READING FOOD LABELS: A GREAT TWO MINUTE DRILL

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1 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LESSON READING FOOD LABELS: A GREAT TWO MINUTE DRILL OBJECTIVES: 1. Why are food labels important? 2. Parts of a food label: a. Serving size b. Servings per container c. Calories d. Sugar e. Fat INDIANA STANDARDS (Grades 3-5).1.1 Identify the link between healthy choices and being healthy. (Grades 3-5).5.5 Identify a healthy choice when making a decision. (Grades 3-5).7.2 Identify a healthy practice to maintain personal health and wellness. TEACHER TALKING POINTS Why are food labels important? They can help you decide what to choose as part of your healthy eating plan. Labels tell you what the ingredients in the food are and where the food came from. The ingredient list is an important part of the label. Ingredients are listed in order so you get an idea of how much of each ingredient is in the food. When something is listed first, second or third, you know that this food probably contains a lot of it. The food will contain smaller amounts of the ingredients mentioned at the end of the list. Parts of a food label: a. Serving size i. Always start with the serving size amount, which is usually found at the top of the label. The rest of the information on the label is based on that amount. ii. Sometimes you d be surprised that what you think is one serving (i.e. a bag of potato chips) is actually two servings. b. Servings per container i. The label also tells you how many servings are contained in that package of food. If there are 15 servings in a box of cookies and each serving is two cookies, you have enough for all 30 kids in your class to have one cookie each. c. Calories i. A calorie is a way to measure how much energy a food provides to your body. The number on the food label shows how many calories are in one serving of that food. ii. The number of calories a person needs varies, depending on that person s gender, age, weight and activity level.

2 d. Sugar i. Check the ingredient list to see where sugar appears and try to limit foods that mention sugar in the first few ingredients. That means it s a very sugary food. Sugar has different names, so it might also be called high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sucrose, or glucose. e. Fat i. Total fat shows how much fat is in a single serving of food. Our bodies need a little fat every day because it is an important source of energy. ii. Unsaturated fats, which are found in vegetable oils, nuts and fish, are often called good fats because they don t raise cholesterol levels. iii. Saturated fats and trans fats are considered bad because they can increase a person s risk for developing heart disease. These fats typically come from animal products like cheese or meat. When you read Nutrition labels, try to select foods that are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and low in sugar, sodium, fat and cholesterol.

3 STUDENT ACTIVITY Food Ranking Activity A food-ranking activity is a way for students learn what s important on a nutrition label when making healthy food choices. To do this activity, bring in six to eight different foods with labels. Without looking at the labels, ask students to rank the foods in order of what they think is the healthiest down to the least healthy. Once they determine the order, they can then analyze the nutrition labels to see if they correctly ranked them. A variation on this activity is to rank the foods on a specific component on the label, such as most calories to least calories or the most fiber to the least. to

4 FAMILY INFORMATION Creating opportunities to talk about healthy eating habits at home with your child can go a long way toward developing lifelong healthy eating habits. Mealtimes are great opportunities, but don t limit yourself to discussing nutrition just at the table. Here are some tips for helping your child learn more about reading food labels: Make the grocery shopping list together and compare various brands of the same food at the grocery store. Guess the serving size As your child is getting ready for his/her snack, ask them to measure out what they think is one serving. Then have them measure out what the actual serving size is according to the food label. Prepare Individual servings of snack foods At the start of the week, have your child check the food labels of his/her favorite snacks and measure out single servings that can be eaten after school. Have a Snack Food Scavenger Hunt Each family member finds a favorite snack food in the kitchen. Have your child lead everyone in finding which food is highest or lowest in a particular nutrient. For example, compare the number of calories in one serving of each food and select the nutritional winner with the lowest calories. Use different nutrients on different days.

5 LESSON PLAN EVALUATION 1. Food labels tell you what ingredients are in a specific food. True False 2. Every person needs the same amount of calories each day. True False 3. Foods that are high in fiber are generally good for you. True False 4. Foods that are high in sugar are good for you. True False