Health Quests

Your Nutrition Diary

Objectives

After completing this activity, students should be able to

• identify the five food groups from the Food Guide Pyramid.
• specify the recommended number of daily servings from each food group.
• evaluate their own eating habits based on principles of good nutrition.

Ask students: Do you think that most people have healthful eating patterns? Why or why not? What are some unhealthful eating habits? (Possible examples: eating junk food; fast food; foods high in fat, cholesterol, sugar, or salt.) What are possible short-term and long-term effects of these habits on health? What are wise eating habits that could improve health? Have students discuss their answers as a group.

Suggestion

Have students divide into pairs and exchange food journals. Allow time for students to review one another's journal entries and evaluation. Then have them compare the number of daily servings and serving sizes listed in the journal with the recommendations from the Food Guide Pyramid. Ask students to discuss each other's journals. Did the partner's eating pattern follow the Food Guide Pyramid? If not, what improvements could be made? What healthful or unhealthful eating habits does the partner have? Was his or her evaluation accurate and realistic? Why or why not?