EATING HEALTHY AND

STAYING ACTIVE

Lauren Creel

Audience: Elementary school students who are growing and need to know the importance of nutrition and what it includes

THE FOOD PYRAMID Vegetables Grains Fruits Oils, Fats, and

sweets Milk and other

calcium-rich foods Meats, beans,

fish, and nuts

STAYING ACTIVE AND FOLLOWING THE FOOD PYRAMID

Staying active is key!

Little things such as playing in the park with friends can help keep you in shape.

In order to be fit and healthy, its important to combine exercise with proper nutrition.

VEGETABLES

Vegetables include: Any vegetable or 100%

vegetable juice counts as a member of the vegetable group.

Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF VEGETABLES

*Dark Green Vegetables

Collard greens, spinach, and romaine lettuce

* Orange vegetables Pumpkin

Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and pumpkin

*Dry Beans and PeasWhite beans, soy beans, spilt peas

*Starchy vegetables

Corn, green beans, and potatoes

*Other vegetablesEggplants, mushrooms, beets, cabbage, onions, okra, zucchini, wax beans, and iceberg lettuce

GRAINS Grains are food made from wheat, oats, and rice.

WHICH TYPE OF GRAIN IS HEALTHIER?

White Bread Wheat Bread!

FRUITSAny fruit or 100 %

fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group.

Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed.

HEALTHY FRUITS

Apple Apricot Banana Blackberry Blueberry

Kiwi Red Grapefruit Muskmelon Cherry Purple Grape

The Top Ten Healthiest Fruits to Promote Optimum Health…

MILK AND OTHER CALCIUM-RICH FOODS

Milk Group includes: Food that retain their calcium content Choosing fat-free and low-fat can make a

difference!

There are different kinds of milk including soy milk, skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, and whole milk

WHAT COUNTS AND WHAT DOESN’T… Foods made from

milk that retain their calcium content are part of the Most milk group choices should be fat-free or low-fat part group.

Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not.

FOODS MADE FROM MILK All Milk*

types of milk: fat-free (skim) low fat (1%) reduced fat (2%) whole milk

flavored milks: chocolate strawberry

lactose reduced milks lactose free milks

Milk-based desserts* Puddings made with milk ice milk frozen yogurtice cream

Cheese* Hard natural cheeses: cheddar mozzarella Swiss parmesan

soft cheeses:ricotta cottage cheese

processed cheeses:American

Yogurt* All yogurt Fat-freelow fatreduced fat whole milk yogurt

Got Milk ?

MEATS, BEANS, FISH, AND NUTS

All Foods made from: meat, poultry, fish, dry

beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered part of this group.

Most meat choices should be lean and low-fat.

MEAT AND BEANS GROUP Meats beef

ham lamb pork veal

Porklamb

Poultrychickenduck gooseturkeyground chicken and turkey

Eggs

chicken eggsduck eggs

 Dry beans and peas:black beans black-eyed peas chickpeas (garbanzo beans) falafel kidney beans lentils lima beans (mature) navy beans pinto beans soy beans split peaswhite beans

OILS, FATS, AND SWEETS Oils are fats that are liquid

at room temperature, like the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants and from fish.

A few plant oils, however, including coconut oil and palm kernel oil, are high in saturated fats and for nutritional purposes should be considered to be solid fats.

Solid fats come from many animal foods and can be made from vegetable oils through a process called hydrogenation.

Some oils are used mainly as flavorings, such as walnut oil and sesame oil.

EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF OILS… Some common oils

are: • canola oil

• corn oil • cottonseed oil• olive oil • safflower oil • soybean oil • sunflower oil

A number of foods are naturally high in oils, like:

• nuts • olives • some fish • avocados

Some common solid fats are:

• butter • beef fat (tallow, suet) • chicken fat • pork fat (lard) • stick margarine• shortening

STAYING ACTIVE Physical activity-

movement of the body that uses energy

Benefits of physical activity may include: Improves self-

esteem and feelings of well-being

Increases fitness level

Helps build and maintain bones, muscles, and joints

Helps manage weight

WAYS TO STAY ACTIVE… Walking, running,

bike riding, jump rope, hopscotch, soccer, basketball, football, dodge ball, yoga, pilates, etc.

SERVINGSVegetables: 3-5

Grains: 6-11

Fruits: 2-5

Milk and other Calcium Rich Foods: 2-3

Oil, Fats, Sweets: use

sparingly

Meat, Beans, Nuts: 2-3

THINGS TO REMEMBER… Follow the food

pyramid as best you can

Try to eat as many servings as directed each day

Each group provides several different options

Exercise combined with proper nutrition leads to a healthy lifestyle

Exercising can be fun and should be done every day

The littlest things such as taking the stairs, or walking rather than driving can make a difference