Healthful eating

October 3, 2000
Web posted at: 3:21 PM EDT (1921 GMT)

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Objectives

Students will:

• Identify the elements of a balanced diet.
• Compile a daily food log to assess their current diets and improve them if applicable.
• Recognize and explain the importance of solid nutrition practices.

Standards

McREL Standards

Standard: 6. Understands essential concepts about nutrition and diet. High school students understands how nutrients and energy needs vary in relation to gender, activity level, and stage of life cycle.

Materials

CNNfyi.com article, "Teen nutrition"

Internet access

Food pyramid

Suggested Time

1-2 class periods

Procedure

1. Discuss with students their overall eating habits. Ask if they eat three to four vegetables daily, and two to three servings of fruit. Have students read the CNNfyi.com article, "Teen nutrition", then ask the following questions:

• Why is it important for teens to eat properly during adolescence? According to Kris Rudolph, what diseases are becoming more visible among teens? Why is calcium important?
• What does a healthy diet include? Explain the purpose of complex carbohydrates. What role should fats play in a teen's diet? How many servings of fruits and vegetables should people eat daily? What constitutes a serving?
• Why is calcium so important for teens, particularly if they are active in sports? How can a teen increase his or her calcium intake? Why do you suppose competitive athletes have a higher caloric need?
• According to the article, what differences are noted in the caloric needs of female and male teens? Can you guess why there are differences in the caloric needs of female and male teens? How have nutrition standards changed prior to 1992 when three square meals were the order of the day? Do you believe that the new standards are an improvement? Explain.

2. Instruct your students to list meals they have eaten in the past three days. Have students look at a food pyramid, either a poster or a downloaded copy from the USDA link below, to recreate those lists into healthier, more nutritionally sound meals. In groups or individually, instruct students to share the actual and recreated meals lists with the class.

Accommodations

Logistics Have students log their diets daily to assure themselves that they are eating a variety of healthy meals with necessary components from the food pyramid. Challenge them to eat the healthy meals they recreated from the above exercise.

Assessment

Direct students to online and media resources to find recipes that offer a variety of healthy nutritional options. If time permits, have them bring in food prepared using those recipes, or, if possible, allow them to cook some of these recipes in class.

Center for Nutrition Policy Promotion
Soy Protein Products
Quick 'n' Easy Recipes - Fast, simple cooking for everyone! - Home Page
Food Guide Pyramid

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