Planning Meals Using Your Plate Purpose provides participants with practice at planning meals using food groups and Myplate. It also aims to further guide participants in meeting physical activity goals by exploring barriers. Learning Objectives OFNP Key Messages Participants will be able to use food groups and a plate to plan a variety of meals, with emphasis on foods that promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines. Participants will discuss ways to increase their daily physical activity. 1. Be physically active every day as part of a healthy lifestyle. 2. Balance calorie intake from food and beverages with calories expended. 3. Eat a variety of nutrient dense foods every day. 4. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruit every day. 5. Eat whole grains. 6. Eat/drink fat-free or low-fat calcium foods/beverages more often. Leader Preparation Review Script & Activities Materials Needed Estimated Teaching Time Nametags PowerPoint slides and script PowerPoint projector or overhead Paper plates of different sizes including 9 plate Food Models Supplies for lunch cooking demonstration & tasting Pens/pencils Barriers to Being Active Quiz handout Overcoming Physical Activity Barriers handout Plate Meal Planning worksheets handout Lunch Recipes handout Let s Eat for the Health of It Dietary Guidelines handout (optional) Plate Food Records handout (optional) Fitting Exercise In handout (optional) Activities with Elastic Bands handout (optional) Introductions & review Steps to a Healthier Me from Lesson 1-15 minutes Lesson Presentation & Learning Activities - 60 minutes 1
Lunch Demonstration & Tasting - 30 minutes Steps to a Healthier Me & Closing - 15 minutes Materials, Slides, Handouts Planning Meals with the Plate Method Introductions & Review Steps to a Healthier Me Start Slides Session 2: Planning Healthy Meals and Movement Use the Plate Method to plan meals Dealing with barriers to exercise Welcome back for. First, I think it would be helpful for us to re-introduce ourselves. After you say your name, please recall your most enjoyable fruit or vegetable experience from the past week. If you tried using the plate for one or more of your meals you re probably eating more fruits and vegetables. (Allow participants to share positive ideas on adding more fruits & vegetables to their meals) Let s review what we learned last session. Your lifestyle choices (meals, movement, calories in/out) can help you feel better today and hopefully prevent diseases in the future. We introduced the food groups and the plate as a way of picturing what to eat. We talked about balancing calories and knowing what your calorie goal is. We practiced estimating portions so you d know how much to eat. We sampled foods/recipes that taste good while being good for us. Last, but not least, you decided on some Steps to a Healthier Me. Today you get more practice putting meals together on the plate. We ll continue sharing ideas on how to move more. And of course we ll taste a healthy recipe you might eat for lunch. Get feedback on how participants did with Steps to Healthier Me. Consider having them share with a partner and then one or two to the whole group. Encourage them if they weren t successful to ask what would it take for me to be successful with this goal. Activity: Visualize Having Fun with Movement Before we talk about planning meals, close your eyes for a moment and think back to a pleasant memory during any time in your life that involved moving your body or exercising. Maybe you learned something new at school or played an organized team sport, or maybe you took a walk with your dog. After everyone has thought of something, let s go around the room and share those experiences. (The purpose of this activity is to encourage participants to think about physical activity as an enjoyable pursuit. By sharing these with others, and hearing others experiences, they are more likely to be able to think 2
about physical activity as pleasurable.) Unfortunately, it is possible for movement or exercise to seem like a chore rather than the pleasant experiences you all just mentioned. From now on, when I bring up the topic of exercise, I d like you to keep that fun side of movement in mind. That way you re more likely to come up with activities that you can enjoy. At our last session you were asked to move more (or be less sedentary). Who would like to share what you did to be more physically active? (This can be done as sharing in pairs if appropriate. Take time for participants to share; interject with appropriate comments that relate back to the positive effects of regular physical activity. Ask questions such as: How did you decide what to do, when to do it? Did you write down your time being physically active? How did you motivate yourself? How did it feel to be more physically active?) Activity: Explore Costs and Benefits for Change 2 Thoughts About Physical Activity NOT Being Active Being Active Good Things Not So Good Things A few minutes ago, I asked you to think positively about exercise. But everything about it isn t positive. If it was, none of us would have trouble exercising every day. Let s look at some things you like and don t like about exercise. Take some time here to list the good things and the not so good things about meeting physical activity goals. Starting with the good things about NOT BEING active is a way to find out what is sustaining sedentary routines. After a few answers, ask what about the other side what are some not so good things about not being physically active? As time permits, move on to the not so good and good things about BEING active. Overall, this activity can enhance participant motivation for change as they actively weigh the pros and cons. Because this is probably something they ve never done before out loud, you will likely need to help them along; see some possible answers on slide. Even people who are regular exercisers have to weigh these pros and cons of being or not being active. But what they are able to do (most of the time), is state the problem in a way that allows the good things about being active to win out. For example, a regular exerciser might look outside and sigh, It s dark and rainy out. I don t really like going out in this, maybe I ll just skip it today. (Pause) Oh, but I know I ll feel better when I start walking, and I really need to do this if I want to prevent diabetes or set a good example for my children. I guess I ll just put on some warm clothes and a raincoat and get myself out there. Maybe I can even convince my neighbor to go with me 3
for company. Can you think of a time when you have talked yourself into doing something that you know is good for you or something that just plain needs to be done? (Allow for some conversation so that participants recall that they have used this strategy before for getting the laundry done, teeth brushed, etc.) Presentation: Removing Barriers to Moving More Barriers to Being Active Quiz handout Overcoming Physical Activity Barriers handout Since moving your body every day is so important for preventing disease in the future and helping you feel good today--let s keep working on this topic. I have an activity for you that will help you focus on what you can do to work through barriers that might be getting in your way of regular physical activity. Administer the Barriers to Being Active Quiz and assist with scoring. It s likely that participants will need help with this because they haven t done anything like this before or may have difficulty with reading or math. You may need to go through it as group. If this will take too much time, simply make it a discussion of barriers and possible solutions. When all participants have finished scoring, address barriers to regular physical activity using the handout Overcoming Physical Activity Barriers. Stress again the reasons for increasing physical activity the critical role it plays in promoting health, psychological well-being and a healthy body weight. Share your own personal barriers. Remember that the eventual goal for all adults is at least 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity (above usual activity at work or home) on most days of the week or 150 minutes per week. (This will burn about 700 extra calories per week.) This may sound like a lot right now, but you are encouraged to: Choose activities you like to do. In order to develop a lifelong habit of being active, consider activities that you enjoy and ones that are also convenient for you activities that you can work into your life. Keep in mind that these activities may change over time. Choose moderate kinds of activity, like walking or even chair dancing. Avoid anything extreme until you are more fit, but do challenge yourself to improve! Work up to this goal. It is OK if it takes you the rest of our classes to work up to a weekly total of 2-1/2 hours. 4
Spread the weekly total over 5 to 6 days per week. For example, you may have started by walking 10 minutes a day on 3 or 4 days last week and eventually build up to 25 minutes on 6 days a week. Starting slowly and spreading it out over the week is important so you don't get hurt and so you enjoy yourself. Activity: Steps to a Healthier Me Plan to be physically active Hopefully you re feeling positive about physical activity at this point. Now is a good time to capture that enthusiasm and set a plan for this next week. On your Steps to a Healthier Me handout, fill in the amount of time you would like to be active for session 2 (help those with very limited fitness set reasonable goals). Then list the activities you would like to do. For example, you might choose to take two 15 minute walks with your dog on 4 days next week, so you would write in 30 minutes and add walk my dog around the neighborhood twice a day. (Ask participants to share their physical activity goals with a partner or small group. Alternatively, ask them to focus on their choices for activity. Then assess motivation and confidence by asking the group: How Motivated are you to meet your physical activity goal? 1 2 3 4 5 I do not want to do this! Maybe I can. I am fired up to do this! On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 standing for I really don t want to do this and 5 standing for I am really fired up to do this, how would you rate your motivation to take these steps for health? Open your hand in your lap) the number of fingers on one hand that matches your answer. (There is no need for you to see what they have chosen; the purpose is to provide an opportunity for participants to consider and rank their motivation.) After you consider that, ask yourself what would it take for me to be rank myself at least one number higher? (Ask participants to share what they need to make this happen with the entire group or just at their table.) 10 On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 standing for there is no way I am really going to do this and 5 standing for I am quite sure that I can accomplish this, how would you rate your confidence in being able to follow-through with your activity plan? In the same way as before, put in your lap, the number of fingers on one hand that matches your answer. (Again, no comment necessary.) What will it take for you to rate yourself one number higher, if you re not already at a 5? (Ask participants to share with partner or others at their table.) 5
Paper, different sizes including 9" plate Take a stretch break here. Ask for questions/comments regarding goal setting. animation draws lines & adds food groups Review Food Groups, Plate & Portions So we ve talked about Movement, now let s review what we learned about using the plate to choose what and how much to eat. (Hold up two plates a 9 plate and other sizes) Which plate shall we start with? By choosing the smaller size you re more likely to eat less. Using a larger plate would lead to larger portions, which means more calories. Do you remember how to divide up the plate? Present the plate with food groups and review samples of portions that would go on each section. Review Average Calories in Plate Method Do you remember how the average amount of calories you d find in each food groups. So this would have about how many calories? (Answer: about 500 calories, refer to handout from Lesson one Plate Portions & Calories). Make ½ Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables When you ate this way did you notice eating more fruits and vegetables? Why are they encouraged so much? Fruits and vegetables are powerhouses of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phyto-nutrients. They give you the energy you need without a lot of extra calories. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help reduce your risk for developing diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity. They may also help increase your immunity to illness. They are reasonable in cost, most less than 40 cents for a serving. AND they taste good (and like a banana or orange, often come in their own packaging). Many of the plant nutrients that make fruits and vegetables good for us also give them their color. Think of a rainbow on your plate or a box of crayons. Anyone having trouble eating fruits & vegetables at each meal? Brainstorm with participants how to eat more or have participants work in pairs to brainstorm. After brainstorm review list on slide. 6
Breakfast A A note about Vegetables: Starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, peas have more calories and less nutrients than the dark green, red and orange vegetables. Activity: Rate the Plate 16 Breakfast A (16 oz. milk, 16 oz. grape juice, 2 ½ c. cereal: IS NOT a plate method meal) Breakfast B (1 slice whole grain toast, 1 T. peanut butter, ½ c. grapes, 8 oz. milk: IS a Plate Method meal) Lunch A (1-4 oz. bagel with 1 oz. cheese, 1 cup cheese crackers, 16 oz. juice: NOT a Plate Method meal) Lunch B (1 whole wheat pita, ½ c. chicken salad made with mayonnaise, 1 cup green salad with 1 T. dressing, ½ c. melon, 8 oz. lowfat milk: IS a Plate Method meal) Dinner A (2 c. spaghetti, 1 c. sauce, 2 slices garlic bread with butter, 16 oz. juice: NOT a Plate Method meal) The following slides show examples of 2 different "plates" for each of 3 meals. The group can practice identifying meals that the plate, food group and portions you ve discussed earlier.. Here s a fun way to practice picturing or visualizing what a healthy plate might look like. We ll be using the tools we ve learned: plate, portions, food groups. I am going to show you two pictures each of breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. Carefully look at each one. Look at the food groups, the food choices and the portions (see descriptions in side bar to the left). As a group, decide whether each one IS or IS NOT an example of a balanced meal. (Have the group tell why they answered the way they did; make appropriate comments regarding mixed food groups, portion, whole grains vs refined grains, whole fruit vs juice, etc.) Using your handout from last session on Plating Up Portions & Calories can you estimate how many calories would be in some of these meals? For example the spaghetti dinner would be over 1000 calories, do you see how that compares to the lower calorie meals? Activity: Planning a Meal(s) using the Plate Dinner B (1/2 c. bulgar pilaf, 3 oz. salmon, 1 c. cooked broccoli with 1 t. soft margarine, 1 c. plain lowfat yogurt, ½ c. berries: IS a Plate Method meal) Practice Meal Planning Worksheet Distribute Meal Planning worksheets to pairs or groups. This activity allows the leader to further reinforce how to plan meals using the plate & food groups. Explain to the class that each of their small groups will plan one meal (type of food & portion size): breakfast, lunch or dinner. (Alternatively, provide the Dairy Council food pictures...though this will limit choices.) Circulate among the groups and offer help. When activity is complete ask different groups to read off their meals and write these on flipchart representing 3 meals (i.e. one day). Review together and analyze if the meals planned fit on the plate with appropriate portions, if not how would they change it or other alternatives. Keep this information for next activity. 7
Dietary Guidelines Using the plate, portions and food groups is a simple, visual way of deciding what and how much to eat that matches your calorie goal. But will these tools help you create a healthy meal? Probably, but let s double check against the gold standard the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines change are updated every 5 years and give us the best science-based advice on how teat for the health of it. Let s review the Dietary Guidelines and see if our planned meals for a day reflect them. As you review the Dietary Guidelines, stop after each slide and review the day of meals on your flipchart to see if the concept was incorporated in the meals you have posted. Discuss how they match (or don t match) each of the Dietary Guidelines. Did any of you use the sample menus that were provided last session? Did you notice the emphasis on healthy choices like the Dietary Guidelines? Activity: Lunch Demonstration & Tasting Lunch Recipes handout Food Records handout (optional) Lunches can be quick and easy with a little planning. What do you usually eat for lunch? Demonstrate recipes and allow time for tasting. Choose a recipe that reflects one of the Dietary Guidelines such as whole grains or low/nonfat milk. Activity: Steps to a Healthier Me Plan to use the Plate Method We ll end this week by choosing an action and recording it on Steps to a Healthier Me. You already completed your physical activity plan, so now it s time to consider a Meals action. If enough time, have participants share action plan with a partner or have a few people share their plan with the larger group. Optional: Provide Food Record handouts to plan and record weekly meals. Encourage this as a way to practice and to become accountable to self. Closing Review main points of session including: Use your plate and food groups to plan meals, find ways of dealing with barriers to exercise. 8
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