Objectives
- Recall that food is fuel for a healthy body and brain.
- Identify nutritious food and drink choices.
Info to Know
Talk with students about the idea that food is fuel for their bodies. “Food” refers to what you eat and what you drink. The lessons in this unit use a stoplight as a tool to help students think about their food choices:
- Eat More: Green-light foods have the most nutrition for energy and growth, so eat them often! Examples: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, milk, and water.
- Eat Some: Yellow-light foods do not keep you fueled up the way green-light foods do, so eat them sometimes. Examples: canned or dried fruit, veggies with sauces, white bread or pasta, peanut butter, and juice.
- Eat Less: Red-light foods are the least nutritious. It's okay to have a red-light food once in a while. Stop and think about your choice and eat the red-light foods least often. Examples: chips, candy, fried foods, cakes, donuts, and soda.
It's important that kids understand that some foods provide you with more nutrition than others. Check out the Eat More Eat Some Eat Less Food Chart for examples. For more information about the nutritional benefits of foods and different food groups, read Food is Fuel.
Set The Stage
Have kids turn and talk with a partner about what they like to eat for breakfast.
To use this with your students click here.
Captivate
Nutritious Food Choices for Kids
View the slideshow to get kids thinking about all kinds of nutritious foods they can eat for breakfast.
Educate
Teach Kids that Food is Fuel
Review the following key concepts about food, and let kids know that these concepts apply to all meals and snacks, including breakfast!
- Food is fuel to power your body and brain.
- Kids who make nutritious food choices are choosing terrific fuel for their bodies and brains.
- Tools, such as MyPlate, are available to help students make nutritious food choices.
Check for understanding: _ _ _ _ is fuel to power your body and brain.
Activate
Help Kids Identify Nutritious Foods
Students identify foods they will choose for a nutritious breakfast and draw or write them on the MyPlate template.
Close the Lesson
Today we learned about nutritious breakfast food choices. Next, we will play a game to learn more about nutritious food choices.
Grade: 3-5
Time: 20 Minutes
What You'll Need
Resources
- Fuel Your Body and Brain - Slideshow
- MyPlate Meal: Activity to Inspire Healthy Meals - Printable
- Eat More, Eat Some, Eat Less Food Chart - Printable
Materials
- Slideshow
- Markers
- Poster Board or White Board
Health Education Standards
- Standard 1: Core Concepts–Eat a variety of foods within each food group every day.
- Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication
- Standard 5: Decision-Making
- Standard 7: Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors
Social and Emotional Learning Competencies
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Responsible Decision-Making
Extend the Lesson
- Play the fitGame, Red Food, Green Food.
- Play the fitGame, MyPlate in Motion, to help kids learn about nutritious foods and food groups.
- Read this article to learn how to Make Healthy Eating Easy.