Nutrition Education Program: K-12 Lesson Plans

NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM

K-12 LESSON PLANS Generously funded by Jack and Carole Forgash

Dear Teachers, Did you know that children who eat breakfast show higher school attendance, less tardiness, concentrate better, and are better problem solvers than their non-breakfast eating classmates?

Now imagine all the potential benefits of eating a healthy breakfast.

Better yet, envision the possibilities a child has by eating an overall well balanced diet! We know now more than ever that proper growth and development for children are contingent on a nutritious diet.

Considering that a child spends over a third of his/her day at school, nutrition education is a crucial component of a comprehensive school health education curriculum.

As the center of learning, schools are the ideal place to promote and instill life-long healthy eating habits. Unfortunately, not all schools have the resources for such a program. For this reason, the Nutrition Education Program was created. Launching in March 2014 in celebration of National Nutrition Month, the objective is to provide Jewish Day Schools with the tools necessary to bring awareness and education to students and families on the importance of healthy eating while empowering them to make better nutritional choices. The program is comprised of a series of interactive lesson plans on topics such as: Introduction to MyPlate; Making Healthy Choices and Snacking; and Reading and Understanding Food Labels. Teaching handouts on Sugar, Cholesterol, Sodium and Nitrate intake are also included to help students identify healthier alternatives while supporting the importance of reading food labels.

-Eleana Kaidanian RD, CDN - Nutrition Consultant

Dear Colleagues, As teachers, we are everything to our students - from the first to the last bell and often before and beyond those bells. We are responsible for their education, and social and emotional well being.

As such, nutrition often becomes a topic of conversation and of study. As we try to educate their minds and fill their hearts and souls with knowledge, we should also help them make good choices in their nutrition levels to ensure that they can be active in their days and in their learning.

We developed this series of lessons on nutrition to help you educate your students in one lesson on the importance of eating right. It is our hope that you will try the grade level lesson that matches your class’s level and even look at those lessons that aren’t your grade level for further ideas on nutrition education and making good eating choices.

In celebration of March being nutrition month, we ask that you teach your grade level lesson during the month of March.

In May, I will reach out to get your feedback on the unit and on the lesson that you taught. This will help us continue to try and meet your needs and the needs of your students. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely, Melanie Eisen Assistant Director of Professional Development The YU School Partnership Melanie.eisen@yu.edu

Kindergarten BIG IDEA: Everything we eat belongs to a food group.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

Students will learn the basic food groups and categorize foods according to their groups on the My Plate model. Students will create a healthy menu of breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks based on the My Plate model.

MATERIALS:

•Copies of My Plate (from the website below in the “resources” section) •Cut outs from circulars of various foods •A paper bag

LESSON OUTLINE:

(10 minutes) •On the easel or board, have the kids tell you what their favorite foods to eat are.

Without telling them how you are arranging their favorite foods, organize their answers according to the food groups.

•After everyone has shared, ask the kids why you grouped the foods the way you did. Guide them to the answer of food groups.

•Have kids come to the board, pull out a cut out of a food from the paper bag and tape it in the section of My Plate to which they think it belongs. Have the other students give the thumbs up if it is correctly placed or a signal for try again if it isn’t.

•Have the kids come up until all the kids have had a chance, or they get too antsy.

•Label each of the areas with a title: fruit, vegetables, grain, protein and dairy.

•Explain why it is important to eat these foods as a good source of energy to get them through the day.

•They probably listed desserts as their favorite foods- these don’t get grouped under a food group- because they shouldn’t be eaten them with every meal.

Kindergarten CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING:

(10 minutes) •Designate 5 areas of your classroom for each of the groups on My Plate.

•Call on one student, say a food and see if they go to the right area.

•If they don’t, ask them to try again or ask a friend for help.

•Play until everyone is in a spot.

PRODUCT:

•The US Government has designed a special plate called My Plate to help us create healthy meals that will give us energy. Each plate includes a vegetable, a fruit, a protein, a grain and a dairy product.

•Hand out a copy of the empty Plate.

•Ask each student if they want to design a breakfast, lunch or dinner plate that follows the rules of My Plate.

•Add the direction that depending on your plate, you might not have a dairy component- if you have a meat as a protein.

SHARING:

Over the course of the next few days, allow the students to share their plates with their peers.

RESOURCES: 1.

2.

A video about the plate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uQEZAIW42Q A blank plate to use for the activity: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/downloads/ColoringSheet.pdf-

First Grade BIG IDEA: Eating fruit gives us energy to get through the day.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will learn that fruit is one of the five groups on the plate designated as healthy eating by the US government.

•Students will identify fruit they have tasted, liked and did not like.

•Students will agree to try one fruit from the list of fruit.

MATERIALS:

•Post It notes in three different colors •A selection of cut up fruits: pears, kiwi, star fruit, mango(or any fruit that is in season that might be unusual)

LESSON OUTLINE:

•Start by telling the class: “I want to eat a rainbow this week.” Ask them if and how you could do that. What foods could you eat that might match the colors of the rainbow. Have them help you by telling you the colors of the rainbow and let them shout foods out to you but only list the fruit you hear.

•As the list of foods grow, ask them if they noticed what you are writing and what you aren’t writing. Once they discover you are only writing fruit, have them help you complete the rainbow.

•Hand out Post It notes. On the note, have the students draw a picture of or write the name of the fruit they most like to eat.

•Bring all the students together in front of the board. Have each student present their Post It note and describe or read what is on the note.

•Put the post it note on the board, creating a graphic organizer of fruits the students have eaten and enjoyed.

•Hands out a second Post It note. This time, the kids should write their names on the Post It note and put it next to a fruit they would be willing to try.

•-Show your students the three fruits you have brought. See if the students can identify the fruit, if they have tried one item, and if they liked it.

•Have the students try one piece or more of this new fruit (saying the shehechiyanu blessing before tasting the fruit).

First Grade LESSON OUTLINE continued:

•Either designate a separate place on the board, or a new easel pad sheet with the title: “Today I tried a new fruit.” On the final Post It note, the kids should write their names, draw the new fruit and either a happy or sad face depending on their reaction to the fruit.

•Hand out the blank My Plate worksheet and ask the kids what they see and what the purpose of this plate is.

•After a brief discussion, see if the kids can fill the fruit section with four different fruit.

RESOURCES: 1.

A video about why kids should eat fruits and vegetables: http://www.campuskitchens.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Lesson-1MyPlate2.pdf

Second Grade BIG IDEA: The more colorful the fruit and vegetables we eat, the healthier our diet is.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will recognize which foods give us energy.

•Students will create lists of foods that give us energy.

•Students will create rainbows using fruit and vegetables as the colors.

•Students will create an “I tried” worksheet to keep track of the fruit and vegetable they eat in a three day period.

LESSON OUTLINE:

•Hand out five note cards.

•Kids list on the note cards five fruit and/ or vegetables •Gathers the cards and create a list with the kids using the words on the note cards of fruit and vegetables. Foods should be sorted by color.

•Hands out five more note cards, and this time, group your students in pairs and asks them to come up with five more fruit/ vegetables. This time each one needs to be a different color.

•Add these note cards to the note cards already sorted.

•Ask your class: “Why is color important to fruit and vegetables? What does a vibrant color tell us about the fruit and vegetables?”

•Explanation: Each color tells us something about the nutritional value of the food.

PRODUCT:

•Working with a partner, have the kids create a rainbow of fruit and vegetables following the colors of the rainbow.

•At the bottom of the rainbow, the children should identify the reasons for eating the colorful fruit and vegetables.

RESOURCES:

1. A fun game of matching foods to nutrients: http://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-education/teachers-lesson-plans/28nutrient-vitamin-mineral-kids-game 2. Information about how the color impacts the nutrition: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml

Third Grade BIG IDEA: Creating a plate of food that benefits your health.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will learn to identify the food groups found on My Plate.

•Students will identify foods based on where they belong on My Plate.

•Students will create a My Plate representing a healthy meal of foods they enjoy.

•Students will identify the appropriate blessing for each food on My Plate.

LESSON OUTLINE: Preparation: •Using five large pieces of paper, write on each one a food group from My Plate and scatter the papers around the room.

•Copy or create a poster that shows the My Plate example in Appendix a: http://www.campuskitchens.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Lesson-1MyPlate2.pdf.

•Make copies of Appendix B in the above site or grocery store circulars for kids to cut up two paper plates per child.

•On a large paper or a bulletin board, create five sections labeled with each of the food groups.

Third Grade LESSON OUTLINE continued: Lesson: •Using the My Plate poster found in the link above, have the kids identify the food groups.

•Divide the kids into five groups. Send each group to a different area of the classroom with a large piece of paper and markers.

•Using “Marker Talk”(only the markers talk), send each group to one of the large labeled papers and give them 30 seconds to write or draw a food that would belong to that group.

•Have the groups rotate until they have visited each paper.

•Ask the kids which paper their favorite foods should go on.

Ask the kids to use on of the paper plates and write or draw what they ate and drank for dinner the night before- have them give that plate a score out of 5 based on how many of the food groups from My Plate were represented.

Have the kids work with a partner to create a healthier or different meal based on the My Plate example.

Have the kids assign a bracha to each of the sections of their plates and label their plates.

Wrap Up: Have the kids use 3 post it notes to draw/ write 3 things they have eaten/ drank that day. As an exit pass for the lesson, watch as the kids put up their post its to see if they put the right food under the right food group heading. Celebrate the fact that as a class, their snacks represent healthy choices. Do this activity on a daily basis and watch to see if the number of post its grows as they become more aware of their choices.

Fourth Grade BIG IDEA: It is important to make good food choices.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will review the food groups on My Plate.

•Students will identify their favorite meal.

•Students will create a meal based on their favorite meal, but using their knowledge of healthy choices and serving sizes.

MATERIALS:

• Copies of My Plate food groups •Writing/ drawing paper •writing and drawing instruments

LESSON:

• Students work with a partner. Student A describes their favorite meal to student B who recreates it on the drawing or writing paper.

•Make sure students use enough adjectives to include texture/ smell/ taste and color so the illustration represents how they feel about the meal. When one picture is done, students switch roles.

•Teacher asks students to list the food groups found on My Plate- first as a brainstorming session and then using the My Plate poster.

•Teacher asks students to look at the illustrations of their favorite meals and to acknowledge with a show of fingers, how many food groups from MY Plate are represented in the meal in the picture.

•Students go back to their partners and reflect on the drawings, suggesting changes to the meal to reflect more foods from the My Plate food groups.

On the board: •Create a list of foods that kids consider to be unhealthy choices.

•Create a new list next to that list that suggests substitutions. For example: a sweet potato for french fries/ corn on the cob without butter/ cinnamon apples instead of apple pie. Roasted chicken instead of chicken nuggets. Fruit as a dessert.

Fourth Grade DISCUSSION:

•Now that we have come up with alternatives, why is it important?

•How does good nutrition affect our mood and our energy.

•View this slide show with your students:http://www.webmd.com/parenting/family-health-12/slideshowenergy-foods •Have them take notes with a partner after each slide that can be answers to the first 2 discussion questions.

•With their partner, have them illustrate a slide that shows what they learnedand create a 4th grade slide show on good nutrition.

Fifth Grade BIG IDEA: Portion Distortion LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will understand what a portion of a favorite food should be.

•Students will estimate portion sizes of pretzels/ popcorn.

•Students will discuss ways to make good choices in snack foods based on portion sizes.

MATERIALS:

•Measuring cups (enough for each group you create).

•Bags of pretzels (one per group).

•Bags of popped popcorn (one per group).

•Worksheets for recording data (one copy per group).

OPTIONAL: •Clear plastic containers of varying sizes •Different food items

Activity #1 – Learning About Serving Sizes

•Put out a few containers with different food items; some represent actual serving size and some too small or too large.

•Have your students predict which container contains the right serving size.

•NOTE: This can be used as an opening or closing activity or as a review, if you give them the labels to read.

This lesson is based on the lesson provided at: http://www.foodinsight.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=eXWp2vnCsjk%3D&tabid= 1325

Fifth Grade POINTS TO CONSIDER: •You know your group best! Adapt these points to their learning needs and interests and to your timeframe.

•The following are examples of how you might use the Talking Points/Discussion Questions: - Give some or all the information before or after the activity.

-If your group learns best by “doing,” jump right into the activity and briefly address key ideas while conducting the activity.

-Use the information for your own background to stimulate informal discussion and “brainstorming” on this topic and to answer kids’ questions.

LESSON: Today we’re going to talk about “portion distortion.”

What is a portion?

A portion is the amount of a food or beverage that you choose to eat or drink.

Often, the portion you choose to eat will depend on things like how hungry you are, how much you like the food or how much food is on your plate.

Your “portions” may be very different from the “serving size” that is listed on a food label or that is suggested by MyPlate.

What do you think portion distortion is?

Portion distortion is eating or drinking a super large amount because that’s how much was in the package or bottle or because that’s how much you were served.

What are some things you tend to eat or drink a lot of for these reasons?

What are some reasons that portion distortion or large amounts of food might not be so good for you?

What are some foods or drinks that you see packaged or served in very large portions? (Examples: snacks, treats, sweetened beverages, food available at restaurants ,fast food or movie theatres).

Fifth Grade LESSON continued: Do you think you can’t have these foods or drinks if you want to eat healthy?

Not true! You don’t have to give up foods you like! The most important thing is to have a balance in your diet.

What are some ways to reduce portion distortion?

Here are some ideas: • Take control. Buy a smaller size, ask for less next time you are served food or split a serving with a friend or two. If you are making your own food, think about whether the portion you are eating is meant for one, two or three people.

• Think about your drink. Drinks can come in very large bottles or cups. Try ordering a smaller sized drink or switching to low sugar drinks or even betterwater.

• What can you do if you eat too much once in a while? We all do that sometimes! If you “pig out,” just balance it by eating less at your next meal (chances are you won’t be very hungry anyway) or by burning it off with some extra walking, running, biking or whatever physical activity you like to do.

ACTIVITY #2: Identifying the Serving Size

•Hand out the bag of pretzels and popcorn to the groups. Ask the groups to take as much of each of the snacks as they think is the serving size, or the recommended amount that should be eaten at one time.

•Hand out the measuring cups and have the kids measure the servings they have created of the popcorn and pretzels and record it on the recording worksheets (one per group member).

•Have the kids look at the package of pretzels and popcorn and find the recommended serving size and compare their serving sizes to the recommended serving sizes.

•Have the kids re-measure the food according to the nutrition guide on the package. What do they discover?

Fifth Grade CONCLUSION: •What can we learn from this activity?

•What can we do moving forward when we reach for a snack?

HOMEWORK:

•Take the recording sheet home (see next page). Find a snack at home and measure what you would usually grab, then compare your typical amount to the suggested serving size on the package.

•Was your snack size a good portion or a disproportion?

•Bring the recording sheet back to school to compare with classmates.

• Create a class list of snacks and appropriate portions of each snack.

Fifth Grade Portion Recording Sheet Group Name_________________________________

Pretzels

Popcorn

My serving size

My serving size

Cups

Cups

Actual serving size Cups

At Home Snack

Actual serving size Cups

At Home Snack

My serving size Cups

My serving size Cups

Actual serving size Cups

Actual serving size Cups

Sixth Grade BIG IDEA: Food labels are the roadmaps for nutrition LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will learn to read and analyze food labels.

•Students will learn portion control through serving sizes.

•Students will compare nutrition labels of common snacks.

•Students will create an advertisement for a snack food based on nutritional information.

MATERIALS:

•Copies of label reading worksheet for each child.

•Copies of blank nutritional info sheet to be completed during the activity.

•Empty boxes, bottles and bags to represent a range of snacks and drinks (i.e.: breakfast cereal, chips, pretzels, cookies, soda).

•Stations: You can designate as many stations as you would like, each station should represent another item on the nutrition label (i.e. serving size, servings per package, calories, vitamin A, fiber, total carbohydrates, calcium, sodium, sugars, etc).

•A prepared table on the board/ bulletin board of each of the food items being investigated.

•Pens at each station.

Sixth Grade ACTIVITY:

•Assign groups of two to work together with one package.

•When you say “go”, kids go from station to station, recording how much of each nutrient can be found in each package.

•As a bonus, provide more information about the particular nutrient for kids to review at each station.

•Give kids five minutes per station to read the label and the information about the nutrient.

•When all information is gathered, bring groups back together for a debrief.

FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: What are some of reasons to be aware of information on food labels?

•They provide serving size information so you can decide if your portion is right for you.

•They tell you whether the food will provide you with things you need such as vitamins and minerals.

Was it easy or hard to quickly find information on the label about serving sizes? Calories? Fat? Vitamins and minerals?

How will this information influence your next snacks?

On the grid on the board, identify the healthiest and least healthy food itemwhat makes it either healthy or not healthy?

Sixth Grade 6th Grade Table Food Item: Serving size Servings per package Total fat Vitamin A Fiber Total Carbs Calcium Sodium Sugars

Nutritional Information:

Sixth Grade HIGH

THIS vs. THAT: Reduce Cholesterol Intake When in doubt, check the label.

LOW

OR 1 serving of fried mozerella sticks.

88 mg of cholesterol.

Light tuna on whole wheat sandwich 25 mg of cholesterol.

OR ½ cup Haagen Daaz ice cream 85 mg of cholesterol.

OR ½ cup Breyers ice cream 10 mg of cholesterol.

½ cup Frozen Yogurt 1 mg of cholesterol.

OR 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil/Vinegar Dressing 0 mg of cholesterol.

2 Tbsp. creamy Caesar dressing 20 mg of cholesterol.

OR Sliced bread with 2 Tbsp. butter 62 mg of cholesterol.

Sliced bread with ½ sliced avocado 0 mg of cholesterol.

OR 1 cup whole milk 24 mg of cholesterol.

1 cup skim milk 5 mg of cholesterol.

Seventh/Eighth Grade BIG IDEA: Making good choices in what you drink is equally important to making good food choices

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will explain the importance of limiting added sugar.

• Students will determine the amount of sugar in a beverage using its food label.

•Students will compare the amount of sugar in various beverages.

•.Students will identify beverages that are lower in added sugar.

MATERIALS:

•Container of sugar •Measuring teaspoons •Clear cups •Pencils •Demonstration bottles of drinks including sodas, fruit drinks, milk and chocolate milk (containers can be empty)

Seventh/Eighth Grade LESSON: Introduction

•Have the students tell what their favorite drink is and make a list on the board.

•After completing the list, ask the kids to raise their hands if they think the drink is healthy or not and why.

•Ask the students what could make the drink unhealthy.

•Once they get to the idea that too much sugar is unhealthy, ask them what happens if they eat too much sugar.

•Today, they will discover the sugar content of all the drinks brought into class.

•Have the kids estimate how many tablespoons of sugar they think are in their drinks.

•Distribute the “How much sugar is in my soda” handout.

•Go over this together with the students as an example. Write on board: 4gm sugar= 1 teaspoon of sugar. Have students find the grams of sugar and the servings per container on the label. Multiply these numbers to get the total grams of sugar for the whole bottle or can. Then have the students divide that number of grams of sugar by 4 to get number of teaspoons of sugar. Have a student volunteer help measure out the amount of sugar in the soda in front of the class.

•Have one student come up before the class and share her estimate of how much sugar they think is in their drink then have them figure out how much sugar is actually in their drink.

•Have the kids look at the labels of their drinks and calculate how much sugar is in their drink. Have them post their results on the board.

Seventh/Eighth Grade

CONCLUDING QUESTIONS: Were the kids surprised by the amount of sugar is in their drink?

What could they eat that might be more satisfying that would equal or be less than the amount of sugar in the drink?

What substitute could they drink if their favorite drink contained too much sugar?

FOLLOW UP: Have the kids keep a drink journal for 3 days to keep track of what they drink.

At the end of the 3 days, have the kids bring their journals back to class to see if the lesson on sugar had an impact on their choices during the 3 days.

Ninth – Twelfth Grade BIG IDEA: Food labels provide important nutrition information that can guide choices in snacks.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

•Students will learn to read food labels.

•Students will learn what information can be gleaned from food labels.

•Students will analyze the nutritional value of food based on the food label.

•Students will identify ingredients that hold little to no nutritional value.

•Students will analyze a favorite snack’s nutritional value based on its label.

LESSON:

This lesson can be done independently, in a group or as a whole class.

Students watch the webinar given by Eleana Kaidanian, registered nutritionist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYOIUBOY3Kw&feature=youtu.be Students complete the questions asked at the end of the presentation.

Extra Credit:

Students can rate their favorite snack on a scale of 1-10 based on nutritional value, from least to most nutritionally balanced.

NUTRITIONAL LABEL FACT-SHEET

SERVING SIZE The amount or portion of food used to measure all the other numbers on the label.

SERVINGS PER CONTAINER The total number of servings in the entire package.

CALORIES The energy provided in the food. The average person needs 2,000 calories each day, but everyone has different needs. Teens who are very active and still growing need more energy or calories compared to the less active teens that need less calories daily.

CALORIES FROM FAT The amount of calories coming from fat. Generally, about 30% of your calories for the entire day should come from fat. Therefore, if you eat 2,000 calories, 30% would be 600 calories from fat.

TOTAL FAT The total amount of fat in grams coming from the food. You may have heard that fat from avocado and nuts is better than fat from steak. That is because unsaturated fats (found in nuts, fish, and vegetable oils) do not raise cholesterol levels like saturated and trans fat do.

SATURATED FAT Mostly comes from animal sources such as cheese and meat.

TRANS FAT Can be found in processed foods to increase flakey texture (think of cookies) and also put in packaged foods to keep them shelf stable. Trans fats increases your cholesterol levels which can result in clogged arteries and heart problems. % DAILY VALUE These percentages show how many nutrients the food provides per serving vs. how much you need daily based on a 2,000 calorie diet. So if a food label says 20% iron, that means that particular food provides 20% of a person’s iron needs for the day.

CHOLESTEROL Necessary to produce active form of vitamin D and hormones. Can be found in liver, egg yolks, butter, cheese, milk, and meat. High cholesterol increases the risk of developing heart disease.

SODIUM Similar to salt, sodium is necessary to maintain fluid/electrolyte balance. Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged and restaurant food (77%), while 12% is naturally occurring in foods, and 11% comes from using the salt shaker. Packaged, canned and frozen foods tend to be very high in sodium. Too much sodium can lead to water retention which increases blood pressure, also known as hypertension. High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder, increasing the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. (Source: The FDA.gov website).

CARBOHYDRATES Some parts of our body run on carbohydrates (i.e.: eyes and brain). Most of your daily calorie intake should come from carbohydrates. Good sources of carbohydrates include: fruits and vegetables, wholewheat breads, whole-grain cereals and crackers, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice. These foods are also rich in dietary fiber which keeps us fuller longer.

SUGARS Other sources of carbohydrates include cakes, cookies, candy, soda, juice, and sports drinks, which are also usually high in sugar. Foods that have a lot of sugar are also high in empty calories that do not provide any other nutrients.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS Necessary for basic function., the Nutrition Facts panel lists vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron from food by percentage.

INGREDIENTS LISTED Ingredients are listed in order of amount, decreasing as the list goes on. Avoid foods that list sugar, fats, oils, or salt as the first few ingredients. Generally, the more ingredients listed , the more processed and less healthy it is. Avoid unfamiliar ingredients.

NUTRITIONAL LABEL QUICK TIPS

CHOLESTEROL When picking snacks, choose foods that have less than 3 grams of fat or less for every 100 calories in a serving.

CALORIES

Choose snacks with at least 3 grams of protein per serving.

SODIUM

The government is currently trying to fight to eliminate all trans fats from foods.

Avoid “partially hydrogenated oils” in the ingredients list and stay clear from any trans fats.

A daily value of 5% or less of a nutrient is considered to be low in that nutrient. A daily value of 10% and 19% of nutrient is considered a good source of that nutrient (i.e.: 10% calcium is a good source of calcium). A daily value of 20% or more is considered an excellent source of that nutrient (i.e.: 20% of calcium is an excellent source of calcium).

CARBOHYDRATES Fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals and make great snacks compared to packaged junk food snacks like chips and candy that hardly have any vitamins/minerals.

TRANS FAT

The recommended daily amount for sodium is less than 2300mg (1 teaspoon). When choosing snacks, look for “low sodium,” “no salt added,” or SUGARS “unsalted” on the packaging. You can’t go wrong with snacks that are less than 200mg per serving .

Common food additives monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium nitrate/nitrite in the ingredient list are best to be avoided.

Less than 10% of calories should come from saturated fats.

Look for “100% whole wheat” in the ingredient list for foods and choose foods with at least 3g of fiber per serving.

When choosing snacks, choose ones that do not list “sugar” or a sweetener in the first few ingredients.