Brain Food:  NutriQuiz wins Rep. Bryan Steil’s 2022 Congressional App Challenge in Wisconsin’s First District

When asked what inspired the creation of Brain Food:  NutriQuiz, the students said, ”We knew kids’ eating habits weren’t the best, so we did some research and were surprised by what we saw.  According to the CDC, ( https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm ) consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among kids made up 10% of their total calories each day and most children don’t eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.  Even worse, we discovered that empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents.  Almost half of those come from “soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk.” We also learned that most kids don’t even consume the recommended amount of total water, which should be accessible to everyone. 

We also discovered that poor nutrition can have huge impacts on the rest of a child’s life, like in school, sports, and other activities. According to the journal Medicine, ( “Dietary Habits Are Associated With School Performance in Adolescents” ) eating fruits, vegetables, milk, and healthy breakfasts has a strong correlation with good school performance. 

Finally, the worst thing is that unhealthy eating can impact the rest of a child’s life.  According to Healthwise, children who eat poorly can get long-term health issues including osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and atherosclerosis when they are adults. 

Knowing all this, we decided we would make an app that would help kids learn to eat better to help them be more successful in school, in their outside experiences, and even in their adult lives.”