. Our curriculum is intentionally designed to avoid triggering body shame and disordered eating patterns.
We create safe, empowering conversations around food, eating, and emotions, meeting students where they are rather than where society says they should be.
The program is also relevant across racial and ethnic identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and diverse cognitive learning styles because all students deserve these skills, not only those who fit a narrow version of normal.
Students report that mealtimes become stress-free and are actually enjoyable. The confidence they build tends to spill over into other areas of life, such as academics, athletics, relationships, and emotional well-being.
This is the real definition of being STRONG.
We’re not just teaching students how to eat, we’re helping them reclaim the power to nourish, regulate, and trust themselves, all skills that lead to improved energy, sharper focus, greater productivity, and a more stable mood. Overall, we're seeing less anxiety, less self-criticism, and more joy.
This is not a temporary program but a lifelong shift. Students are propelled forward, enabling them to build a future where they feel strong, nourished, and healthy.
Schools Master Food and Mood goes beyond student lessons; we provide dedicated, evidence-based professional development (PD) training for teachers, support staff, and parents. PD workshops include Pouring From a Full Cup: Optimize Your Educator Brain to Master Self-Care Strategies and What’s Eating Our Students and What to Do About It: Let’s Untangle Food and Feelings.
When surrounded by adults who are empowered with the same language, mindset, and brain-based strategies, students are more likely to integrate such tools into their daily lives. A supportive environment creates an encouraging culture where healthy habits aren't just taught but are also modeled and reinforced.
When the entire school system learns how to talk about food, emotions, and health with curiosity, real transformation happens. Informed, aligned, and connected support systems all work together for the well-being of the student body.
Schools' Master Food and Mood programs are setting a new standard, one school at a time, to optimize students’ health, nutrition, and total well-being.
Interested in transforming your school and empowering students when it comes to nutrition and mental health?
You can start with Spot Social Scams: 11 Red Flags in Nutrition Claims.
To learn more, click here.
Lauren Dorman, Registered Dietitian
Lauren Dorman is a dedicated Registered Dietitian, helping both children and adults to address the real root solution that enables them to feel calmer, confident, and empowered around food, body, mind, and self. She is the creator of the Nine to Nourished Experience, 9 effective ingredients that lay the foundation to create a satisfying relationship with food that will allow you to thrive. For those who think they have "tried everything," healing at the root cause can shift all areas of life. Her mission: sustainable success is all about tending to a process that feels good to you.
