How Healthy is YOUR Diet?

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

            Have you ever heard the saying “You are what you eat?”  Essentially, this is not far from the truth.  In order to maintain a healthy body and mind throughout your lifetime, it is important to eat a healthy balance of foods.  The proper foods will give your body the fuel it needs to function at its best.  Just like filling up a car with the right type of gasoline to make it run at its optimal performance, you need to fill up your body with the right types of foods so you will feel your best.  In this activity, you will study the food pyramid, what foods are included in each category, and how much of each food you should eat per day.  You will then keep a diary of your own food intake for one week to compare and contrast your diet with the recommended servings according to the food pyramid.  Happy eating!

 

 

Information

 

            Study the following food pyramid along with the chart containing information on the types of foods and amounts of servings to eat per day.  There are also tips on how much each serving should equal.  Then complete the activities listed below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FATS, OILS AND SWEETS

GO EASY

Best in moderation.  Try to cut down on fatty toppings and salad dressings.  Easy on the sweets.

MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, EGGS AND NUTS

2 TO 3 SERVINGS A DAY

One piece of meat should be about the size of your fist.  A golf ball sized portion of peanut butter.  Beans should equal 1 ˝ cup per serving.  One cup of nuts or three eggs.

MILK, YOGURT AND CHEESE

2 TO 3 SERVINGS A DAY

Servings are equal to one cup, six dice or three dominoes.  Remember…ice cream and frozen yogurt belongs in the sweets.

FRUITS

2 TO 4 SERVINGS A DAY

One serving of fruit should fill about half of a baseball.  Or one small glass of fruit juice.

VEGETABLES

3 TO 5 SERVINGS A DAY

One portion should equal about the size of a baseball for leafy veggies and half a baseball for others like carrots.  Or small 6 oz. glass of tomato juice.

BREAD, CEREAL, RICE AND PASTA

6 TO 11 SERVINGS A DAY

Keep these servings small.  They add up quickly. Remember only ˝ cup of cooked pasta or cereal equals one serving. 

 

 

 

Activities

 

 

1.      Begin to record in your health journal your food intake for 7 days.  Begin with your meals today.  This can be in list form.  For example,  Day 1 – 2 eggs, 3 strips bacon, 1 cup O.J., peanut butter and jelly sandwich, bag of chips, 1 milk, 1 hamburger, 1 cup fries, can of Pepsi, large bowl of ice cream.  Remember to record beverages and snacks, too. 

 

2.      Read the following article on the importance of nutrition - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSCHN000/325/7094.html - Write down any questions you may have in your journal to ask during a group discussion of this article.

 

3.      Study the food pyramid and the chart above.  Become familiar with how many servings a day you should have from each of the food groups.  Pay attention to the tips on how to help keep track of one serving size.

 

4.      Look over the following chart at http://www.healthyfridge.org/choose.html - This gives you ideas as to which foods to eat more often and which foods you should try to avoid.  You may print this out for future reference.

 

1.      After recording your food intake for 7 days, compare/contrast your diet to the information based on the charts you have seen.  Write a minimum of three paragraphs about what you have learned about the food pyramid and how your daily food intake compares or contrasts to the pyramid and charts above.  What areas of the food chart do you need to improve on?  Are you on the road to a healthy eater or a junk food junkie?  Why or why not?  Do you feel differently when you eat certain foods as compared to others?  What food pyramid categories do you feel are the most important for healthy eating?  Which are the least important?  Why do you feel this way?