Eat the Five Food Group Way!®

V is for Variety

Grade Level: 4th Grade / Upper Elementary
Rating:

Synopsis:
Students discuss the concept of variety and reasons we need to eat a range of foods from the Five Food Groups every day.

Activity Objectives
Students will be able to:

• Explain the phrase "eat a variety of foods" and determine whether different groups of food provide variety
• Solve mini-nutrition case studies
• Decide whether the meals and snacks they ate yesterday included of a variety of foods, and if necessary, identify ways they increase the variety

• Print and duplicate the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® handout (PDF, 1 per student)
• Draw two boxes on the chalkboard saying "This is Variety" and "This is Not Variety"

What to Do:

1. Distribute the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® handout. Have students circle foods on the handout that they ate yesterday and add any foods not pictured. If they ate a food twice, have them circle it twice. Make sure they include all meals and snacks.
2. Write the word 'variety' on the chalkboard. Have student come up with different examples of variety. Point out that students study a variety of subjects in school because no one subject can teach everything they need to know.
3. Explain that the same is true for nutrition. For good health, we need to eat a variety of different foods. Point out:
   • Each food group provides us with a different set of nutrients. For example, the Milk Group provides calcium, protein and riboflavin. The Vegetable Group and the Fruit Group provide vitamins A and C. And the Meat Group provides iron and protein.
   • Some foods within each food group are a better source of nutrients than others. In the Vegetable Group for example, tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C, but low in vitamin A. Carrots, on the other hand, are a good source of vitamin A but not of vitamin C. We need to eat a variety of foods within each food group to get all the nutrients our bodies need.
4. In the box labeled "This is variety," write:
   • Carrot
   • Baked potato
   • Broccoli
   In the box labeled "This is not variety," write:
   • Baked potato
   • Mashed potato
   • French fries
   Discuss why the first example provides variety and the second does not. Repeat using a fruit example. (An example of variety is an apple, orange and strawberries; an example of not variety is apple juice, applesauce and an apple.) NOTE: The Milk Group is unique. There is no need to be concerned if child drinks three glasses of milk a day. Milk provides the complete range of nutrients supplied by this food group.
5. Read and discuss the following case studies, having students refer to their handout for ideas.

   Case Study 1
   Melissa really likes ice cream. What are 2 or 3 other foods she can eat to get variety from the Milk Group?

   Case Study 2
   The only Grain Group food Blanca eats is white bread. What are 4 other Grain Group foods Blanca might try to get variety?

   Case Study 3
   Alex had peanut butter at lunch. What can he eat for dinner from the Meat Group to get variety?

6. Wrap up by having students look at the number of different foods they circled in each food group and decide whether they ate a variety of foods from each food group yesterday. What are some ways they can add more variety to their meals and snacks?

Going Further
As a class, plan a "Now This is Variety!" tasting party. Have students plan a menu that includes 4 to 6 foods from a particular food group. For example, a variety of Milk Group foods might include: chocolate milk, vanilla pudding, strawberry yogurt, string cheese and cottage cheese.

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