This lesson was designed to teach students the concept of proper nutrition.

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• This lesson was designed to teach students the
  concept of proper nutrition.
• The goal of this site is to teach junior high
  school students how to select foods that contain
  nutrients, eat the recommended number of servings
  from the food guide pyramid, plan a healthy diet
  that reduces the risk of disease, and develop
  healthful eating habits.

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Nutrients

• A nutrient is a substance in food that helps with
  body processes, helps with growth and repair of
  cells, and provides energy.
• Nutrients are the main foods you should include
  in your diet. These should be the basis of your
  meals in order to achieve proper nutrition. The
  following are all of the nutrients you should
  become familiar with proteins, carbohydrates,
  fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.

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The Six Nutrients

• A protein is a nutrient needed for growth, for
  building body tissues, and for supplying energy.
• Carbohydrates are the bodies main source of
  energy.
• A fat is a nutrient that provides energy and
  helps the body store and use vitamins.
• Vitamins are nutrients that help the body use
  carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They do not
  supply energy.
• A mineral is a nutrient that regulates many
  chemical reactions in the body.
• Water is a nutrient that is involved in all of
  the body processes, makes up the basic part of
  the blood, helps remove waste, regulates body
  temperature, and cushions the spinal cord and
  joints. (I bet you never knew water was so
  important!)

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Educational Sites
Another fun site you should see is called
Kidnetics.com http//www.kidnetic.com/ It was
designed especially for students in junior high
like yourself who are interested in learning
about health and nutrition!
There sure are lots of nutrients! Visit the
Nutrition Café website to learn more about
them http//www.exhibits.pacsci.org/nutrition/de
fault.html Youll find lots of fun games you can
play that will teach you about the different
nutrients!
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Food Groups and The Food Guide Pyramid
Now that you know what nutrients are, lets
learn about food groups. A food group is a
category of foods that contain similar nutrients.
The Food Guide Pyramid seen here illustrates
these food groups.
Visit the food guide pyramid site to learn about
the food groups lthttp//www.nal.usda.gov8001/py/
pmap.htmgt
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A Healthy Diet Reduces the Risk of Disease

• Diet affects a person's health status in the
  present as well as in the future. Children and
  teenagers who eat a healthful diet reduce their
  risk of developing certain diseases as adults.
  For example, a healthful diet helps reduce the
  risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases,
  diabetes, hypoglycemia, and osteoporosis.
• A healthful diet is high in nutrients but low in
  saturated fats.
• Visit these websites to learn more about
  nutrition and disease http//www.seekwellness.com
  /nutrition/disease.htm
• http//eyecare.freeyellow.com/healthresearch.html
  

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A key to proper nutrition is learning healthful
eating habits.

• To develop healthful eating habits, people
  must understand why they eat. They must plan
  breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to satisfy
  their hunger. They must recognize when they are
  eating for reasons other than hunger. Then they
  must evaluate whether eating for this reason
  promotes their health or harms their health.

The two reasons people eat are because of hunger
and appetite. Hunger is the physiological need
for food. Appetite is the desire to eat that
comes from factors other than hunger like
boredom, depression, or anger.
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Hunger Vs. Appetite

• The following are examples of eating out of
  hunger
• Eating breakfast because you haven't eaten since
  the night before.
• Eating after a strenuous workout or sports game.
• Eating when you hear or feel you stomach
  growling.
• The following are examples of eating out of
  appetite
• Eating because you are stressed from a test.
• Eating because you are sad or depressed.
• Eating because something looks or smells good.

People should only eat out of hunger, to obtain
the nutrients that are necessary for good health.
When a person eats out of appetite they are just
adding extra calories to their body. If this
becomes a regular habit it can lead to obesity.
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Congratulations, you now have all of the
knowledge you need to eat and live a healthy
life. Once you form your eating habits they can
be hard to break. That is why it is important
that you learn healthy eating habits now, so you
can continue them for the rest of your life.

• Neglecting your body of proper nutrients can
  lead to all kinds of problems and disease. Use
  the Food Guide Pyramid to make sure you are
  feeding your body all of the nutrients it needs
  to be healthy and function properly.