Perhaps you have heard the saying “You are what you eat.” As I visited with 7th-grade students in their Skills for Adolescence class this week, I shared the importance of making healthy food choices now in order to avoid the onset of chronic conditions as they age. They already knew some of the important concepts of avoiding highly processed foods with added fats, sodium, and sugar. Besides making healthy food choices, I emphasized that regular physical activity is necessary to keep their body healthy too.
The My Plate guide for healthy eating encourages us to fill half of our plate with fruits and vegetables. That would be a goal of including five to nine servings of these colorful foods every day. The wide array of vitamins and minerals, plus a healthy dose of fiber, make these food groups popular for anyone wanting to maintain or lose weight. Another food group that needs your consideration is the grain group. Most active teens and adults need around six ounces of grains every day. It is also important to make half of your grains whole grains. Whole grains include such foods as brown rice, whole wheat bread or pasta, or whole grain oats to name a few.
The protein group and dairy or calcium rich foods group round out the My Plate icon. Remember that protein can be from animal or plant sources and a serving should fit in the palm of your hand. Protein and calcium rich foods provide the nutrients for our muscles and bones.
The 7th-graders got a little wide eyed when I shared a nutrition fact label from a cola type beverage. A 20-ounce serving has a whopping 65 grams of sugar in it. That translates to just over 16 teaspoons of sugar! Things to check out on other nutrition fact labels included added fats, sodium and whether the food has fiber.
Before my visit ended, we sampled sweet potato, parsnips, and daikon radish sticks that were dipped in freshly made hummus. Most students had never tried those vegetables in their raw form before and were quite surprised how much they liked them. I love connecting with this age group as they gain more independence and make decisions daily about what they are eating and drinking. My hope is that they will remember my short visit with them and consider the healthy options.
Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. Contact her at 620-793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu.
