Objectives
- Identify nutritious food and drink choices for your body and brain.
- Use the stoplight colors, green, yellow, and red, as tools to categorize food choices as "eat more," "eat some," and "eat less."
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
Ask kids to think back to when they played Red Light, Green Light in Lesson 2. Kids can turn and talk about their experiences and what they learned from playing.
To use this with your students click here.
Captivate
Use Games to Teach Nutritious Food Options
Replay the stoplight game from Lesson 2. This time, rather than a color, the slideshow presents food choices. Students respond with green light/eat more, yellow light/eat some, and red light/eat less actions.
Educate
Help Kids Make Nutritious Food Choices
Summarize this topic's key concepts:
- 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, flavored 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.
Check for understanding: What is a nutritious food you can choose today?
Activate
Activities to Teach Nutritious Food Choices
Students apply what they have learned about food choices and create a green plate day.
Use the Eat More, Eat Some, Eat Less food chart to complete the MyPlate printable.
Close the Lesson
Today we played a game to help us think about nutritious food choices. Can you name five nutritious food choices? How about 10?
Grade: 3-5
Time: 20 Minutes
What You'll Need
Resources
- Think Your Fuel - Slideshow
- MyPlate Meal: Activity to Inspire Healthy Meals - Printable
- Eat More, Eat Some, Eat Less Food Chart - Printable
Materials
- Slideshow
- Poster Board or White Board
- Markers
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.
- Watch the video, Soda Swap Challenge, and challenge students to be thoughtful about their beverage choices.