Somewhere Over the Rainbow Lies Colorful Fruits and Veggies- Free Lesson

The lesson will focus on the benefits of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Students will discuss the health benefits of different colored fruits and vegetables to better understand how they help them to grow strong and healthy. Students will have the opportunity to prepare a Carrot Slaw with Pineapple, Apples and Almonds and learn how a salad made of fruits and vegetables can help them fight off disease.

Nutrition Information:

• Students will state the benefits of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.

• Students will state the super powers of individual, differently colored fruits and vegetables.

Self-assessment:

Students will identify:

• Their own fruit and vegetable intake using the MyPlate Method.

• What their plate should look like. Health

Behavior Change:

• Students will be able to name at least one benefit of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and understand the role it plays in contributing to their overall health.

• Students will be able to increase their fruit and vegetable intake by learning how to create a healthy plate.

• Students will be able to increase their fruit and vegetable intake by learning how to add fruits and vegetables into a recipe.

Culinary Skills:

• Students will make a Carrot Slaw with Pineapple, Apples and Almonds, identify the beneficial ingredients in the recipe and have the opportunity to taste these ingredients.

Self-efficacy/Action plan:

• Students will take home their own MyPlate drawing to share with family at home. Students will also receive supplemental material on how to track their fruit and vegetable consumption throughout the week.

1. Begin the lesson by saying we are going to make Carrot Slaw with Pineapple, Apples and Almonds and introduce the Super Crew Kids.

• Introduce Super Crew using the website: http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/sckids/index.php.

   › Click on each character to discover their super power and as a class discuss which foods give them their super power.

   › Discuss how fruits and vegetables have lots of nutrition and fiber! And they come in all different colors. Eating fruits and vegetables keeps you healthy, helps you look and feel your best and helps to prevent heart disease and cancer.

2. Discuss the benefits of tasting a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Just like a rainbow has a pot of gold at the end of it, eating the rainbow of fruits and veggies leads them to have golden health (a healthy body!).

• Explain that what they eat now affects their health when they grow older. Fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber, which is good for our digestive system (keeps you from getting constipated) and helps protect against cancer.

• Fruits and vegetables also have phytochemicals (which the Super Crew calls fight-o-chemicals), which help our bodies fight off sickness.

3. Play a matching game:

• Prepare ahead of time: Draw fruits, veggies and body parts listed below on construction paper. › Heart (Yellow + Red + Purple + Brown) – Pineapple, Red Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Almonds › Brain (Blue + Purple) – Blueberries and Eggplants › Eyes (Green + Orange) – Cabbage and Oranges › Skin (Orange) – Oranges or Cantaloupe › Bones (White) – Bananas

• In front of the room there will be pictures of different body parts taped to the board (brain, heart, eyes, skin and bones). Each student will have a drawing of a fruit or vegetable in their hand. Each student will be able to go up to the board and match the fruit or vegetable with the body part it helps keep healthy.

• After each fruit is place on the correct body part it protects, the class will discuss the super powers of that food and its color.

   › Red foods keep our hearts healthy and may protect our bodies from cancer. They also improve our memory so we can remember things better and do better in school.

   › Orange foods are full of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps us fight a cold and helps to prevent cancer. Orange foods are also full of vitamin A and beta-carotene, which help us see in the dark and keep our skin healthy.

   › Yellow foods are full of antioxidants that fight off dangerous free radicals that can damage our cells. They also keep our hearts healthy, prevent different types of cancers and keep us from getting sick.

   › Green foods help our entire body: they keep our nails strong, help us see better, keep us from getting sick, give us strong bones and teeth, and keep away cancer.

   › Blue and Purple foods can help our memory, possibly protect us from cancer. They also contain flavonoids, which are a type of fight-o-chemical (phytochemical) that keeps cancer and heart disease away.

   › White foods help keep our heart, lungs and blood vessels healthy. They can also lower cholesterol, fight cancer and make our bones strong.

4. MyPlate Activity

• Instructor will describe the importance of having half of your plate consist of different color fruits and vegetables every day.

• Using construction paper, students will draw their own MyPlate and fill in their favorite fruits and vegetables in half the plate.

• Students will then be asked to share their drawings with the class.

5. Instructor reviews The Super Crew Fruit and Veggie Tracker Handout with students.

• Discuss how this activity will help students track the number of fruits and veggies they eat over the course of 1 week. Encourage them to continue tracking for the rest of the month!

6. Instructor will introduce the recipe and help children prepare a healthy salad.

• Before cooking:

› Explain: “Today we are going to make a salad with fruits and vegetables, both of which are super-power foods!”

› Introduce the Carrot Slaw with Pineapple, Apples and Almonds

› Review hand washing:

   1. Good hand washing habits are your first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses, not just the common cold.

   2. Hand washing can prevent the transfer of germs and foodborne illnesses.

   3. Scrub hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds (according to the Center for Disease Control).

   4. Don’t forget to wash your hands before, during and after cooking!

Preparation

• Review equipment inventory and buy any necessary tools.

• Make copies of the handouts and recipes for the students.

• Create a grocery list.

• Purchase all ingredients about one day prior to lesson.

• Fill out form below for organization

Materials/Resources Needed

• Computer and projector, to project Internet images

• Internet access

• Handouts

• Construction paper and markers

• Carrot Slaw with Pineapple, Apples and Almonds recipe handout

• The Super Crew Fruit and Veggie Tracker

Carrot Slaw with Pineapple, Apples and Almonds (serves approximately 16 children)

½ cup toasted slivered almonds 1 large mixing bowl 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise 2 mixing spoons 2 Tbsp. nonfat Greek yogurt Measuring cups 1 ½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar Measuring spoons 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 bag (10 oz.) shredded carrots 1 cup canned pineapple chunks, (cut each chunk in half) and reserve juice ½ Gala or Fuji apple, chopped ½ cup raisins ½ Tbsp. pineapple juice, reserved from can.

Directions

1) Toast almonds and set aside.
2) In a large bowl mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar and sugar.
3) Add a handful of shredded carrots to the mixture, cover them with the wet ingredients; repeat until whole bag of carrots has been added.
4) Cut pineapple chunks in half and add them to the bowl.
5) Chop ½ of an apple and add it to the bowl.
6) Add pineapple juice from can.
7) Add raisins to the bowl.
8) Mix all ingredients together.
9) Top with toasted almonds right before serving to maintain crunch.