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Eating a Variety for Breakfast

Main Core Tie

FCS Exploration
Strand 7 Standard 3

Additional Core Ties

FCS Exploration
Strand 7 Standard 4

Time Frame

2 class periods of 45 minutes each

Group Size

Large Groups

Authors

Valerie Aubrey

Summary

There are many reasons why teens choose not to eat breakfast. This lesson teaches teens why they need to eat breakfast, and ways to make it work. It also encourages students to choose a variety of food groups for breakfast.


Materials

board, marker, copies of survey and wordsearch, supplies for lab and demo.


Background for Teachers

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast comes from "break the fast", which means eating after fasting for 12 or more hours since dinner. Breakfast provides calories or energy for the body to move and not feel sluggish. Your brain also needs energy, and breakfast can help it think better and be more alert. One reason why teens don't eat breakfast is time. Teens can either get up earlier, or take portable breakfast foods with them, such as premade muffins, yogurt, juice drinks, string cheese, etc. Another reason teens don't eat breakfast is because they are trying to lose weight. Skipping breakfast slows down the metabolism as the body conserves energy calories to make up for the shortage. This prevents desired weight loss, and can lead to skipping more meals in an attempt to lose weight. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulemia are psychological diseases caused by continual starving or throwing up food. Not eating food, or throwing it back up will cause weight loss, but damage the body and can lead to death without help. The better choice is to eat lower calorie foods at regular times and keep fit. Another reason teens don't eat breakfast is not being hungry. Teens should buy or bring food to school to eat for when they are hungry between classes. Vending machines do sell some healthy foods such as milk, cereal, and crackers. Another reason teens don't eat breakfast is they don't like breakfast foods. There are many foods teens can eat for breakfast besides cereal, toast, and eggs. Crackers, cheese, yogurt, and even cold pizza and leftovers can be eaten for breakfast. The body needs a variety of foods to keep it going. Students who only eat sugar for breakfast are missing out on important nutrients and long-lasting energy until lunch. Eating a variety of food groups for breakfast keeps the body healthy and not hungry.


Student Prior Knowledge

Knowledge of the food guide pyramid and dietary guidelines.


Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will describe different types of breakfasts they would like to eat. Students will make and eat breakfast foods. Students will choose to eat breakfast more often.


Instructional Procedures

Survey the students to see if they eat breakfast, and why or why not. Discuss the different reasons why students don't eat breakfast and what they can do to change. Have students list the different food groups they eat for breakfast. Then have students write breakfast menus for one week, using a variety of food groups. Demo to the students how to make Monkey Bread while you discuss why it is important to eat a variety of food groups for breakfast rather than just candy. Serve the Monkey Bread with milk. A breakfast food wordsearch can help give students more ideas for breakfast foods. The next day, have a breakfast lab. I do a Breakfast Burrito--- tortillas with the students' choice of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, cheese and salsa. I serve calcium-rich orange juice with the lab. You can have students keep a breakfast log for one week to see how well they are doing.


Assessment Plan

Students list breakfast menus for one week that use a variety (3 or more) food groups.


Created: 05/16/2003
Updated: 02/05/2018
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