This week was our third PHS lesson: "MyPlate, My Choice." It involved educating the 6th graders about the MyPlate, a revamped and simpler version of the food pyramid.
We started off class by handing out plain paper plates to each student, instructing them to write down one of their meals they had from yesterday on the back. We then proceeded to ask them what they remember from last week, and nearly all of them recalled our lesson about food culture. After doing the brain break, jumping jacks and running in place, we began the lesson.
We started off discussing energy and how humans could get it in the form of calories. We stressed the importance of calories being simply a unit of measurement to dispel the misconception that calories can be good or bad. During our discussion of calories, some of the students, having looked at the vocabulary we had written on the board, were able to accurately define them by themselves, including "empty calories." They were extremely eager to write the definitions on the board; nearly every student wanted to be a volunteer.
After discussing calories, we started to introduce the concept of MyPlate to them. Surprisingly, many of them recognized MyPlate and were able to tell us all the food groups that made up a healthy plate.The students drew the MyPlate diagram on the front side of their plates. We then as a class brainstormed some examples of foods that would go into each category. We had some fun answers, such as tomatoes belonging in the fruit category "because it has seeds," as one student pointed out.
We then had the students reflect on their own meal that they had written on the back during the beginning of the lesson. They were very excited to share their meals and asked me and Captain Jet (Bridget) questions as to which of their foods would belong in which group.
We brought the kids fresh-squeezed mango juice, which everyone enjoyed at the end of class!
Food groups are vital to dietitians; it's how they are able to create a healthy, balanced diet for their patients. Food groups also involve the three main macromolecules we consume: carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. A food scientist could test foods for the presence of macromolecules and analyze their nutrient content.
We started off class by handing out plain paper plates to each student, instructing them to write down one of their meals they had from yesterday on the back. We then proceeded to ask them what they remember from last week, and nearly all of them recalled our lesson about food culture. After doing the brain break, jumping jacks and running in place, we began the lesson.
We started off discussing energy and how humans could get it in the form of calories. We stressed the importance of calories being simply a unit of measurement to dispel the misconception that calories can be good or bad. During our discussion of calories, some of the students, having looked at the vocabulary we had written on the board, were able to accurately define them by themselves, including "empty calories." They were extremely eager to write the definitions on the board; nearly every student wanted to be a volunteer.
After discussing calories, we started to introduce the concept of MyPlate to them. Surprisingly, many of them recognized MyPlate and were able to tell us all the food groups that made up a healthy plate.The students drew the MyPlate diagram on the front side of their plates. We then as a class brainstormed some examples of foods that would go into each category. We had some fun answers, such as tomatoes belonging in the fruit category "because it has seeds," as one student pointed out.
We then had the students reflect on their own meal that they had written on the back during the beginning of the lesson. They were very excited to share their meals and asked me and Captain Jet (Bridget) questions as to which of their foods would belong in which group.
We brought the kids fresh-squeezed mango juice, which everyone enjoyed at the end of class!
Food groups are vital to dietitians; it's how they are able to create a healthy, balanced diet for their patients. Food groups also involve the three main macromolecules we consume: carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. A food scientist could test foods for the presence of macromolecules and analyze their nutrient content.
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