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​Lesson 1: Introduction to Nutrition and Macronutrients

Estimated Completion Time: ~45 Minutes

Materials Needed:

  1. Presentation

  2. Activity 1: Printed Pre-lesson Survey​

  3. Activity 2: What is your favorite meal?

    1. Blank paper, pencils, coloring tools (ex: pencils, markers, etc.)

  4. Activity 3: Macronutrient Cards

    1. Labeled food cards, macronutrient labels, bags/baskets 

Lesson Goals

  1. Understand what nutrition is and why it is important in our lives 

  2. Explore our favorite foods and what they means to us

  3. Learn about the 3 macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats

    1. Distinguish which foods consists of which macronutrients

Introduction

Time: 3 min

Instructor(s) will introduce themselves and ask each student to introduce themselves. 

 

Example format:

  1. Name

  2. Pronouns

  3. Optional Icebreaker - ex: favorite fruit

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Activity 1: Initial Survey

Time: 2 min

Before presenting the lesson, instructors will pass out pre-lesson surveys to students. Students will fill out this initial survey which gages their understanding of nutrition prior to the lesson:

Topic 1: What is Nutrition?

Time: 3 min

Discussion: Instructor asks students to share out what they think nutrition is by raising their hands. 

 

Presentation: Instructor defines nutrition

  • Example Definition: Nutrition is about eating a healthy and balanced diet. Food and drink provide the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy.

Citrus
Fruits and Nuts

Topic 2: Six Essential Nutrients

Time: 5 min

Discussion: Instructor asks students to share out what they think nutrition is by raising their hands. 

Presentation: While teaching the information below, instructors should utilize pictures on the presentation and take plenty of pauses for questions and discussion. 

  1. Nutrient: Chemical compound in food that is used by the body to function properly and maintain health

  2. Six nutrients: 

    • 3 macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Fats

    • 2 micronutrients: Vitamins and Minerals

    • Water

  3. Explain the focus of the lesson will be on the 3 macronutrients

  4. Eating a variety of foods

    • All foods can be a part of a healthy diet

    • We must eat a variety of foods so we can get all of the nutrients our bodies need

  5. How nutrition benefits our lives

    • Nutrition is beneficial to our:

      • Physical health, brain development, academic performance, social life, mental health

    • Cultural significance: 

      • Nutrition helps us connect to our family and heritage

      • School lunches

 

Presentation: Instructor defines nutrition

  • Example Definition: Nutrition is about eating a healthy and balanced diet. Food and drink provide the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy.

Topic 3: Macronutrients

Time: 12 min

Presentation: While teaching the information below, instructors should utilize pictures on the presentation and take plenty of pauses for questions and discussion. 

*Note: After introducing each macronutrient, ask students if they have any other examples of foods with said macronutrient or what their favorite food that has that macronutrient is.

 

Boosting our Nutrition: 

  1. Reminder – Healthy nutrition looks different for everyone

  2. Guides to boost our nutrition:

    1. Using foods/resources we already have access to

    2. Building upon meals/snacks we already like

    3. Being flexible and creatively experimenting with food

 

Three Main Macronutrients:

  1. Show a visual of the 3 different macronutrients 

  2. Macronutrients provide our bodies with energy

  3. Macronutrients help our body systems and structures grow and function properly

  4. Our bodies cannot make these nutrients and we must get them through eating a variety of foods

 

Carbohydrates:

  1. Sugar: Broken down by our bodies into glucose then circulates in the blood to be used as energy.

    1. Natural sugar:

      • ex: fruits and milk products

    2. Refined sugar:

      • candies, cookies, soda

  2. Starch: Broken down by our bodies into glucose then circulates in the blood to be used as energy.

    1. Ex: beans, legumes, starchy vegetables, whole grains 

  3. Fiber: NOT broken down by the body

    1. Soluble: Helps food pass more quickly through the stomach

    2. Insoluble: Lower cholesterol levels, improves blood glucose control

    3. Ex: whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts 

 

Proteins: Large, complex molecules made up of amino acid that help us with biological processes

  1. Benefits: 

    1. Muscle growth and repair 

    2. Immune system support

    3. Energy source 

    4. Weight management 

  2. Ex: 

    1. Meat: Beef, chicken, pork

    2. Seafood: Salmon, tuna, shrimp

    3. Diary: Milk, cheese, yogurt

    4. Seeds & Nuts

    5. Legumes: Beans, lentils, tofu

 

Understanding fats: It is vital to go over what cholesterol is before introducing the third macronutrient which is fat

  1. Cholesterol: Waxy, fat-like substance found in all cells of body

  2. Purpose: Make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods

  3. Too much is harmful: Cholesterol can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque which sticks to walls of arteries and causes health problems like heart disease and increased risk of stroke

 

Fats: source of essential fatty acids

  1. Unsaturated: Unsaturated fats contain HDL, a benign type of cholesterol that can be removed from bloodstream

    1. Benefits heart and blood circulation.

    2. Ex: avocado, olive oil, and tree nuts

  2. Saturated: Contains LDL, a more harmful form of cholesterol.

    1. Less healthy than unsaturated fats. 

    2. Too much leads to blockages in arteries and increases heart disease risk.

    3. Ex: butter, cheese, sweets

  3. Trans: Increase LDL levels more than saturated fats.

    1. Harmful if over consumed

    2. Ex: Fried foods

 

Balance is Key: 

Remind students that our body needs all three macronutrients in appropriate ratios to be healthy. 

 

Tip for Students:

Suggest that students try to include one of each macronutrient during meals and snacks to make their food nutritious and allow them to feel full for longer

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Activity 3: Macronutrient relay race

Time: 10 min

This activity will be outdoors and students will be active. It is a relay race where students will correctly sort foods into the three macronutrient categories. This will allow them to test their knowledge in a fun and competitive way.

 

Setup:

  1. Create three large labels for carbohydrates, fats, and protein and stick them on bags, baskets, or bins

  2. Place three labeled containers ~2-3 feet away from each other

  3. Print out 60-80 cards with food images and labeled names on them.

    1. 1 set of 30 cards (make enough copies so that each student gets at least 5 cards): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rctNlGkCKvcq2YF3pgsAU6tz_H3ce94UIOH_Mj4cFF4/edit

 

Rules:

  1. Students are split up into 2 teams and each team stands in a line

  2. Each student/player has ~5 cards with a picture of a food and its name

  3. Only 1 student can go at a time

  4. Students can only sort one of their cards at a time

  5. Once finished they run back and tap the other person to go; then, this process repeats until no players are left on either team

  6. The team that finished first wins!

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