Lesson

Nutritious Food Choices Fuel Healthy Kids

Have kids play a game to help them think about nutritious food choices.

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.

Solve food riddles and use the Eat More, Eat Some, Eat Less food chart to complete the MyPlate Riddles 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

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

View the fit Units and Lessons Scope and Sequence Chart.

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