Balance Your Food Groups Worksheet

Several Learnercise Nutrition or Phone Mats will be scattered on the perimeter of a playing area. A group will be assigned to each mat. In the center area nutrition cards will be scattered and the food group & exercise dice will be placed.

  • Participants of each group will number off and will go in the number order.
  • Using the My Pyramid or My Plate food recommendations, students will use their Learnercise Nutrition Mat as a plate and tßry to balance the correct number of foods for one meal. Example: 1-2 grains, 2-3 vegetables, 2-3 fruits, 1 milk / dairy, 1 meat / protein, and no more than 1 oil / sweet.
  • One person per team goes to a center area where they will find the dice. Since there is only one dice, they should race to try and get to it quickly.
  • They roll the food group dice then try to find a food card from that food group.
  • If they roll the dice to oil or sweet, then they roll the exercise dice and everyone on their team must perform 10 of the exercise. This is not a punishment. Leader should reinforce that they need to burn more calories if they eat oils and sweets.
  • If they roll a food group they do not need, they yell “No thank you! I’ll make a different choice” and they run back to their group and the next person will run to the center to roll the dice.
  • Play continues until the first group yells they are done or for a particular set time.
  • Teams win if they have the correct numbers of foods for each food group as indicated by the leader.

Variations:

Have students in each group add up the calories on the back of their cards to determine which group is also close to the recommended calories for the day.

Balanced Food Plan for the Day

For 9 – 13 year olds Between1,500 – 2,000 calories

Grains / Vegetables / Fruits / Dairy / Protein / Sugar/ Fats / Oils
6 ounces every day / Eat 2 ½ cups every day / Eat 2 cups every day / Get 3 cups every day / Eat 5 ½ ounces every day
What counts as an ounce:
  • 1 slice of bread
  • ½ cup of cooked rice, cereal or pasta,
  • 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
/ What counts as a cup:
  • 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice
  • 2 cups of leafy salad greens
/ What counts as a cup:
  • 1 cup of raw of cooked fruit or 100% fruit juice
  • ½ cup dried fruit
/ What counts as a cup:
  • 1 cup of milk, yogurt, or fortified soymilk
  • 1 ½ ounces natural of 2 ounces processed cheese
/ What counts as an ounce:
  • 1 ounce of lean meat, poultry, or fish
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp peanut butter
  • ½ ounce nuts or seeds
  • ¼ cup beans or peas
/ Limit empty calories to less that 260 per day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Nutrition on the Phone Mat

Red
1
Fruits / Yellow
2
Oils & Sweets / Green
3
Vegetables
Pink
4 / Blue
5
Dairy / Purple
6
Proteins
White
7 / Orange
8
Grains / Brown
9

Balance Your Food Groups Activity Worksheet

Goals for Day:

Grains / Vegetables / Fruits / Dairy / Protein / Grains / Other / Calories
6
Ounces / 2 ½
Cups / 2
Cups / 3
Cups / 5 ½ Ounces / 6
Ounces / Less than 200
Calories / Between 1,500 &
2,000
Group / Food / Serving Size / Calories
Grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Dairy
Protein
Other

Balance Your Food Groups Activity Worksheet

Goals for Day:

Grains / Vegetables / Fruits / Dairy / Protein / Grains / Other / Calories
6
Ounces / 2 ½
Cups / 2
Cups / 3
Cups / 5 ½ Ounces / 6
Ounces / Less than 200
Calories / Between 1,500 &
2,000
Group / Food / Serving Size / Calories
Grains
*1 point bonus if one is multi-grained
Vegetables
*1 point bonus if different colors
Fruits
*1 point bonus if different colors
Dairy
*1 point bonus if one is low-fat
Protein
*1 point bonus if lean
Other
*1 point bonus if less than 200 calories

Balance Your Food Groups Activity Worksheet

Goals for Day:

Grains / Vegetables / Fruits / Dairy / Protein / Grains / Other / Calories
Ounces / Cups / Cups / Cups / Ounces / Ounces / Less than
Calories / Between
Group / Food / Serving Size / Calories
Grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Dairy
Protein
Other