Healthy Eating Script

Day 1: What Fuels Our Bodies?

Teacher: "Good morning, Super Learners! Today, we're going to talk about something super important for our bodies: food! Does anyone know why we need to eat food?"

Teacher: (Acknowledge responses) "Exactly! Food is like the fuel for our bodies, just like gas is fuel for a car. It gives us energy to run, jump, learn, and grow! Without fuel, a car can't go, and without food, our bodies can't do all the amazing things they do!"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 1: Fueling Our Super Bodies!)

Teacher: "Look at this picture! What do you see that gives you energy? What do you like to do that needs lots of energy?"

Teacher: "Today, we're going to start learning about the different kinds of fuel our bodies need. Let's think about healthy foods! What are some healthy foods you like to eat?"

Teacher: "Fantastic ideas! Over the next few days, we'll become food detectives and learn all about healthy choices. For now, let's think about one healthy food you ate yesterday. Turn to a partner and tell them about it!"

Day 2: Fruity & Veggie Power!

Teacher: "Welcome back, Food Detectives! Yesterday, we talked about food being fuel. Today, we're going to focus on two super important fuel sources: fruits and vegetables!"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 3: Fruity Friends!)

Teacher: "Look at all these colorful fruits! Fruits are usually sweet and come from plants. They give us vitamins that help us stay healthy and fight off colds. What's your favorite fruit and why?"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 4: Veggie Victories!)

Teacher: "Now for vegetables! Veggies also come from plants and are super important for helping us grow big and strong. They have lots of good stuff for our bodies. Who can name a vegetable they like to eat?"

Teacher: "Excellent! We're going to do an activity where you get to draw and write about your favorite fruits and vegetables. This is your Food Group Fun Worksheet! Follow the instructions on the worksheet." (Distribute Food Group Fun Worksheet and crayons/markers)

Day 3: Grain & Protein Power!

Teacher: "Good morning, Food Heroes! We've learned about fruits and vegetables. Today, we're going to discover two more amazing food fuels: Grains and Proteins!"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 5: Grain Power!)

Teacher: "Grains give us long-lasting energy, like a slow-burning log in a campfire. This energy helps us play for a long time and think clearly in school! Can anyone name a food made from grains? Think about bread, pasta, or cereal."

Teacher: "Great examples! Whole grains are the best because they have extra fiber to help our tummies. Now, let's talk about Protein!"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 6: Protein Powerhouses!)

Teacher: "Proteins are like the building blocks for our bodies. They help us grow our muscles and keep us strong. Foods like chicken, beans, eggs, and nuts are full of protein. What protein foods do you enjoy?"

Teacher: "Fantastic! Now, let's play a game called Healthy Plate Power Game! We'll learn to put all these healthy foods together to make a super-powered meal!"

Day 4: Dairy Delights & Balanced Plates

Teacher: "Hello, Nutrition Navigators! We've explored fruits, veggies, grains, and proteins. Today, we have one more important food group and we'll learn how to put it all together!"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 7: Dairy Delights!)

Teacher: "Dairy foods are super important for making our bones and teeth strong, strong, strong! Think about milk, yogurt, and cheese. What dairy foods do you like to have?"

Teacher: "Awesome! Now that we know about all five food groups – fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy – it's time to learn how to make a balanced meal!"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 8: MyPlate Challenge!)

Teacher: "This picture shows us a 'MyPlate'. It helps us remember to eat a little bit of everything to make our bodies work their best! See how it has a space for fruits, veggies, grains, protein, and dairy? We want to try to fill our plates like this most of the time. We're going to become 'Nutrition Detectives' with our Nutrition Detective Activity!"

Day 5: Being a Healthy Hero!

Teacher: "Welcome back, Healthy Heroes! This week, we've learned so much about food and how it fuels our bodies. Can anyone tell me one new thing they learned about healthy eating?"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 9: Make Healthy Choices!)

Teacher: "When we choose healthy foods, we get to have more energy, learn better in school, stay healthy, and grow strong! These choices help us feel our best every single day!"

Teacher: "It's important to remember that it's okay to have treats sometimes, but our everyday foods should be the healthy ones we've learned about. Who can tell me one healthy choice they plan to make this week?"

(Display Healthy Eating Slide Deck - Slide 10: You are a Healthy Hero!)

Teacher: "You are all Healthy Heroes! Keep exploring and choosing foods that fuel your super body! I'm so proud of all your learning this week!"

Food Group Fun Worksheet

Name: _____________________________

Part 1: My Favorite Fruits and Veggies!

Draw your favorite fruit in the box below. Then, write its name and why you like it!

My favorite fruit is: _____________________________

I like it because:

Draw your favorite vegetable in the box below. Then, write its name and why you like it!

My favorite vegetable is: _____________________________

I like it because:

Part 2: Circle the Healthy Choice!

Look at each pair of foods. Circle the one that is a healthier choice for your body!

1. Apple or Candy Bar

2. Broccoli or French Fries

3. Whole Wheat Bread or White Bread

4. Chicken Nugget or Grilled Chicken

5. Water or Soda

6. Yogurt or Cookie

Part 3: What's Missing?

Imagine you are making a healthy plate! Draw one food from each group that would make a balanced meal. (Hint: Think about fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy!)

My Healthy Plate!

Healthy Plate Power Game!

Objective: To create a balanced meal using food cards from different food groups.

Materials:

• Printed and cut-out food cards (variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, dairy)
• Large paper plates or printed plate outlines for each student/group

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Cards: Before class, print and cut out various food pictures. Make sure you have a good mix of items from each food group (Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein, Dairy). You can even include a few "treat" foods (like candy or soda) to make choices more explicit.

2. Introduce the Game: "Alright, food architects! Today, we're going to build the most amazing, super-powered healthy plates! This game will help us remember all the different types of foods our bodies need."

3. Explain MyPlate (Optional Review): Briefly review the concept of MyPlate, showing the visual on Healthy Eating Slide Deck (Slide 8). Emphasize that a healthy plate has a mix of foods from different groups.

4. Gameplay - Individual or Group:

   • Option A (Individual): Give each student a paper plate/outline and a set of mixed food cards. Instruct them to choose a certain number of cards (e.g., 5-7) to create a balanced plate, trying to get at least one from each major food group (or as many as possible).
   • Option B (Small Group): Divide students into small groups (3-4). Give each group a large paper plate and a pile of food cards. Students work together to select cards to build one balanced meal on their group plate.

5. Discussion and Sharing: Once plates are built:

   • Have students/groups share their plates. "Tell us about the healthy meal you created!"
   • Ask: "What food groups did you include? Why did you choose those foods?"
   • Encourage discussion: "If you were missing a food group, what would you add to make it even healthier?" "Which foods give you energy to run and play? Which help you grow strong?"

6. Extension (Optional):

   • Have students draw their healthy plate on a piece of paper, labeling the food groups.
   • Challenge students to create a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner plate over three rounds.

Goal: The goal is not just to fill the plate, but to make thoughtful choices that represent a variety of healthy food groups. Reinforce that balance and variety are key!

Nutrition Detective Activity

Objective: To examine food labels and identify key healthy components or less healthy ingredients.

Materials:

• A variety of empty food packaging (e.g., cereal boxes, yogurt cups, fruit snack pouches, cracker boxes, canned vegetable labels, milk cartons).
• Food Group Fun Worksheet (for reference of food groups)
• Pencils
• Optional: Small magnifying glasses

Instructions:

1. Introduce the Mission: "Alright, Nutrition Detectives! Your mission today is to investigate the foods we eat by looking at their packaging. We're going to use our detective skills to find out what's inside!"

2. Review Food Groups: Briefly review the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, dairy) using the Healthy Eating Slide Deck or by asking students to recall.

3. Distribute Materials: Divide students into small groups (3-4 students per group). Give each group a selection of empty food packages.

4. The Investigation: Ask students to look at their food packages. Guide them with questions:

   • "What food group do you think this food belongs to?"
   • "Do you see any pictures of fruits, vegetables, or grains on the box?"
   • "Can you find the ingredients list? It's usually a small section of tiny words!"

5. Focus on Key Words (Simplified): Explain that they are looking for words they recognize, especially those that sound healthy. For younger students, focus on pictures and general categories. For older students (2nd-3rd grade), you can introduce looking for:

   • Good for us: words like "whole wheat," "fruit," "vegetable," "milk," "beans."
   • Maybe less good for us (in large amounts): words like "sugar," "syrup," "oil" (without getting too complex).

6. Detective Log (Guided Questions): Provide each group with a simple "Detective Log" (can be a piece of paper with these prompts):

   • Food Name: _____________________
   • What food group do I think it is? _____________________
   • Healthy Clues (What good ingredients did I see?):
     
     
     
   • Other Clues (Any words that mean lots of sugar or unhealthy fat?):
     
     
     
   • Is this a healthy choice for my body often or sometimes? _____________________

7. Share Findings: After a designated investigation time, bring the class back together. Have each group share their findings for one or two food packages.

   • "Detectives, what did you discover about [Food Name]?"
   • "Was it a good choice for our bodies? Why or why not?"

8. Wrap-up: Reiterate that being a "Nutrition Detective" helps us make smart choices about what we eat to fuel our super bodies!

Food Group Fun Worksheet

Name: _____________________________

Part 1: My Favorite Fruits and Veggies!

Draw your favorite fruit in the box below. Then, write its name and why you like it!

My favorite fruit is: _____________________________

I like it because:

Draw your favorite vegetable in the box below. Then, write its name and why you like it!

My favorite vegetable is: _____________________________

I like it because:

Part 2: Circle the Healthy Choice!

Look at each pair of foods. Circle the one that is a healthier choice for your body!

1. Apple or Candy Bar

2. Broccoli or French Fries

3. Whole Wheat Bread or White Bread

4. Chicken Nugget or Grilled Chicken

5. Water or Soda

6. Yogurt or Cookie

Part 3: What's Missing?

Imagine you are making a healthy plate! Draw one food from each group that would make a balanced meal. (Hint: Think about fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy!)

My Healthy Plate!

Healthy Plate Power Game!

Objective: To create a balanced meal using food cards from different food groups.

Materials:

• Printed and cut-out food cards (variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, dairy)
• Large paper plates or printed plate outlines for each student/group

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Cards: Before class, print and cut out various food pictures. Make sure you have a good mix of items from each food group (Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein, Dairy). You can even include a few

Nutrition Detective Activity

Objective: To examine food labels and identify key healthy components or less healthy ingredients.

Materials:

• A variety of empty food packaging (e.g., cereal boxes, yogurt cups, fruit snack pouches, cracker boxes, canned vegetable labels, milk cartons).
• Food Group Fun Worksheet (for reference of food groups)
• Pencils
• Optional: Small magnifying glasses

Instructions:

1. Introduce the Mission: "Alright, Nutrition Detectives! Your mission today is to investigate the foods we eat by looking at their packaging. We're going to use our detective skills to find out what's inside!"

2. Review Food Groups: Briefly review the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, dairy) using the Healthy Eating Slide Deck or by asking students to recall.

3. Distribute Materials: Divide students into small groups (3-4 students per group). Give each group a selection of empty food packages.

4. The Investigation: Ask students to look at their food packages. Guide them with questions:

   • "What food group do you think this food belongs to?"
   • "Do you see any pictures of fruits, vegetables, or grains on the box?"
   • "Can you find the ingredients list? It's usually a small section of tiny words!"

5. Focus on Key Words (Simplified): Explain that they are looking for words they recognize, especially those that sound healthy. For younger students, focus on pictures and general categories. For older students (2nd-3rd grade), you can introduce looking for:

   • Good for us: words like