Guidelines for Healthy EatingLesson 1-3

Objectives• TSW describe the recommendations for the Dietary Guidelines

for Americans.

• TSW explain how the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are useful in planning a healthy diet.

• TSW describe the importance of healthy eating and physical activity in maintaining a healthy weight.

Health Terms

IntroTransition

•Today you’re going to be learning more about how what you eat can affect your body. In your student journal, make a list of foods you tend to eat every day or several times a week. You won’t have to share what you write, and you’ll have a chance to review your list later.

Teaching StepsExplain

•Dietary Guidelines for Americans – based on the lasted scientific evidence about diet and health, updated every 5 years, purpose – offer info and advice on how to eat and promote health

Teaching StepsAsk and Discuss

•Why is it important to eat a variety of veggies and fruits?

Summarize

•Veggies and Fruits – provide vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, and fiber, low in fat, reduce risk of certain diseases

Survey

•What are some examples of fruits and veggies you like to eat?

Ask and Discuss

•Why is it important to eat whole grains?

Teaching StepsSummarize

•Grains – provide complex carbs, vitamins, minerals, gives the body lasting energy

•Whole grains – contain bran and germ, good source of fiber (nobody wants to be constipatedconstipated)

•Refined grains – removed all the good stuff, doesn’t have much fiber or nutrition

Survey

•What are some examples of grains you like to eat?

Teaching StepsAsk and Discuss

•Why is it important to limit the amount of saturated and trans fat you eat?

Summarize

•Body – needs a certain amount of fat to stay healthy, too much causes health problems though, eating too much causes weight gain, teens – no more than 25-35% of calories from fat

Survey

•What are some healthy sources of fat?

Teaching StepsAsk and Discuss

•Why should you limit how much added sugar you eat?

Summarize

•Sugar – added to a lot of foods and drinks, too much causes gain weight and tooth decay, sweets - contain simple carbs and provide no nutrients

Survey

•What are some naturally sweet foods you could try?

Teaching StepsAsk and Discuss

•Why is it important to limit how much salt you eat?

Summarize

•Salt – contains the mineral sodium, your body needs sodium but not too much, hypertension – causes damage to body parts and leads to health problems, most packaged or processed foods contain a lot of salt

Survey

•What are some ways you can add flavor without using salt?

Ask and Discuss- What’s the purpose of knowing and using the dietary guidelines?

Teaching Steps

Summarize- Following the guideline will help you make choices that will keep your body strong, healthy, and reduce risk of disease.

Review- Go back to the list you made at the beginning of class, look over the foods you tend to eat and put a star (*) by any that meet or fit with the dietary guidelines. Circle or underline any that are less healthy choices according to the guidelines.

Teaching StepsExplain

•The last guideline give advice about balancing calories to stay at a healthy weight. Let’s talk about what that means.

Teaching StepsAsk and Discuss

•What do you think it means to “balance” calories to stay at a healthy weight?

Summarize

•Food – used as fuel in the body, if not used (stored as fat)

Food in Calories used

Stays at same weight

Teaching StepsAsk and Discuss-How does your activity level affect the number of calories your body needs?

Summarize-Balance calories, eating less, burning off calories through physical activity – provides many health benefits, you stay health, fun

Explain-Carbs and proteins – 4 calories per gram-Fats – 9 calories per gram-More fat you eat -> more calories you have to burn

Teaching StepsAsk and Discuss

•The guidelines help people learn about and eat more nutrient-dense foods. What do you think this means?

Summarize

•Nutrient-dense – provides a lot of nutrition in relation to its calories, give you lots of vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, protein, healthy fats

•Eat food in their natural state instead of their processed forms

Survey

•What are some examples of nutrient-dense foods?

Teaching StepsSummarize

•Nutrient-dense foods – all veggies, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, beans, peas, unsalted nuts and seeds, low-fat or fat-free milk, lean meat, and chicken

Ask and Discuss

•You may also hear the term empty calories used to describe certain foods. What do you think this means?

Summarize

•Empty calories – foods with a lot of calories, but do not provide much nutrition, foods high in sold fats and added sugars (fast food and soft drinks)

ClosureClose

•What are the 6 dietary guidelines?

•What is a calorie?

•How can you “balance” calories?