Lesson 10 - Balanced Meals

Lesson 10 - Balanced Meals

Balanced Eating is Healthy Eating

• It is very difficult to plan meals that have all 5 food groups. Try to have at least 4 food groups at each meal. Remember, you can also have smart snacks throughout the day.

• You need 2-3 servings of dairy group foods every day.

• You need 1-2 servings of protein group foods every day.

• You need 2-4 servings of fruit group foods every day.

• You need 3-5 servings of vegetable group foods every day.

• You need 5-6 servings of grain group foods every day.

What food groups is this breakfast missing?

It has an english muffin, an egg, ham, and cheddar cheese.

Multiple Select

What food groups is this breakfast missing?

(Hint - it is missing 2 groups)

• dairy/milk

• protein

• fruit

• vegetable

• grain

How could we improve this breakfast?

We could add some fruit or vegetables.

What if we made a smoothie using vegetables AND fruit? Then we would have all 5 food groups in this meal!

Is this lunch balanced?

This lunch has pita bread triangles, grapes, carrots, lettuce, and chicken salad (chicken with a little mayo).

Multiple Choice

This lunch is pretty well balanced already - it has 4 of the food groups. What food group is this lunch missing?

• dairy/milk

• protein

• fruit

• vegetable

• grain

How could we make this lunch even better?

Could we add a glass of milk to include the dairy group? What other ideas do you have?

Is this dinner balanced?

It includes fish, rice, carrots, and a spinach-pepper salad.

Multiple Select

What food groups is this dinner missing?

(Hint - It is missing 2 of the food groups)

• dairy/milk

• protein

• fruit

• vegetable

• grains

How could we make this dinner better?

This dinner is already very healthy, but we can make it more balanced.

What kind of fruit and dairy could we include?

Your Challenge!

Can you design a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that makes sense AND has all 5 food groups?

Good luck!