Essential Concepts: 4.1.2.N State the recommended number of servings and serving sizes for different food groups.

Goal Setting: 4.6.1.N Make a plan to choose healthy foods and beverages.

Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors: 4.7.3.N Identify ways to establish and maintain healthy eating practices consistent with current research-based guidelines for a nutritionally balanced diet.

Students analyze a printout of the school’s cafeteria menu and place each food and beverage in the corresponding food group. Students then record what they might have eaten or did eat on any one day or week. Students reference a printout of the recommended food groups, serving sizes, and various nutrients and their functions, then add food items that are missing. Students also apply this analysis to printed menus that display foods and beverages they enjoy from restaurants they frequent. From the activity, students set goals to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in their diets and reduce high-fat, high-sugar foods. Students take their menus home to reference the next time they are at their favorite restaurants. The school cafeteria manager serves as a guest speaker to discuss the nutritional value and menu selections of the school breakfast and lunch program.

Goal Setting: 4.6.1.N Make a plan to choose healthy foods and beverages.

Goal Setting: 4. 6.2.N Make a plan to choose physical activities at school and at home.

Working together, students think, pair, and share ideas for incorporating goals for physical activity with healthy nutrition options. Examples include dancing to their favorite songs, then drinking a glass of water with lemon; or playing kickball, then eating an orange from my backpack on the walk home. The ideas are uploaded to electronic presentation software and presented collectively to the entire class. The presentation can be set to music or can occur while enjoying a healthy snack.

Accessing Valid Information: 4.3.1.N Identify resources for valid information about safe and healthy foods.

Accessing Valid Information: 4.3.2.N Use food labels to determine nutrient and sugar content.

Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors: 4.7.1.N Practice how to take personal responsibility for eating healthy foods.

Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors: 4.7.2.N Practice how to take personal responsibility for limiting sugar consumption in foods, snacks, and beverages.

Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors: 4.7.3.N Identify ways to establish and maintain healthy eating practices consistent with current research-based guidelines for a nutritionally balanced diet.

Working in small groups, students look up recipes for, and propose, one healthy homemade snack—for example, a whole food fruit and vegetable strawberry low-fat yogurt smoothie or hummus and carrot sticks. The group with the healthiest snack proposal based on pre-established criteria (for example, lowest sugar, moderate-to-high protein, highest fiber-to-calorie ratio, lowest saturated fat, or low-to-moderate calories) wins the prize. The entire class makes—and enjoys eating—the winning snack.

This activity provides an opportunity to discuss the dangers of food allergies and to remind students of any foods they need to avoid using in their snacks. If resources allow, the competition can be held each month. Funds for healthy snacks can be provided by education agencies such as SNAP-Ed or nonprofit nutrition education agencies; school wellness funds; parent, guardian, and caretaker donations; or the school’s cafeteria or parent groups.

Note: Check with school staff and parents, guardians, or caretakers regarding any food allergy precautions before beginning this activity and follow school policies on food preparation and consumption in the classroom.

Interpersonal Communication: 4.4.1.N Demonstrate effective communication skills to ask for healthy food choices.

Students identify a healthy item or two they would like to see added to their parent’s, guardian’s, or caregiver’s grocery list. Items must be from the recommended food groups, low in sugar, low in saturated fat, low in salt, and high in fiber. Students practice effective ways to ask for healthy foods. Students voluntarily report back if the item was purchased and how it was enjoyed.