Sugar Sneak Attack: Food Label Investigation

Activity Overview

This activity invites students to dive into real food labels, investigating and identifying hidden sugars that lurk in everyday foods. The goal is to help students become more aware of the sugar content in their food choices and understand the link between sugar intake and diabetes risk.

Objectives

• Examine food labels to identify hidden sugars.
• Understand how sugar content is indicated on food labels.
• Discuss how unrecognized sugars can contribute to diabetes risk and why making informed choices matters.

Materials Needed

• Real-life food labels (printed copies or digital images).
• Identifying Hidden Sugars lesson plan as a reference.
• Making Healthier Choices discussion prompts.

Instructions

1. Introduction (3 minutes)

• Begin by reminding students about the importance of understanding what goes into their food. Ask: "What are some surprising sources of sugar you know?"
• Briefly explain that today's activity will focus on dissecting food labels to hunt for hidden sugars.

2. Group Work: Label Scavenger Hunt (12 minutes)

• Divide the class into small groups.
• Distribute a variety of food labels among the groups. Encourage a mix of labels from beverages, cereals, snacks, and sauces to ensure a broad exploration.
• Task: Each group will examine the labels and use the provided guidelines from the Food Label Investigation steps to identify:
  • Ingredients that are hidden sources of sugar (e.g., corn syrup, maltose, dextrose).
  • How the sugar content is listed (grams per serving, percent daily value, etc.).
• Discussion Prompt: Ask groups to note any unexpected ingredients that could be contributing sugar to the product.

3. Group Discussion and Analysis (10 minutes)

• Reconvene as a whole class and have each group share one or two surprising food labels they analyzed.
• Facilitator Questions:
  • What ingredient names did you find that you weren’t familiar with?
  • How did the presentation of sugar content on the label affect your understanding?
  • Can you think of healthier alternatives to these products?
• Link to Diabetes Prevention: Emphasize how understanding these details can help in preventing excessive sugar intake and potentially lower the risk of diabetes.

Follow-Up and Reflection

• Reflection Question: Ask students to write down one change they plan to make in their food choices after learning about hidden sugars (provide space for answers below).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Extension Challenge: Challenge students to review the ingredients on the food labels of their own lunch or snacks purchased at home and report back in the next class.

Wrap-Up

Congratulate the students on becoming savvy sugar detectives. Remind them that understanding food labels is a key skill in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing diabetes.

Making Healthier Choices Discussion

Overview

This discussion session is designed to help students synthesize their findings from the Food Label Investigation. The focus is on developing strategies for making healthier food choices by understanding and acting on the information gathered from food labels.

Discussion Prompts

1. What surprised you the most during the Food Label Investigation?
   
   
   
   
   
   

   • Follow-up: Which ingredient did you not expect to be a source of hidden sugars?

2. How does knowing about hidden sugars change the way you look at food labels?
   
   
   
   
   
   

   • Follow-up: Are there any products you used to enjoy that now seem less healthy?

3. What are some strategies you can use to make healthier food choices?
   
   
   
   
   
   

   • Follow-up: How can you apply these strategies when shopping for food with your family?

4. Why is it important to be aware of hidden sugars in the context of diabetes prevention?
   
   
   
   
   
   

   • Follow-up: In what ways do you think reducing sugar intake could impact overall health?

Key Points for Discussion

• Understanding the multiple names and forms in which sugar can appear on ingredient lists.
• The significance of reading nutritional labels beyond just the 'sugar' section (e.g., grams per serving, percent daily value).
• The role of informed food choices in preventing long-term health issues like diabetes.
• Real-life application: Use the investigation as a basis to compare healthier alternatives available in the market.

Tips for Facilitation

• Encourage every student to share their thoughts, even if they are new to the topic.
• Use specific examples from the Food Label Investigation to anchor the discussion.
• Summarize key takeaways on the board to help students visualize better choices they can make.

Reflection

Ask students to write down one personal action they will take to reduce hidden sugar in their diets. This final reflection can be shared with the class or kept as a personal commitment.