MYPLATE TRACKER.

Distribute one copy of the MyPlate 3-Day Food Tracker handout to each student. Explain that for the next three days, they are to track what they eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as all snacks.

 

During the three-day period, give students a few minutes each day to fill in their trackers. (At the end of the three days, they will evaluate their eating habits, set healthy goals, and reflect what they can do together as a class to eat healthier.)

 

TEAM MYPLATE CHEF CHALLENGE.

As a fun challenge to practice making healthy choices, students will collaborate in teams to come up with a healthy MyPlate lunch or snack recipe/meal plan.

 

Divide the class into teams of 4 to 5 students. To create their recipe or plan, they must choose at least one food from each food group. Encourage them to reference the MyPlate icon and the chart you created at the beginning of the lesson. Challenge teams to think about the combination of flavors.

 

If a food group can’t go in the dish itself, have them add it as a side item in their meal plan (for example, apple slices, carrot sticks or a glass of milk.) Once teams have decided upon a healthy recipe or meal plan, have them come up with a fun and catchy name for their dish!

 

As a final step, teams will create a poster to advertise their original recipes/ingredients. The poster should include the following information: recipe/dish title, a catchy and informative description, ingredients categorized by food group, and a picture.

 

For example: “Super Power Crunch Wrap” Check it out! This super wrap is packed with protein power and munchy-crunchy veggies. Grain: Whole-wheat tortilla Vegetables: cucumbers, red peppers, celery Protein: Grilled chicken Dairy: Cheddar cheese Fruit: Mango slices on the side

 

Invite them to use bright colors and descriptive words on their posters, to “sell” their recipes and make others want to try their creations. When they are finished, invite teams to present their work to the rest of the class, and then display posters around the school or in the cafeteria. You could also take and upload digital photos of each poster to create a MyPlate Chef Challenge slide show!

 

MYPLATE TRACKER - THE SEQUEL.

After three days, when students have completed the tracking activity, have them reflect on their habits and work together in pairs to set goals. Ask them to reflect on the following questions:

 

• Did I eat from the five food groups at least once every day?
• Did I eat from the five food groups at lunch and at dinner each day?
• What food group do I eat the most of?
• What food group do I eat the least of?

 

After a short discussion with their partners, have students write their answers in their notebooks.

 

GOAL SETTING.

After discussion evaluating their own behaviors with their partners, have each student set a personal healthy goal for applying MyPlate food groups to their own daily eating habits. What is my healthy food goal? What habits or support can I use to help me achieve my goal?

 

Explain that they should base their goal on trying and choosing the healthy food options they have discovered in previous activities and using MyPlate as a guide. Examples of goals could be trying vegetables they haven’t tried before; selecting fruits or vegetables as snacks; drinking lots of water

 

and having milk each day; and choosing oatmeal for breakfast…with healthy cereal toppings like nuts, seeds or berries!