National Food Service Management Institute The University of Mississippi LESSON 1 NUTRITION 101: A Taste of Food and Fitness Lesson 1 Nutrition Is Important to You! Revised June 9, 2006
CONTENTS 1 Lesson at A Glance Nutrition Is Important to You! 2 Ice Breaker Role Sheet (optional tool) 3 Lesson Nutrition Is Important to You! 4 Slides Nutrition Is Important to You! Key for Icons SAY DO PREPARE TASTING ACTIVITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY VIDEO SCENARIO SLIDE 5 Physical Activity Booster Steps for Better Health 6 Tasting Activity Selecting Whole Grain Foods 7 Video Scenario Healthful Eating and Healthy Weight Handout Nutrition Nuggets Nutrition News Handout Resource Nutrition and Health Information Handout Cafeteria Connection Breakfast for Better Health Handout Personal Discovery Assessment Habits for Health Handout
Lesson 1 at a Glance Nutrition Is Important to You! What to Do Ahead of Time Review the lesson content and slides for Nutrition Is Important to You! Review all Lesson 1 handouts and activities; make copies for participants. Practice the Physical Activity Booster. Prepare the Tasting Activity supplies. Set up equipment needed, including computer and projector, and DVD player. Cue video to appropriate starting point. Learning Objectives 1. Identify a personal interest in health and nutrition. 2. Learn at least three roles nutrition plays in promoting health throughout the body. 3. Describe how the school breakfast program contributes to students health and school performance. Time Content Area of Lesson 1 Resource to Use Pre-Lesson Participant Registration, Pretest Pretest 3 minutes Welcome and Ice Breaker Activity Slide 1 Ice Breaker Roll Sheet 11 minutes Nutrition Is Important to You! Slides 2-6 Present lesson. 3 minutes Physical Activity Booster Steps for Better Health Slide 7 Pedometers, if available Timer or watch with second hand 3 minutes Nutrition Is Important to You! Slide 8 Presentation continued 1 1
Time Content Area of Lesson 1 Resource to Use 2 minutes Tasting Activity Selecting Whole Grain Foods Slide 9 View video and discuss. Tasting supplies 4 minutes Video Scenario Slide 10 View video and discuss. Video 2 minutes Nutrition Nuggets Nutrition News Slide 11 Distribute handout. Healthful Eating and Healthy Briefly review. Weight Handout Nutrition Nuggets Nutrition News Handout Resource Nutrition and Health Information Handout 1 minute Cafeteria Connection Breakfast for Better Health Slide 12 Distribute handout. Cafeteria Connection Briefly review. Breakfast for Better Health Handout 1 minute Personal Discovery Assessment Habits for Health Slide 13 Distribute handout. Personal Discovery Assessment Briefly review. Habits for Health Handout Conclude the session. 1 2
Ice Breaker Roll Sheet, optional During the ice breaker, use this sheet to record the names and personal nutrition/health interest of participants. After the first lesson, note which Nutrition 101 lessons address the participants concerns. You can use this sheet to help you highlight the information of most interest to each participant. For example, if someone has a health concern about osteoporosis, Lesson 2 on dietary guidance and Lesson 4 on calcium would be useful information to this participant. Name Personal Nutrition/ Lesson That Health Interest Addresses Interest 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Duplicate this sheet as needed. 1 3
Nutrition Is Important to You! Pre-Lesson Activities As participants check in for the class, distribute a copy of the pretest to each participant and collect completed pretests prior to beginning the lesson. Copies of the pretest, pretest answer key, posttest, and posttest answer key are in the appendix. Allow about 5-10 minutes for the pretest. Stress that the purpose of the pretest is to help the trainer plan for the presentation of future lessons. It is to measure how much they have learned at the end of the course. SLIDE 1 Nutrition 101: A Taste of Food and Fitness, Lesson 1 Nutrition Is Important to You! SAY: Welcome to Nutrition 101: A Taste of Food and Fitness. This Breakfast/Lunch Training Module or BLT provides basic nutrition information. It is information you can use at home and at work in school food service. Instructor s Note: Introduce yourself and share a nutrition interest of yours. (Examples of nutrition interests include how to pick foods that are nutritious and quick to prepare, or nutrition and its link to a chronic disease such as diabetes or high blood pressure.) DO: Ask each participant to give his or her name and share one nutrition/health interest or reason this class is of personal interest. Allow 10 seconds per participant. Option: Use the Ice Breaker Roll Sheet to record participants names and nutrition/health interest. This tool can help you remember names and link content in the lessons with each participant s interests. SAY: Food choices affect every part of the body from head to toe. Nutrition habits influence our ability to work and play. Good health, both today and in the future, depends on the food and nutrition choices we make every day. Let s review how important good nutrition is to you. We will start our study of how nutrition affects health at the very top. SLIDE 2 Roles of Nutrition in Health Fuels Brain Protects Vision 1 4
SAY: Food choices affect the brain s health and ability to work. The brain is fueled by glucose from carbohydrate foods. The ability to think, problem-solve, create, and work depends on the brain having a steady supply of energy. Eating regularly spaced, balanced meals provides the brain with a steady supply of fuel. Nutrition can affect our vision. Vitamin A-rich foods help promote the ability to see in the dark. New studies are looking at how other compounds in green, leafy vegetables may help reduce our risk of an age-related eye disease. Eating plenty of green, leafy vegetables may protect our eye health years from now. SLIDE 3 Roles of Nutrition in Health Promotes Healthy Teeth and Gums Enhances Brain Health SAY: Healthy teeth and gums are linked to nutrition in two ways. Eating nutritious foods helps keep our teeth and gums healthy. A healthy mouth allows us to eat a wider variety of foods, such as nuts, raw fruits, and raw vegetables. New research links brushing and flossing our teeth daily to reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Healthy blood pressure is another factor that helps keep the brain healthy. Lower blood pressure can also reduce the risk of stroke. The foods we eat can help keep our blood pressure low. Finally, doctors studying Alzheimer s disease have linked reduced risk of this chronic disease to the same foods and eating habits that reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. The evidence is clear; good nutrition is just plain smart. SLIDE 4 Roles of Nutrition in Health Fuels Body Maintains Tissues Promotes Heart Health SAY: Good nutrition is vital to the function and health of all the body s systems. The body systems include the digestive, cardiovascular, endocrine, reproductive, nervous, skeletal, and respiratory systems, as well as our skin. 1 5
Eating foods from each of the major food groups provides the variety of nutrients the body need. Think about the heart and lungs. They are constantly working, even when we sleep. The body works hard each day repairing tissues, changing food into energy, and maintaining good health. Of course, the body meets these needs best when all its nutrition needs are met through wise food choices. Food choices influence current and future health. For example, a person might have a family history of heart disease or diabetes. That does not mean that a person is destined to have the disease. Many people can reduce their risk for disease by choosing foods that promote health and by leading an active lifestyle. Heart health experts recommend choosing lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and fewer added fats to keep dietary fat and cholesterol in a healthy range. Fiber-rich diets that include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are also linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes. SLIDE 5 Roles of Nutrition in Health Promotes Digestive Health Contributes to Healthy Weight Reduces Chronic Disease Risk SAY: New studies show fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat milk and milk products provide health-promoting compounds that keep our digestive system healthy. For example, a breakfast of raisin bran, low-fat milk, and orange juice provides many different compounds that reduce colon cancer risk. Nutrition choices, such as eating breakfast, promote a healthy body weight. Balancing the calories from foods eaten with the energy used or burned in activity is a key to maintaining a healthy weight. New studies show that the location where extra weight is stored on the body can influence health. Extra weight in the chest and abdomen increases the risk for heart disease. Losing weight, eating balanced meals, and increasing physical activity are essential components in the treatment for type 2 diabetes, which is common among American adults. SLIDE 6 Roles of Nutrition in Health Enhances Longevity Maintains Strong Bones SAY: Food choices today are an investment in future health and longevity. Good nutrition today enhances our opportunity to enter the golden years with the best health possible. Let s look at the skeleton for an example of how nutrition choices today influence our health in later years. 1 6
During childhood and adolescence bones grow and strengthen. The teen years are the peak bone growing years. It is important to eat foods that provide calcium and other nutrients needed to build strong bones. Calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, dried beans, fish with bones, and broccoli are needed daily. Bones are living tissue. They are repaired and maintained throughout the lifespan. Nutrition and health habits during the adult years also help determine bone strength. Keep bones strong by eating enough calcium-rich foods and participating in regular, weight-bearing activity such as walking daily. Keeping bones strong reduces the risk of osteoporosis, or brittle bone disease. Osteoporosis is a common condition in older adults, especially women. Osteoporosis can be debilitating and makes even simple movements painful. We need to move our bodies often. Activity keeps our muscles strong and burns energy. Regular, enjoyable physical activity protects the health of the bones, heart, and lungs. Activity helps maintain a healthy weight and increases fitness. Active, fit people reduce their risk of bone loss, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, injury, and some types of cancer. Plus, it feels good to be fit and active. In fact, fitness is such an important part of good nutrition that physical activity boosters are included in every Nutrition 101 lesson. Let s take a break to get physical. SLIDE 7 Physical Activity Booster Steps for Better Health SAY: The physical activity booster focuses on increased movement through walking and monitoring the number of steps taken in a day. Prepare for the Activity Decide where to conduct the activity. Good places to walk include around the room or up and down a nearby hallway. Make sure the walking area is clear of any obstacles that could pose a danger. Supplies needed: Pedometer for each participant Stop watch or watch with second hand 1 7
If possible, use pedometers to count steps. Pedometers are small devices that count the number of steps a person takes while wearing it. If you don t have a pedometer, there are many places you can contact to borrow one or more for this physical activity booster. Many school district physical education departments have pedometers. Check to see if a set can be borrowed for the class. Other sources include insurance companies, health departments, medical centers, and fitness clubs. Consider purchasing one for each participant. One source for pedometers is the store at www.americaonthemove.org. Remember, anyone under a doctor s care for any injury or health condition needs to be cautious when doing the activity. Advise participants to follow their doctor s advice. If necessary, participants may just observe the activity. DO: Follow the pedometer instructions for setting to zero and attaching to clothing. Have each participant take as many steps as possible in 1 minute. If not using pedometers, have each participant count the number of steps he or she takes in 1 minute. Keep time. Tell participants when to start and when to stop walking. Have participants return to their seats. SAY: Current studies focus on how daily movement contributes to health. Wearing a pedometer is one way to know how many steps you take in your daily life. A pedometer gives immediate feedback and helps you set and achieve physical activity goals. Knowing how many steps you have taken in a day empowers you to make changes, such as I will take 200 more steps today than I did yesterday, or I will take a 20-minute walk and add more steps to my daily total. How many steps a day should you take? Many walking programs suggest working up to taking 10,000 steps a day for good health. If you are not taking 10,000 steps a day, remember to start where you are. Find out how many steps you usually take and then make a plan to work up to routinely taking 2,000 more steps a day within a few weeks. Adding a brisk, 20-minute walk to your daily routine means adding about 2,000 steps. Walking with a friend or family member is fun and makes the time pass faster. It is always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any physical activity program, especially if you have not been active recently or have health conditions. Taking more steps every day keeps you on the path to personal change and improvement. 1 8
Making food choices for better nutrition is similar to starting a walking program. Every day take more steps in the health direction. The key is to keep moving forward. SLIDE 8 Other Food Nutrition Considerations Nurture Personal Relationships Use in Celebrations Keep Food in Perspective Taste and Enjoy a Variety of Foods SAY: We have talked about nutrition being important to our entire body from head to toe. It is also important to recognize the role of food and nutrition in our personal relationships. The word nutrition comes from the word nurture. School food service professionals are nurturing by nature. We care about people. Providing health-promoting meals is our way of showing that we care about the children we serve, our families, and ourselves. We eat for many reasons, including nourishment, social bonding, enjoyment, and sometimes, emotions. Emotion and food connections are normal. From our very first eating experiences as a baby, food and feelings are linked. Making a special meal or celebrating with a special food or dessert once in a while helps us connect with loved ones. Celebrations are part of a balanced life and a healthy expression of food and feelings. An imbalance occurs when food takes center stage in filling emotional needs. This imbalance can lead to serious health concerns. Preoccupation with food and chronic overeating are examples of the wide range of disordered eating associated with emotions. Eating habits are an important aspect of healthy living, but not the total focus. For good nutrition and health, keep eating in perspective. One way to keep food and nutrition in the proper perspective is to keep pleasure and enjoyment in our food choices. We eat foods that taste good to us. Eating should be a pleasure. Sometimes we eat without really paying attention to the tastes, textures, and sensations of food. 1 9
SLIDE 9 Whole Grain Foods SAY: We will do a short tasting activity. The goal is to help each of us explore healthier food choices. Today we will taste a variety of whole grain foods. Prepare for the Activity Use proper food preparation and food safety practices. Allow opportunity for participants to wash their hands. Supplies needed: Assorted selection of whole grain breads and cereals Small plates and cups of water, one per participant Napkins Instructor s Note: Cut bread samples into bite-sized pieces for tasting. Portion breads and cereals onto plates for tasting. DO: Give each participant a small plate with bite-size pieces of several whole grain foods. SAY: The focus of the tasting activity is to learn to select and enjoy healthier foods, such as whole wheat bagels, English muffins, breads, and cereals. As you taste each food sample, explore the flavor and texture. DO: Briefly discuss how whole grains can be a healthy addition to our diets. SAY: Whole grain foods provide fiber and other valuable nutrients. The fiber in whole grains can reduce our risk for heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer, and can even improve our digestive health. Eating whole grains may also help us keep from overeating and gaining weight. And whole grain foods taste great! SLIDE 10 Cue to show Video Scenario SAY: At each session, we will view a video scenario and have a chance to discuss what we have learned. 1 10
Note to Instructor: If preferred, ask ahead of time for volunteers to role play the scenario. Scenario 1 has three characters, the manager and two other people. Script for Scenario The school food service manager sits at a table with two other people. They are in the school library reading magazines or newspapers. Person 1 Wow! It s amazing how many diseases you have to worry about today. Person 2 I know what you mean. My sister-in-law was just diagnosed with high blood pressure. Person 1 I have a friend who has diabetes. And, she just found out that her teenage daughter does too, so it must run in the family. Person 2 You would think that with all of the attention we put on these diseases, somebody would find a cure for them. I guess there just isn t anything anyone can do about it. End scene. DO: View video or role play the scenario and discuss briefly. SAY: Remind participants that following a healthy diet can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes. Even when a disease runs in the family, a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and other lifestyle factors, such as not smoking helps protect us against these health problems. SLIDE 11 Nutrition Information to Take Home Healthful Eating and Healthy Weight Nutrition Nuggets Nutrition News Resource Nutrition and Health Information DO: Distribute Healthful Eating and Healthy Weight handout, Nutrition Nuggets Nutrition News, and Resource Nutrition and Health Information handout. 1 11
SAY: At each session, you will receive additional information about the lesson topic. Use these handouts to learn more about healthy eating. The Healthful Eating and Healthy Weight handout covers the basics of healthy eating habits. The areas of balance and guide for food choices on this handout note the connection between nutrition habits and a healthy weight. A sample menu is included. The Nutrition Nuggets Nutrition News handout gives more information on new areas of nutrition. The Nutrition and Health Information resource is a list of organizations, which provides valuable resources on the many benefits of eating a healthful diet and being active. Many of the organizations have Web sites that make the information easy to access. SLIDE 12 Cafeteria Connection School Breakfast, a Health Habit for Life DO: Distribute Cafeteria Connection Breakfast for Better Health handout. SAY: Each lesson features a Cafeteria Connection that links the work you do every day in child nutrition programs to today s nutrition recommendations. The Cafeteria Connection for this lesson highlights the important role of breakfast in students health and school performance. The School Breakfast Program provides more than a morning meal. It models a health habit students can learn for a lifetime of health rewards. Check out the various resources listed on the sheet. Many great materials are available to help schools promote school breakfast. SLIDE 13 Personal Discovery Assessment Habits for Health Food and Activity Record Self Discovery Activity DO: Distribute Personal Discovery Assessment Habits for Health handout. SAY: Finally, each week you will receive a Personal Discovery Assessment to complete between the lessons. The main purpose of the assessment activity is to give you an opportunity to learn more about your own eating and activity habits. 1 12
This week the activity focuses on Habits for Health. The goal of the activity is for you to become more aware of your nutrition and activity habits. For 3 days, record the foods you choose to eat and activities you choose to do. Try to include at least 1 weekend day in the tally. After you have completed the tally, review your food and activity choices. Fill in the information on the second page of the assessment. This assessment activity is for your personal use. I will not be collecting these papers. You will use the completed activities in a future lesson. At that time, you can share personal insights if you wish. DO: Conclude the session and remind participants to bring all materials to the next lesson. SAY: Please bring all the materials with you to each lesson. We will use items distributed during each lesson for reference in following sessions. For the next lesson, also bring a food label with you. We will be using the Nutrition Facts information from the label, so be sure to bring a label that includes Nutrition Facts information. 1 13