A Homeschool Co-op Lesson On Nutrition

A few years ago I was in charge of teaching an anatomy class for children ages 5-9 at our homeschool co-op. One of the topics we covered was nutrition. After searching for several months for some type of curriculum to use, I finally ended up doing some research and writing something myself. While I am not a nutrition expert, It is my hope that someone might still find something helpful here.

Drink Enough Water

Our bodies are mostly water, so drinking plenty of water is important if we want to keep our bodies healthy. Some symptoms of not drinking enough are fatigue, dry skin, headaches, and constipation. Over a long period of time, a shortage of water will cause your body functions to stop working properly. Drinking enough water will keep you healthier and may allow you to live longer.

What is enough water? You've may have heard that you should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, but a better rule to remember is to drink one quart for every 50 pounds of body weight. So, if you weigh 100 pounds, you need to drink two quarts, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink three quarts, and so on.

You also want to make sure that the water you are drinking is good water. Most tap water should be avoided because it may contain chlorine and fluoride, toxic substances that are bad for your body. Distilled water should also be avoided because it can drain your body of necessary minerals. It is best to drink water at room temperature because ice-cold water can harm the lining of your stomach.

Can you give me some reasons why it is important to drink enough water?

Eat Lots of Fruits and Veggies

The National Cancer Institute and the Food Guide Pyramid recommend five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day to protect against cancer and other diseases. A serving of vegetables means 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw salad vegetables. A serving of fruit is one medium piece, like apple or an orange.

You should eat fruits and vegetables at every meal. Make veggies the main course. Plan your meals around a "main" vegetable, instead of a meat or starch. When you fill your plate, vegetables should take up half the plate, with meat and starches filling smaller areas. And try to plan at least one vegetarian meal a week. But don't replace the meat with pasta and rice, instead use beans and whole grains.

Try something new. There are lots of different fruits and vegetables. If you try something and don't like it, move on to something different until you find a few you like. Or, try a different way of preparing the same old vegetables. If you don't like cooked peas, try them raw. If you don't like steamed zucchini, maybe you will like it grilled.

FREE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE FROM A TO Z WORKSHEET

Use the color to "please the eye and inspire the appetite". The most nutritious fruits and vegetables are the ones with the brightest and deepest colors, so paint your plate with color.

Choose fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Because food looses vitamins and deteriorates in quality as it sits on store shelves, your produce will be more nutritious (and better tasting) if you grow it yourself or buy it locally. Eat vegetables that are in season. If something is not currently being harvested in your area, you know that it was either grown and shipped in from somewhere else, or it has been in storage. Either way, it isn't going to be fresh.

If you can't get something fresh, then buy frozen. Food that has been harvested and frozen quickly actually has more vitamins than most of the foods you will find in the produce section of the grocery store.

What are some things to remember that will help you to start eating more fruits and vegetables?

FREE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE FROM A TO Z WORKSHEET (for younger children)

Eat Natural

Eat as few over-processed and over-cooked foods as possible. Once food is cut or processed, it begins to lose its nutritional value. The heat of cooking also depletes vitamins, damages proteins and fats, and destroys enzymes. The closer your foods are to their whole, natural state, the more vitamins, minerals, and fiber they will have, and the better they will be for you.

Eat as many raw foods as possible. Most raw foods contain enzymes which help us to digest our foods. Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to do what they were designed to do. When the natural enzymes in food are destroyed, our body must make its own enzymes to process the food. Eating enzyme-dead foods places an extra burden on your pancreas and other organs, causing them to wear out faster. Lack of digestive enzymes can also be a factor in food allergies. Symptoms of digestive enzymes depletion are bloating, belching, gas, bowel disorders, abdominal cramping, heartburn and food allergies. If you do cook your food, the best way is to lightly steam, stew, or use a slow cooker.

Can you give me some examples of whole, unprocessed foods?

Know What's In Your Food

Another problem with processed foods is that they don't taste or look as good as whole foods. Your body will have a very hard time digesting over-processed and over-cooked foods because of all the sugar, salt, fat, and chemicals which are added to them to improve their quality. These kinds of foods are usually found in boxes, bags, cans, or jars.

The worst offenders are those foods which have been refined (such as white flour and white rice), pasteurized (things that have been flash-heated to high temperatures to kill bacteria), homogenized (a process which is used to keep milk and other foods from separating), or preserved (chemicals are added to keep the food from going bad or to improve the texture or taste). Make sure to read the labels of any canned foods that you do purchase. Even things like tomato sauce, beef broth, or vegetable soup may have added sugar or other unhealthy ingredients. Also, if you don't recognize what is in the food you're eating, it probably isn't very good for you.

What are some over-processed foods that you should avoid?