AALL Internet Lesson: “Nutritious Menu Planning”

Student Online Activity Sheet

You just finished a discussion about healthy eating with your teacher
and other students in your class. The questions were:
1. “How many of you think you eat a healthy diet?”
2. “Why would you want to eat a healthy diet?”
3. “How do you know what a healthy diet is?”

In this lesson you will explore numerous websites to find answers to questions two and three. Then you will create menus for at least three days based on what you have learned. You will see new vocabulary words in this lesson. Here is a list of some of those words. J
Food Dictionary
Saturated fats
Monounsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats
Cholesterol

1. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made changing recommendations on what we should eat over the years. Perhaps you are old enough to recall the “four food groups”. The latest recommendations are in what is known as the Food Guide Pyramid. Go to Food Guide Pyramid and click on USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid Booklet. This is a large document and takes a few seconds to load, so be patient.
According to the booklet (page 2, second paragraph under “What’s in this booklet for me?”), what is the Pyramid based on?
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What age group are the Dietary Guidelines written for (also on page 2)?
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(And still on page 2) What does the USDA predict will happen by following the Dietary Guidelines?
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What are the six groups of foods on the Pyramid and how many servings of each are recommended?
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How many calories are recommended for you (based on your activity level, gender, and age)? _________________________

How many servings from each group are recommended for you, based on your recommended calorie intake?
Grains: _________________
Vegetables: _________________
Fruits: _________________
Milk: _________________
Meat: _________________
Total Fat: ____________ (in grams)
Total Added Sugars ____________(teaspoons)

Give an example of one serving from each group:
Grains: ________________________________
Vegetables: ________________________________
Fruits: ________________________________
Milk: ________________________________
Meat: ________________________________

Which kind of fat does the USDA recommend that you avoid? ______________

If your recommended calorie intake is 1600 calories, which allows 6
teaspoons added sugars per day, would a can of Coke be within
recommended guidelines? _______

Not everyone agrees with the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Read Conflicted Guidelines  What does the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) dislike about the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee members?
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Which food group(s) does the PCRM feel should not be found on the Food Pyramid?
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Who should probably not drink cow’s milk because it can “wreak digestive havoc”?
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To further spell out problems associated with the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines, PCRM issued Editorial: Racial Bias in Food Guidelines
Dairy products are not recommended because of problems with lactose intolerance. The PCRM says eating meat causes minorities and others problems. What are they?
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The PCRM has issued its own guidelines to healthy eating. Read New Four Food Groups
What are the recommended serving numbers for the four food groups listed Group Servings per day
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How do the sizes of servings compare to those on the USDA’s Food Pyramid?
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To see an alternative food pyramid developed by Cornell and Harvard University researchers go to Asian Diet Pyramid Some of the main differences in this pyramid are summed up in one sentence:

 Small daily servings of dairy products (low fat) or fish are ____________; sweets, eggs, and poultry are recommended no more than __________, and red meat no more than ___________. 

Of course, many of us are not Asian. But the traditional, plant-based rural diets of Asia are linked to a number of health benefits. List all you can find in the article:
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The non-profit foundation, Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, has investigated traditional diets of other peoples and published pyramids based on these diets. Read  the Four alternate pyramids on the menu (under the first picture on the left, to traditional diet pyramids)
What do you think they mean when they call the USDA Food Pyramid a “theoretical construct”?
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The four pyramids offered by Oldways do not contain recommended numbers of servings because, unlike PCRM’s four new food groups, Oldways does not intend for them to compete with the USDA’s Food Pyramid. Instead their stated purpose is, “Oldways intends that the Mediterranean Pyramid will stimulate extensive dialogue within the American and international public health communities as to what constitutes optimal human nutrition.”

Now that you are thinking about what constitutes optimal human nutrition, use either the Food Guide Pyramid or the  New Four Food Groups
Starting with a paragraph explaining why you have chosen the set of dietary guidelines, plan meals and snacks for your family for at least three days following your chosen guidelines and the outline below:

This is a partial New Four Food Group example:

Snacks and their times are optional although many people believe it healthier to spread calorie intake throughout the day rather than concentrate it at three large mealtimes. To help in your planning you may wish to visit:
  
 Suggestions for cultural foods
 Some meatless recipes (Beware, though meatless, these are not always low in saturated fat!)