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Are You Your Food?

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Lesson Plan

Nutrition Kickoff Strategy

Students will reflect on personal eating habits by polling peers, logging meals, analyzing nutritional balance, and committing to one healthy change.

This lesson builds self-awareness of dietary choices, promotes data-driven reflection, and empowers students to set actionable nutrition goals for lifelong health.

Audience

7th Grade

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Interactive polling, guided reflection, commitment pledge.

Materials

Prep

Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Favorite Snack Poll

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Favorite Snack Poll to each student
  • Instruct students to survey at least five classmates about their favorite snack
  • Have students tally responses and identify the top three snacks
  • Facilitate a 1-minute partner discussion on surprising results

Step 2

Introduction: What’s on Your Plate?

5 minutes

  • Project the What’s on Your Plate? slide deck
  • Highlight 2–3 core nutrition concepts: food groups, balance, and moderation
  • Ask volunteers to share items from their own meals that fit each food group
  • Emphasize how balanced choices fuel learning and growth

Step 3

Main Activity: Food Identity Profile

20 minutes

  • Hand out the Food Identity Profile
  • Explain the two sections: self-reflection questions and meal logging for yesterday’s breakfast, lunch, and snack
  • Students complete the worksheet independently, noting food types, portions, and feelings
  • Encourage students to look for patterns (e.g., frequent sugary snacks)
  • Pair students for a 2-minute share of one insight they discovered

Step 4

Cool-Down: One Change Pledge

5 minutes

  • Distribute the One Change Pledge
  • Ask students to select one dietary habit they want to improve (e.g., adding a fruit daily)
  • Students write a specific, measurable pledge and a timeline for success
  • Invite 2–3 volunteers to read their pledges aloud

Step 5

Closure: Wrap-Up Discussion

5 minutes

  • Recap the lesson’s goals: self-awareness, data tracking, and actionable change
  • Ask students how reflecting on their meals affected their motivation
  • Remind students to keep their pledges visible and review progress next week
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Slide Deck

What’s on Your Plate?

Understanding food groups for a balanced meal.

Welcome students! Today we’ll explore how to build a balanced plate using the five major food groups.

The 5 Food Groups

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Grains
• Protein
• Dairy

Explain each food group briefly and why it’s important for health.

Building a Balanced Plate

• ½ fruits & vegetables
• ¼ protein
• ¼ grains
• Side of dairy

Show a visual divided plate and discuss portion sizes.

Everyday Plate Examples

Breakfast: Oatmeal + Banana + Yogurt
Lunch: Turkey Sandwich + Salad + Apple
Snack: Carrot Sticks + Hummus + Milk

Provide concrete examples to help students visualize real meals.

Personal Plate Reflection

• What does your typical plate look like?
• Which food groups do you eat every day?
• Are there any groups you’re missing?

Prompt students to think about their own meals and identify gaps.

Let’s Explore Your Food Identity

Now, we’ll complete the Food Identity Profile worksheet to log yesterday’s meals and reflect on your eating habits.

Transition to the next activity and explain the worksheet.

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Worksheet

Food Identity Profile

Section 1: Self-Reflection

  1. What types of foods do you enjoy the most? (e.g., fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, dairy). Why?





  1. How do you usually feel before and after eating your favorite meal? (e.g., energized, sleepy, satisfied).





  1. What time of day do you feel hungriest and why do you think that is?





Section 2: Meal Logging

Complete the table below by logging what you ate yesterday. Be specific (e.g., “1 cup of cereal, 1 banana, 8 oz milk”).

MealFoods & PortionsFood Groups RepresentedHow did you feel after?
Breakfast








Lunch








Snack








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Warm Up

Favorite Snack Poll

Instructions: Survey at least five classmates to find out their favorite after-school snack. Record each classmate’s name and snack below. After surveying, tally the number of votes each snack received, identify the top three, and reflect with your partner.

Classmate NameFavorite Snack✓ Tally
1. __________________________________________☐
2. __________________________________________☐
3. __________________________________________☐
4. __________________________________________☐
5. __________________________________________☐
6. __________________________________________☐
7. __________________________________________☐
8. __________________________________________☐

Tally Your Results

List each unique snack you recorded and tally the votes. Then calculate the total count.

  1. Snack: ____________________ | Tally: _____ | Count: _____






  1. Snack: ____________________ | Tally: _____ | Count: _____






  1. Snack: ____________________ | Tally: _____ | Count: _____






Top Three Snacks



















Partner Discussion Reflection

  1. Which snack result surprised you the most and why?












  1. How could knowing your classmates’ favorite snacks influence your own choices for a healthier snack?












After reflecting, be ready to share one key insight with the class.

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Cool Down

One Change Pledge

Instructions: Use this worksheet to commit to one healthy change. Be specific, measurable, and realistic.

  1. My one change (What habit will I work on?):



  1. Why this change matters to me:






  1. Specific, measurable goal (e.g., “Add one piece of fruit to my breakfast each day”):






  1. Timeline for my change (Start date, check-in date, end date):






  1. How I will track my progress (e.g., journal log, sticker chart):






  1. Reward or motivation for keeping this pledge:






Partner Share: Find a classmate, read your pledge aloud, and agree on one way you’ll remind each other to stay on track.

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