High School Nutrition Lesson?

Question

I'm planning a nutrition unit of study for my high schoolers (most of them are in the 9th grade). It would be a good lesson to teach, especially since all they eat are hot cheetos washed down with rock star energy drinks.

I have some ideas, but I was wondering if anyone else had anything to add. I was planning on teaching in this particular order. Please feel free to add comments. Thanks again! (and of course, 10 points for the best answer)

1. Why care about nutrition and what we eat? Perhaps talk about obesity and diseases.

2. Introduction to Calories and have the students count calories they ingest in a day.

3. Vitamins and minerals - Why do we care about vitamins/minerals? Are the students getting the nutrients they need from the food they eat?

4. Making healthier choices - So what should we eat instead of the rockstars and hot cheetos? For the week of nutrition, I was going to be super strict about no food in class, unless it's healthy.

Answer 1

You might want to give them some lessons on balancing their nutrition.  I would emphasize to them that they should keep in mind what they eat over an entire day.

I wouldn't use the USDA's food pyramid.  It is not very clear.  Instead I would construct a pie chart of a segmented bar graph indicating to them the approximate percentages they should eat each day of the various food groups, emphasizing that they should minimize their intake of fat and sugar by not routinely eating desserts.

Harleigh Kyson Jr.