News Release
June 9, 2008

UW Extension bulletin, The Last Orange on Earth, builds mindful eating

A new bulletin from the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Services bursts with sight, smell, taste and touch to make a point about healthy eating.

The Last Orange on Earth: An Activity to Teach Mindful Eating uses the orange to help explain mindful eating.

“Mindful eating is a cornerstone of healthy living,” said Suzy Pelican, a co-author of the publication and an extension food and nutrition specialist. “Mindful eating means paying attention to and enjoying what we eat, when we are eating. It helps us appreciate food and can help us from overeating. It also helps us slow down in our lives.”

The publication, MP-112.5, is available at www.uwyo.edu/ces/pubs/MP112-5.pdf. In addition, a youth adaptation is available at www.uwyo.edu/winwyoming/projects.html.

The bulletin is directed toward a wide range of educators who work with audiences of all ages in a variety of settings, said Pelican, in the UW College of Agriculture’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

For example, worksite wellness program coordinators who want to convey the importance of taking time to enjoy food; nutrition educators who want their learners value food as more than just something to fill them up; meeting organizers who are looking for memorable ways to promote healthy eating during breaks; and 4-H leaders, after-school program coordinators and youth day-camp directors who want participants to appreciate that an ordinary food can be uniquely satisfying.

The youth adaptation titled The Last Orange on Earth: A Child’s View is specifically for educators working with youth audiences. The adaptation includes a lesson plan, parent letter, handout and worksheet.

Both the bulletin and the youth adaptation use a hands-on experience with a fresh orange to teach mindful eating.

“Experiential teaching techniques – ones that actively engage audiences first-hand – are often the most powerful approaches because they engage more than one sense,” said Pelican. 

Nothing illustrates that point more than the comments of two elementary school students at the end of their orange-eating experience, said Pelican. One said, “The taste is sweeter when you eat it slow.” The other observed, “If I ate this way more often, I would notice more things about my food and it would take me longer to eat.” 

Pelican noted, “I couldn’t describe mindful eating any better if I tried.”

Co-author was Deborah Johnson, retired Natrona County UW CES educator.

### 

Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

###