Course: FOODS 11/12Gold
Unit: HEALTHY SNACKS AND LUNCHES
Curriculum Outcomes
It is expected that students will:
· prepare food products and meals based on Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating
· describe nutritional requirements throughout life
· analyse personal eating practices as they relate to physical and mental wellbeing
· evaluate personal eating practices and physical activity and plan changes where necessary
Healthy Living Learning Outcomes: Grade 2-3, 4
· describe activities that support their health, identify factors that promote health
· explain why they need a variety of foods
· classify foods into groups, including the food groups identified in Canada’s Food Guide
Rationale
Invite an elementary school class to learn some healthy eating plans and food preparation skills. This unit culminates with young students joining your class and preparing a meal with the help of your students. I have found this to be a wonderful experience for both groups of students. We teach the young students how to make homemade pizza pops (calzone) and share many ideas for healthy snacks and lunches.
Why target healthy eating at lunches and snacks? These are the meals that students (of all ages) are most independent of their parents while at school. What are students’ options? Cafeteria, hot lunch program, canteen, fast food locations close to school, grocery store, corner store, vending machines, pack their own food from home… How does a student’s sense of independence and control over their own choices affect their eating habits?
TIMELINE
WEEK 1: Plan ahead, pack your lunch
Monday Lesson 1: Packable lunch recipes
Tuesday Pasta Salad Lab
Wednesday Lesson 2: Grains Assignment
Thursday Grains Assignment
Friday Couscous, Quinoa, Amaranth Salad Lab
WEEK 2: Healthy snacks
Monday Lesson 3: What did you eat yesterday?
Tuesday Lesson 4: Healthy Snacks: Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Wednesday Southwestern Corncakes & Fresh Salsa
Thursday German Pretzel demonstration
Friday German Pretzel lab
WEEK 3: Share with a grade 2 class
Monday Flaxseed Crackers Lab
Tuesday Lesson 5: Lunch for Children: Granola Bar Lab
Wednesday Calzones Lab
Thursday Prep for class visit
Friday Grade 2 class visit
RESOURCES
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Lunch to Go! Food Safety Tips:
Preventing foodborne illness.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/tipcon/bagboxe.pdf
Nutrition Information Resource Center. Fact Sheet. Packing Lunches to Go.
http://www.heywood.org/obesity/recipes/pack%20a%20lunch.pdf
Grazing: Portable Snacks and Finger Food for Anytime, Anywhere
by Julie Van Rosendaal
Lesson 1: WHY PACK A LUNCH?
Purpose
Learn about the benefits of packing your own food and how to make healthier choices.
P Pack healthy lunches to school P Plan ahead for “packable” lunch recipes
P Find alternatives to store bought granola bars and vending machine snacks
Objectives Students will be able to:
Summarize and restate nutrition information to target a certain age group.
Plan, prepare, and pack a lunch for themselves and possibly their family.
Materials
Student handout: SCHOOL LUNCHES (one copy per group or pair)
Procedure
Day one: Why should we encourage students to pack their own lunches and snacks?
The SCHOOL LUNCHES handout is written for parents to answer this question. The information is great but how can we use it to attract and influence teenagers instead?
Lets use this handout to make a pamphlet to distribute to students at our school.
Distribute SCHOOL LUNCHES and extra blank paper. In groups have students design a 3-fold style pamphlet to distribute to their peers. You could have them use computers or simply handwrite the information. Develop criteria for evaluation with your students as you set out this assignment. This assignment can be completed during this class time. It may be worth allocating some additional class time to this activity if work from several groups should really be combined to produce the best pamphlet to distribute. You could book time in a computer lab for the second half of the pasta salad lab day and ask some of your students to put the pamphlet together.
Day Two: Pasta Salad Lab. I’m always amazed how many students have never made this simple salad. They love it! This is always a popular lab. It is so simple that I originally questioned its place, but when I realized how few students had ever tried making this salad I felt that it was worthwhile. It is so easy to vary the ingredients to suit individual taste or what happens to be on hand. This is an appealing solution for many students who need ideas for including more fresh vegetables in their diet. It is such a familiar and tasty salad. They are especially happy when they realize how much fresher and tastier it is than the one they like from the deli.
Recipe Check Point:
P For most pasta salads it is best to fully cook the pasta (rather than al dente) pasta firms up a bit when it is chilled.
Evaluation
Are students effectively able to take the information you provide them and target the teenage population? Assess their pamphlets.
Lab evaluation as per normal routine.
Reflection
SCHOOL LUNCHES
Buying lunch at school may be the first time your child gets to call the shots about which foods he or she will eat. The good news is that school lunches have improved over the years, both in taste and nutrition. Unfortunately, many school lunches meet the standards for protein, vitamins, calcium, and iron, but still exceed recommendations for fat. Some schools also have made an effort to serve better dishes, such as grilled chicken sandwiches and salads.
The downside is obvious: In the typical school cafeteria, your child can still choose an unhealthy mix of foods, taking advantage of the less nutritious fare often available a la carte or in the vending machine. For instance, a child might decide to buy the same kid-pleasing entrée, such as a hot dog, day after day.
A Lunchtime Opportunity
Use school lunches as a chance to steer your child toward good choices. You can't force a child, but you can make it easier to eat healthy. Especially with younger kids, start by explaining how a nutritious lunch will give them the energy to finish the rest of the school day and enjoy after-school activities. Here are some other steps to take: Look over the cafeteria menu with your child. Ask what a typical lunch includes and which meals he or she particularly likes. Recommend items that are healthier, but be willing to allow your child to buy favourite lunch items occasionally, even if that includes a hot dog. Ask about foods like chips, soda, and ice cream. Find out if and when these foods are available at school.
Encourage your child to pack a lunch, at least occasionally. If you do it right, this can put you back in the driver's seat and help you to ensure that your child is getting a nutritious midday meal.
Healthier Alternatives
Encourage your child to choose cafeteria meals that include fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, such as wheat bread instead of white. Also, avoid fried foods when possible and choose milk or water as a drink.
If you're helping your child pack a lunch, start by brainstorming foods and snacks that he or she would like to eat. In addition to old standbys, such as peanut butter and jelly, try pitas or wrap sandwiches stuffed with grilled chicken or veggies. Try soups and salads, if your child is willing, and don't forget last night's leftovers as an easy lunchbox filler. You also can take your child's current lunch and perform a lunch makeover.
Here are some suggestions for small changes that do make a nutritional difference.
Higher-fat lunch meats / Lower-fat deli meats, such as turkey
White bread / Whole-grain breads (wheat, oat, multigrain)
Mayonnaise / Light mayonnaise or mustard
Fried chips and snacks / Baked chips, air-popped popcorn, trail mix, veggies and dip
Fruit in syrup / Fruit in natural juices or fresh fruit
Cookies and snack cakes / Trail mix, yogurt, or homemade baked goods such as oatmeal cookies or fruit muffins
Fruit drinks and soda / Milk, water, or 100% fruit juice
And here's how two lunches stack up, after a typical lunch got a nutritional upgrade:
Typical lunch / Nutritional upgrade / Why it's betterBeef bologna on white / Lean turkey on whole wheat / Less fat and more fibre
Mayonnaise / Lettuce and mustard / Less fat and fewer calories
Potato chips / Carrots and celery with light dressing / Less fat and two additional vegetable servings
Fruit cup in light syrup / Fresh grapes / Fewer calories and more fibre
Chocolate sandwich cookies / Homemade trail mix / Less fat and more fibre
Fruit punch drink / Skim milk / Fewer calories, less sugar, plus calcium
980 calories / 725 calories / 255 fewer calories
48 g fat / 13.5 g fat / 34.5 fewer grams of fat
13.5 g saturated fat / 2.5 g saturated fat / 11 fewer grams of saturated fat
125 g carbohydrates / 120 g carbohydrates / 5 fewer grams of carbohydrates
59 g sugar / 52 g sugar / 7 fewer grams of sugar
3 g fibre / 13 g fibre / 10 more grams of fibre
Prepackaged lunches for kids are popular and convenient, but they're also expensive and can be less than nutritious. Instead, create your own packable lunch using healthier ingredients. Consider these components and pack them in plastic containers, resealable plastic bags, or colorful plastic wrap:
· cold-cut roll ups (lean turkey, ham, or roast beef; lower-fat cheese; flour tortillas)
· cold pizza (mozzarella cheese; pizza sauce; flour tortilla, or mini pizza shell)
· cracker sandwiches (whole-grain crackers with cream cheese or peanut butter)
· peanut butter and celery sticks
· veggie sticks with low-fat dip or dressing
· 100% fruit juice box
· optional dessert (choose one):low-fat pudding, oatmeal raisin cookie, graham crackers, fresh fruit
Be sure to check with your child's school to make sure that there aren't any restrictions on what kids can pack in their lunches. And don't forget to involve the kids in the process so that healthier lunches can become a goal they can strive for, too.
Safe Packing
A packed lunch carries the added responsibility of keeping the food safe to eat. That means keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. One study found that fewer than a third of parents included a cold pack when packing yogurt, deli-meat sandwiches, and other foods that need refrigeration. Here are some suggestions to keep foods safe when packing your child's lunches:
· Wash your hands first.
· Use a thermos for hot foods.
· Use cold packs or freeze some foods and drinks overnight.
· Wash out lunch boxes or lunch bags every day.
· Toss in some moist towelettes to remind kids to wash their hands before eating- and to clean themselves up afterward.
http://69.7.225.164/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/lunch.html
CREAMY PASTA SALAD
To serve 2-3 people:
250 mL pasta
80 mL reduced-fat mayonnaise
15 mL red wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 clove garlic, minced
5 mL dried basil, crumbled or 15 mL fresh basil, finely chopped
2 mL salt
pinch pepper
½ tomato, diced
¼ green pepper, diced
(or any other vegetables you happen to have - cucumber, celery, zucchini, leftover cooked green beans or carrots - try different combinations!)
Instructions:
1. Cook pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.
2. In a medium salad bowl stir together mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.
3. Add pasta and prepared vegetables to dressing. Stir well to coat.
TRY THIS AT HOME:
You will need: containers for packing
ingredients for salad
This evening, ask how many people in your family would like a salad packed for their lunch tomorrow – adjust the recipe amounts accordingly and whip up this easy lunch for them.
Any shape of pasta will do – see what you have on hand
Be creative with what ever vegetables happen to be in the fridge!
What else could you pack to complete the meal?
Bring your lunch to class tomorrow to show me the salad you created.
Lesson 2: GRAINS & GRAIN SALADS
Purpose
Try some unfamiliar foods!
Objectives Students should be able to:
Gain awareness of a variety of common and unusual grains, their characteristics and cooking methods.
Materials
18 Small bowls, samples of each of the grains on the chart, clear tape
Info sheet for general grain information and for each grain.
Student Handout: GRAINS
Grain Salad Recipes
Procedure
Day One and Two: Grain Discussion, Samples, Assignment and Chart
I set up 18 stations around the room, on tables and counters, with each of the grain samples and an info page specific to each grain. I usually introduce the activity with the three recipes they have to choose from and identifying the grains which are used in these recipes. Highlight a few key points from the info sheet for each of these three grains and discuss some of the benefits of eating whole grains versus processed and refined products.