Station 1
This will help you answer question #1.
This station will teach you the difference between a product name and a brand name.
Product name is what the item is. For example, “Heinz Ketchup”, ketchup is the product name.
Brand name is the company’s name. Heinz is the brand name of ketchup.
This will help you answer question #2.
Sometimes a company will make its own unique name for a product and register that name. It becomes a registered trademark and no one else can use that name.
Look at the box of Nilla Wafers.
Product name is Wafers.
Brand name is Nilla.
Company name is Nabisco.
Nabisco owns the name Nilla and no other company can call its wafers Nilla.
Station 2
This will help you answer question #5.
This station will teach you about ingredients on a label.
Ingredients must be listed on a food package label. It helps the consumer to know the nutritional content of any packaged food and to help the consumer avoid buying any product that may cause an allergic reaction.
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight (amount). This means that the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last.
Look at the Nestle White Morsels package. Notice the first ingredient listed is sugar. Sugar is the main ingredient by weight. The 4th ingredient is nonfat milk.
Interesting Fact: There is NO chocolate in Nestle White Morsels.
Station 3
This will help you answer questions 7 and 8.
This station will help you understand serving size.
Serving size is the first thing listed on a nutrition facts label. Serving size reflects the amount of food that a person may actually eat at one time. It is a recommended amount suggested by the manufacturer of that food. The amounts are expressed as common household measurements (cups, tablespoons, etc.)
Remember: all the nutrition facts and values on the label are for one serving. That is what amount per serving means.
Look at the label for Pop Tarts.
The serving size is 1 pastry or “pop tart”.
You will consume 210 calories if you eat 1 pastry. If you choose to eat 2, you will double your calories, 420!
Many people eat way more than the recommended serving size. This can make it challenging to manage your weight.
Station 4
This will help you with question 10.
Fiber comes from plant sources of food.
An apple contains fiber. Milk and eggs do not have fiber.
Fiber is not digested by the body, but is a very important nutrient that aids in digestion, helps to keep our bodies “regular” (bowel movementsJ) and fills up your stomach (so you won’t feel hungry; it keeps you feeling full).
You should aim to eat 25-30 grams of fiber a day.
Foods high in fiber include: raspberries, split peas, lentils, beans (any kind), shredded wheat, popcorn (air popped), oatmeal, celery, apples, pears, broccoli, artichokes.
Foods high in fiber contain at least 3 g. of fiber/serving.
Look for dietary fiber when reading the label.
Station 5
This station will help you answer question 11.
Sodium is a necessary element in the body. The body uses sodium to control blood pressure and blood volume. It also helps your muscles and nerves work properly.
Sodium occurs naturally in most foods. The most common form of sodium is found in sodium chloride, which is table salt.
Too much sodium may lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.
Sodium is added to many processed foods to enhance (add) flavor and as a preservative. This means it can stay on the grocery store shelf longer.
Many people reach for the salt shaker before tasting their food. Dietary experts recommend consuming less than 2300 mg. of sodium per day. This amount equals 1 tsp. of salt daily.
An example of a product high in sodium is the Freschetta frozen pizza at 820 mg./serv.
The Nutella Hazelnut Spread is low in sodium at 15 mg./serv.
Canned foods (especially soups), frozen foods and processed meats tend to be high in sodium. Why do you think this is so? Think about sodium’s function as a preservative.
Station 6
This station will help you to answer question 12.
Calcium helps build strong bones. It helps fight osteoporosis, which is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle.
Calcium rich foods include: milk, yogurt, cheese, dark green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli), sardines, fortified drinks (such as orange juice).
Station 7
This will help you answer question 8.
Fats are essential for normal body function by:
· providing concentrated source of energy
· acting as building blocks for cells
· acting as a carrier for fat soluble vitamins A,D,E & K
· aiding in brain development
There are good fats and bad fats.
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Try to consume less than 10% of your daily calories from saturated fats. Examples would be butter, margarine and shortening.
Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and a better choice. Examples of these would be olive oil, corn oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil and so on.
Dietary experts recommend you limit your fat consumption to less than 30% of total daily calories.
Station 8
This will help you answer question 4.
Sugar is found in almost every food either naturally or as an additive to enhance sweetness and taste.
Sugar is an important energy source for the body and has its place in your diet, but excessive sugar consumption can lead to serious health complications and diseases (obesity and diabetes).
The average American eats 22 tsp. of sugar per day.
Sugar is listed on a nutrition facts label underneath Carbohydrates. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate and is listed in grams. 4 g. of sugar = 1 tsp. of sugar. That is a measurement we can relate to and understand.
Dietary experts recommend we limit our daily intake of sugar to 6 tsp. of sugar for women and 9 tsp. for men.
Ways to reduce sugar intake would be: drink water instead of soda or juice, cut back on candy and sweets, skip dessert, eat more fruit (natural sugar), read labels, swap high sugar breakfast cereals for low-sugar, high fiber cereals.
Station 9
This will help you answer question 13.
Nutrient Dense Foods are foods that have a lot of nutrients but relatively few calories. In other words, they give you the most nutrients for the least amount of calories.
They are dense in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats.
They are low in calories.
Examples of nutrient dense foods include:
Fruits vegetables grains
Beans liver kale
Shellfish salmon sardines
Blueberries garlic eggs
Milk yogurt dark chocolate
Foods that are not dense in nutrients are often called
Empty calorie foods, which means they are high in calories but low in nutrients.
Avoid or limit empty calorie foods such as soda, candy, chips, processed foods and fast foods.
Choose foods that offer you “the most bang for your buck”, so to speak. Eat an apple instead of a candy bar.