G4G Training STAFF TRAINING MODULE 2 INSTRUCTOR GUIDE CLASS TIMELINE Program Title: Module 2: G4G Color and Sodium Codes Instructor: Certified Go for Green trainer Preferred: Dietitian certified as a Go for Green trainer; experienced in teaching small groups and interfacing with food service personnel Class Length: 25 minutes Audience: Dining facility staff Program Format: Group lecture Program/Learning Objectives: Identify why it s important to know the meaning of color and sodium codes Categorize foods and beverages using Green, Yellow, or Red color codes Assign foods to Low, Moderate, or High sodium content categories Required materials: Computer with display screen Slide deck presentation: G4G Staff Training Module 2 PPT Script: G4G Staff Training Module 2 Instructor Guide Overview/Purpose/Notes (optional): Developed by: Go for Green Team Developed/Last Revised: February 2016 Handouts: G4G Guide: One page (2-sided; color printout when possible) http://hprc-online.org/nutrition/files/g4g- Guide101515.pdf Event developed for (if applicable): Go for Green Initial Training Note to instructor: Prior to teaching, visit http://hprc-online.org/nutrition/go-for-green and review Frequently Asked Questions Time Subtitle Script, Activities explained, etc. 1 min Overview Discuss Module 2 outline: Food Cards/Beverage Cards Code #1: Color Green, Yellow, or Red Code #2: Sodium Test Your Knowledge We ll be discussing why it s important to understand G4G 2015 s color and sodium codes. We ll also complete activities using real-world examples.
15 min Slide presentation Teach module using slide deck: G4G Staff Training Module 2 PPT 5 8 min Instructor-led activities Complete activities with staff Script for use with G4G Staff Training Module 2 PPT presentation Slide 1: Slide 2: Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4 Activity 5 Use script (in combination with slides) for talking points and audience discussion prompts: G4G Staff Training Module 2 Instructor Guide Match the Codes: Color Ask participants to match each food item to its corresponding (Red, Yellow, or Green) code Which Code is Correct? Ask participants to choose the correct food card (Red or Green) for the recipe Food Comparison Ask participants to identify which added ingredients change yogurt from Green --> Yellow --> Red Match the Codes: Beverages Ask participants to match each beverage to its corresponding (Red, Yellow, or Green) code Match the Codes: Sodium Ask participants to match each food item to its corresponding (Low, Moderate, or High) sodium code 1 min Wrap-up Answer questions Welcome to Go for Green Staff Training Module 2: G4G Color and Sodium Codes. We ll cover why it s important for you to know the Go for Green coding basics. We ll review what identifies a food or beverage as Green, Yellow, or Red. We ll also review the process for identifying high-, moderate-, and low-sodium foods. Together, we ll perform activities using real-world examples. Here s what the new Go for Green Food Cards look like. They contain the following information: > > (Click 1, 2) The name of the food or beverage is clearly listed on the card.
Slide 3: Slide 4: Slide 5: > > (Click 3, 4) Code #1 refers to the color code. These laminated cards will have Green, Yellow, or Red backgrounds. > > (Click 5, 6) Code #2 refers to the sodium or salt content code. The salt-shaker symbol indicates Low, Moderate, or High sodium content. As a reminder, beverages and fruit will not be coded for sodium they ll only have color codes. Their cards look the same except they do not have a salt-shaker symbol. All foods and beverages are first coded as Green, Yellow, or Red. What makes a food or beverage Green, Yellow, or Red? This code represents the nutritional quality of a food or drink. Go for Green 2015 has different coding criteria than its earlier version. That s why you might notice certain recipes have a new code. For example, something that was previously Green is now Yellow. Nutrition professionals look at many aspects of a food or beverage before it s assigned a color code. These include total fat, saturated that is, less-healthy fat, processing, sugar, fiber, and artificial ingredients. The best way to remember the Green, Yellow, and Red colors is by picturing a stoplight. Red-coded foods should be eaten rarely. Service members should stop and think before eating the least-healthy foods and beverages. Yellow-coded foods should be eaten occasionally these are somewhat healthy. Green-coded foods should be eaten often these are the healthiest. The G4G Guide is a quick-and-easy reference that places popular foods into the Red, Yellow, and Green categories. The G4G Guide can be downloaded from the G4G website. When we look at these color codes in more detail, we see the breakdown of each food s nutritional quality. Green foods and beverages are the least-processed, whole foods. Nutrient-packed, they re usually high in fiber, have little if any added sugar, and if they contain fats, they re mostly healthy fats. These items should be consumed often. Yellow foods and beverages are moderately healthy since they include some processing but also some healthful nutrients. They re lower in natural fiber than Green-coded foods. They sometimes also contain higher amounts of added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and poor-quality fats. These items should be consumed occasionally. Red foods and beverages have the most processing and the lowest-quality ingredients. They contain minimal fiber. Just like Yellow-coded foods, these sometimes contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Additionally, they sometimes include excess fats or unhealthy trans fats. Fried foods are Red-coded too. Overall, these items should be consumed rarely or in small amounts. Let s first focus on Green-coded foods since these are the healthiest choices for boosting service members performances. Some examples of Green-coded foods include: > > Most fresh and frozen vegetables and fruits > > Whole grains such as brown rice, barley, and oats > > Whole-grain products, including whole-grain breads and pastas > > Lean proteins, including most fish, shellfish, and skinless chicken and turkey
Slide 6: Slide 7: Slide 8: > > Healthy fats, including plant-based oils such as olive and canola > > Nuts, seeds, beans, and peas, which provide healthy fats and lean protein When looking at Green-coded beverages, consider sugar content. Many drinks can have surprisingly high amounts of added sugar. Plain, carbonated, naturally flavored water; decaf coffee and tea; herbal teas; 100% vegetable juices; and skim or 1% milk are all coded Green. Next, let s look at examples of Yellow-coded foods and drinks. These moderate-performance fuel items should be eaten occasionally. Yellow-coded foods and drinks offer some good nutrition, but not as much as Green-coded items. Yellow-coded items can provide needed fuel when Green-coded choices are limited. Yellow-coded foods include fruit with added sugar, such as canned fruit in syrup. Yellow-coded starches and grains aren t whole-grain they include white rice or pasta and white-bread products. Low-fat versions of snack foods such as pretzels, baked chips, and crackers are Yellow-coded. Meats that are higher in fat and calories such as skin-on chicken and turkey, ham, and roast beef are Yellow-coded too. Low-fat versions of sausage and bacon, such as those made with turkey or chicken, are also coded Yellow. Less-healthy fats such as corn and vegetable oils are Yellow-coded too. Be mindful of portion sizes on Yellow-coded drinks, including 100% fruit juices and sports drinks. These beverages often contain some added sugar or use artificial sweeteners. Higher-fat and flavored milks also fall into this category. However, when used as recovery beverages, chocolate milk and sports drinks should be considered Green-coded. Red-coded foods and drinks are low-performance fuel and should be eaten rarely, since they re not as nutritious as Yellow or Green items. Service members shouldn t avoid these entirely, but they should limit how much or how often they consume Red-coded foods. Red-coded foods are high in fat and sugar and often are processed. Some examples include: > > Vegetables or pasta with cream or cheese sauces > > Pastries, doughnuts, and sweet breads > > Snack foods such as chips, buttery popcorn, and many types of crackers > > Meats such as hot dogs or bacon > > Creamy, non-oil-based salad dressings and gravies Red-coded drinks such as soft drinks, sweet tea, fruit punch, and juices are high in sugar. Redcoded beverages can be high in fat too. Red-coded drinks also include coffee and tea with added sugar or syrup, cream, and whole milk. In this example, we ll discuss different preparation methods for a white potato. Let s see how its color code changes. > > (Click 1) A plain, baked potato with skin is Green-coded. > > (Click 2) If we slice up that potato, add some oil, and bake it in the oven, it changes to Yellow-coded. > > (Click 3) If we deep-fry the potato slices, then that same food item changes to Red-coded.
Slide 9: Slide 10: Slide 11: Slide 12: > > What made the potato change from Green to Yellow to Red? How did the cooking or preparation process affect its coding reassignment? Answer: The added oil increased the amount of fat in the baked French fries. Any deep-fried food item is automatically Red-coded. Let s talk about sodium, or salt, codes. This is a new code that Go for Green is introducing, so don t be surprised if you haven t seen it before. The amount of salt that service members and others need varies based on one s activity, health, and environment. Too much salt can be harmful to health, but too little salt can be harmful too. By noticing sodium symbols, diners become more aware of how much salt is in their foods. Remember that beverages and fruits aren t coded for sodium. These items have color codes only. What makes a food Low-, Moderate-, or High-sodium? Red-coded foods aren t automatically high-sodium foods. Keep in mind that Green-, Yellow-, and Red-coded foods can be coded Low-, Moderate-, or High-sodium. Knowing this information can be helpful when looking at the Food Cards for accuracy. For example, should that sausage patty be coded as Low-sodium? Here are some examples of Low-, Moderate-, and High-sodium foods: > > Good rule of thumb: Fresh, unprocessed, and unseasoned foods are generally low in sodium. These include fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, unseasoned grains, oils, and milk. > > Moderate-sodium foods include processed foods such as breads, rolls, biscuits, and snack foods such as chips, pretzels, and crackers. Sauces and glazes often contain moderate amounts of sodium too. Most frozen meal starters are moderate-sodium due to the seasoning. Canned foods and broths labeled low-sodium often contain moderate amounts of sodium. > > High-sodium foods are often found in cans, jars, or boxes. Common high-sodium foods include canned soups and tomato products: sauces, stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, etc. Deli meats, cold cuts, and processed meats such as sausage, bacon, and hot dogs are coded High-sodium. Even small servings of condiments and toppings such as soy sauce, ketchup, gravy, nacho cheese sauce, and pickles contain high amounts of sodium. Now that we ve learned about color and sodium codes for your dining facilities foods and beverages, it s time to test your knowledge! Match the correct color code to the following foods: Ranch dressing, spinach salad, and English muffin made with white flour. > > (Click 1) Ranch dressing is Red > > (Click 2) Spinach salad is Green > > (Click 3) The English muffin is Yellow > > Why are those foods coded the way they are?
Answer: Ranch is Red-coded because it s a creamy dressing and higher in less-healthy fats. Spinach salad is Green-coded because it s a fresh vegetable. English muffin is Yellow-coded because it s made with white flour, not whole-grain. Slide 13: Slide 14: Slide 15: You re looking at a pan of broccoli, cheese, and rice to put out for lunch, but notice there are two cards Red and Green. Which is correct? > > (Click 1) Red gets a thumbs-up. > > (Click 2) Green gets a thumbs-down. So Red is the correct answer! This might surprise you because it s made with a vegetable: broccoli. > > Why is this dish Red? Answer: It s made with white rice which is less nutritious than brown rice and cheese, which increases the dish s saturated fat and calories. Let s compare three different versions of yogurt: Plain, non-fat yogurt is Green-coded, but flavored non-fat yogurt such as strawberry or blueberry is Yellow-coded, while full-fat flavored yogurt is Red-coded. > > What ingredients are added to change the yogurt code from Green --> Yellow --> Red? Answers: (Click 1, 2) Adding sugar changes plain, non-fat yogurt from Green-coded to Yellow-coded. (Click 3, 4) Adding sugar and fat changes plain, non-fat yogurt from Green-coded to Redcoded. In this activity, we ll review 3 beverages: Fruit punch, orange juice, and herbal tea. Ask the audience > > Which drink is Green-coded, which is Yellow-coded, and which is Red-coded? Answers: (Click 1) The herbal tea is Green-coded since it s caffeine-free and has no calories. (Click 2) The orange juice is Yellow-coded since it contains some nutrients, but not as much as an actual orange. Large servings of juice can also be high in calories. (Click 3) Red-coded fruit punch is a high-calorie, high-sugar drink with no nutritional value. Remember, high-sugar beverages such as fruit punch, sweet tea, and soft drinks are Redcoded.
Slide 16: Sodium is much harder to estimate, so you won t really be expected to spot-check sodium amounts. Let s do this activity for fun. You might be surprised! Match the correct sodium code (Low, Moderate, or High) to the following foods: Barbecued pork loin, cocktail sauce, and scrambled eggs. > > Is barbecued pork loin low-, moderate-, or high-sodium? What about cocktail sauce? What about scrambled eggs? Answers (Click 1): Scrambled eggs are low-sodium since they re not naturally high in salt. Also, no salty ingredients are used to make them. The pork loin recipe uses barbecue sauce, which is moderate-sodium. Remember that even small portion sizes of many condiments, including cocktail sauce, are high in sodium. Answer any remaining questions from audience about this training module.