A Balanced Diet: The Food Pyramid

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A Balanced DietThe Food Pyramid

• A health lesson for a 3rd grade classroom

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Covered TEKS

• 115.5 Health Education, Grade 3
• ( b) Knowledge and skills
• (1) Health Behaviors. The student explains ways
  to enhance and maintain health throughout the
  lifespan.
• The student is expected to
• (D) describe food combinations in a
  balanced diet
• such as a food pyramid.

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Questions

• Essential Question
• 1) How does what you eat effect your health?
  How could your eating habits now effect your
  future?
• Unit Questions
• 1) What are the basic food groups essential
  for good health?
• 2) How much do you need of each daily?

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Lesson Objective

• At the end of this unit, students should
  understand the basics of good nutrition according
  to the food pyramid. They should be able to apply
  this knowledge to their lives by planning a
  healthy snack. Also, the students should come
  away with an understanding of how nutrition
  effects their health and their lives.

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Group 1 Grains

• 6 11 servings a day
• Serving size is 1 cup cereal, ½ cup cooked pasta
  or rice, or 1 slice of bread.
• Examples sandwich bread, spaghetti, pancakes,
  rice, etc.

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Group 2 Vegetables

• 3 5 servings a day
• Serving size is ½ cup, or about the size of the
  bulb part of a light bulb.
• Examples carrots, broccoli, green beans, baked
  potato, salad (lettuce)

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Group 3 Fruits

• 2 4 servings a day
• Serving size is 1 medium piece of fruit, or about
  the size of a baseball.
• Examples apple, banana, orange, strawberries,
  peach, applesauce, watermelon, grapes

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Group 4 Dairy

• 2 3 serving a day
• Serving size is 1 cup of milk or yogurt, or 1
  ounce of cheese, about the size of two dominos.
• Examples a glass of milk, a yogurt cup, string
  cheese, milk on your cereal

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Group 5 Protein

• 2 3 servings a day
• Serving size is 3 ounces of meat, chicken, or
  fish, (or about the size of the palm of a womans
  hand), ½ cup beans, or 1 egg.
• Examples scrambled eggs, chicken nuggets, beans,
  ham or turkey lunchmeat

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Group 6 Fats, Oils, and Sweets

• Dont eat very much of these!
• Serving size is 1 tablespoon of salad dressing, 1
  teaspoon of sugar, or 1 pat of butter
• Example candy, cookies, fried foods, ice cream,
  ranch dip

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References

• USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
  (CNPP) 2005 food pyramid.
• web.mit.edu/.../sportsmedicine/wcrfoodpyr.html
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Serving
  Sizes Approximations to Other Items
• http//web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrser
  vings.html