Family Nutrition - Variety in Foods

Families will be able to more wisely choose a variety of foods.

 

Objective

Families will wisely eat a variety of foods.

Lesson Preparation

Before the lesson find:

1. Examples of the three kinds of foods that are available locally.

2. Two plants, one which is healthy and one which is wilted and sickly due to lack of sun, water or proper soil.

Concepts to be Taught

We need proper nutrition to be strong and healthy. The body needs three kinds of foods to: help us grow, provide energy, and offer protection from some diseases. People should eat some of the three kinds of foods everyday.

Click on the magnifying glass of any image for enlargement.

1. We need proper nutrition to be strong and healthy.

2. The body needs three kinds of foods to: help us grow, provide energy, and offer protection from some diseases.

3. People should eat some of the three kinds of foods everyday.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Introduction

All living things need proper nourishment to live and grow. Show picture or real plants, one of which is wilted and sickly and the other which is healthy and strong. Ask what is the difference between these two plants? (One is healthy with proper amounts of sun water and good soil. The other one is not healthy.) People also need the proper nourishment to be healthy. Children particularly need good nutrition to grow at a normal rate, both physically and mentally, and to be active, alert and happy (#1). A person can have poor nutrition, called malnutrition, by not eating enough food or by not eating the right kinds of foods. Malnutrition can lead to serious diseases, lack of energy, inability to heal injuries, replace hair, keep the body strong and could eventually cause death.

Concept #1

We need proper nutrition to be strong and healthy.

Tell the story of the Garcia family. The Garcia family, like many families in their area, do not have much money. Often the family, father, mother and children left the house early in the morning without much to eat for breakfast. They usually went without much to eat for the day and had a filling meal of rice, corn and beans in the evening (#2). The children often were tired and had runny noses. The baby regularly had diarrhea and did not look well (#3). Mr. And Mrs. Garcia realized their family was not well and all felt tired but they thought this was normal. The local government health worker contacted Mrs. Garcia in the market one day and gave her information about eating well and proper nutrition (#4). Mrs. Garcia began to realize that feeling tired and being sick often could be a result of poor nutrition. She learned through several classes some important ideas about proper nutrition including: the importance of eating a wide variety of foods, eating throughout the day and providing special foods for some family members such as mothers and children (#5). Mrs. Garcia made some changes in the family diet and eating habits. After a while, Mr. And Mrs. Garcia started noticing a positive change in their family's health. They did not feel as tired, they got sick less often and they felt happier overall.

Concept #2

The body needs three kinds of foods to: help us grow, provide energy, and give protection from disease.

Our bodies basically need three kinds of foods daily to: help us grow, provide energy and help protect us from disease.

1. The foods that help us to grow give our bodies protein. Protein helps us to build and repair body tissues. They foods that help us to grow include: dried beans, nuts and some seeds, meats including beef pork, poultry and seafood, eggs, milk and foods made from milk (#6).

2. Foods that give our bodies energy include foods that are high in carbohydrates (starch) such as rice, corn, wheat, millet, cassava, taro, and potatoes. Other energy foods include cooking oil, seeds composed of oil, fates and lard, and sweeteners such as sugar, honey, and molasses (#7).

3. Protection foods have an abundance of vitamins and minerals which help to keep us healthy. There are many vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A is in all dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and chard; and in all yellow or orange fruits and vegetables such as carrots, dark colored squash, and mangoes. Foods with vitamin C include fruits such as oranges, strawberries, papayas, and tomatoes. Other fruits and vegetables such as bananas, green beans and avocados have important nutrients (#8).

A variety of foods grow throughout the world so what people choose to eat will be different according to where they live (#9). In some parts of the world, people may eat rice with vegetables and fruits, others may eat wheat products like bread with other foods, some eat mainly corn and beans with other fruits and vegetables. These are all good foods. These foods need to be balanced so that families will have good health.

Balance means eating foods of each of the three types in sufficient amounts to meet the body's needs.

Learning Activity #2

Family will make a list of the foods they have eaten in the last 24 hours. Put each of the foods in the category of foods for growth, energy of protection. Ask: Have you eaten foods from all the categories? Which group did you eat the most foods from? What foods could you add to your diet to give you a good variety in foods?

Figure 10

Figure 11

Concept #3

People should eat some of the three kinds of foods everyday.

We need to eat foods from each of the major food groups daily for good health. If you do not eat energy foods, you will get tired and have a difficult time thinking and working. Without growth foods, your mind and body will not have the protein to build and repair your body cells. Without protection foods, you could get sick more easily and develop certain illnesses due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

One way to be sure to get a variety of foods in the proper amount in your family's diet is to include the three kinds of food in each meal of the day (#10). The exact number of meals that a family eats during the day is not important. Whether it is 3 times of 7 times a day, the variety and amount of food is important. In addition, every day, you should try to eat one food high in Vitamin a and one high in Vitamin C.

Everyone needs foods from all three groups every day. The amount of food depends on the age of the person, their size, the amount of work they do and the condition of their health (#11). For example, an adult needs more food than a child, a person dong heavy work needs more food than a person who is doing light work, and a pregnant or nursing woman needs more food than a woman who is not pregnant or lactating.

Learning Activity #3

Have the family take the foods they listed in Learning Activity #2 and divide them up into meals that they would like to eat. Plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner for one day. (They can add more foods than what they have listed. They should consider the time and energy it takes to prepare these foods to determine where they would best fit in the day's food plan. The cost of the food should be within their budget. Adding variety to the diet will not necessarily cost more. It may mean buying less of one food and more of another kind.)

List of figures for lesson 4.1

(Click on the numbered links below to view and print full-sized figures)

1. Plants, like people, become sick without the proper nourishment.

2. The Garcia family did not feel well due to their diet.

3. The Garcia children were often sick.

4. The extension agent gave Mrs. Garcia information about good nutrition.

5. The Garcia family is much happier and healthier with good nutrition.

6. These are called growth foods.

7. These are energy foods.

8. These are protection foods.

9. There is a variety of foods from around the world.

10. Wise meal planning is to eat something from the three kinds of foods at every meal.

11. Different ages and sizes of people need various amounts of food.