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Eating a Nutritious Lunch

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

Teens often eat chips, soda, and a candy bar for lunch. This lesson teaches teens why their bodies need healthier foods and that they can taste good. This lesson also encourages them to choose foods that are high in nutrients and low in fat.


Materials

2 blenders, soda (Mountain Dew works well), candy bar, and one package of chips, supplies for fruit & fruit dip, supplies for lab, board and marker, picture cards that show nutrients.


Background for Teachers

The typical teenage lunch is chips, soda, and a candy bar. These are high in fat, and low in essential nutrients needed for growth and development. Eating too many fats and calories can lead to being overweight. A soda has no nutrients. It only supplies energy. A better choice is milk. It has about the same number of calories, and provides the body with calcium which builds strong bones and prevents osteoporosis. Teens have been known to get bone fractures caused by osteoporosis because they don't eat enough calcium. Chips are high in fat, calories, but low in many nutrients. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a better choice. They have almost no fat, are low in calories and are high in fiber and water, which helps the digestive system keep moving. Fruits and vegetables are also high in vitamin C which helps your body heal itself. A candy bar is high in sugar, fat, and calories. Sugar is digested quickly, leading to feeling hungry sooner which can lead to overeating. It also has very few nutrients. A sandwich is a better choice. It is lower in calories, and also provides protein (from peanut butter, cheese, or meat). Protein is what your body is made of. Protein helps hair and nails grow, and rebuilds muscles and other cells. The total calories for the healthy and unhealthy lunch are about the same. The difference is that the healthy lunch is more filling, and provides the body with the nutrients as well as the energy it needs. Teens are more likely to eat healthy lunch foods that they like. No matter what types of sandwiches,fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products students eat, they still provide the body with the nutrients it needs.


Student Prior Knowledge

Knowledge of the food guide pyramid and dietary guidelines.


Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will describe healthy and delicious lunch foods to replace junkfood. Students will make and eat lunch foods. Students will choose to eat healthy lunch foods more often.


Instructional Procedures

Discuss the concepts of an unhealthy versus a healthy lunch. Show the picture cards with visual nutrients, and calories. You can have students take notes, and add up the calories for the healthy and unhealthy lunch. During the discussion, blend the chips, soda, and candy bar together in the blender. Remind students that this is what happens when you eat, and it doesn't look very appetizing. Now tell the students you are going to make a healthy lunch. Use the second blender to blend the fruit dip. Cut up fruits and serve. While students eat, they can list junkfood, and healthy lunch foods to replace it. The next day, I have a lunch lab where students make ham and cheese pockets. I provide milk and salad to eat with it.


Assessment Plan

Attachments

Students describe good lunch food choices to replace junk food. Students eat a healthy lunch for lab.


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