D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Food for Healthy Bodies and Minds

D1.1 D2.1 D2.2About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain why people need food to have healthy bodies and minds.
I can describe how Canada's Food Guide helps us make healthy food choices.
I can notice when I am hungry, thirsty or full, and use those feelings to eat well.

Words to know

energy
The power your body needs to move, grow, play and think. Food gives you energy.

Canada's Food Guide
Advice from the Government of Canada about healthy eating. It shows a healthy plate.

vegetables and fruits
Plants we eat, like carrots, broccoli, apples and berries. They fill half the plate.

whole grain foods
Foods made from the whole grain, like brown rice, oatmeal and whole wheat bread.

protein foods
Foods like beans, eggs, fish, meat, nuts, tofu, milk and yogurt that help your body grow and repair.

hunger cue
A signal from your body that it needs food, like a rumbling tummy.

full
The comfortable feeling that you have eaten enough.

Why does a car need gas? 🚗

A car can't go without fuel. Your body is a little like that. Food is your body's fuel.

Food gives you energy to run, play and learn. It helps you grow taller and stronger. It helps your body heal when you get a scrape. And it helps your brain think, remember and focus. That's why we say food helps us have healthy bodies and minds.

Canada's Food Guide

Canada's Food Guide helps families choose healthy foods. It shows a plate:

Half the plate: vegetables and fruits 🥕🍎
One quarter (a quarter): whole grain foods 🍞
One quarter: protein foods 🥚🫘

And it says: make water your drink of choice. 💧

A plate with vegetables and fruit on half, rice and whole grain bread on a quarter, and chicken, beans and an egg on a quarter, beside a glass of water. — This plate follows Canada's Food Guide: half vegetables and fruits, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein, and water to drink. AI-generated image

Canada's Food Guide plate: half vegetables and fruits, a quarter whole grain foods, a quarter protein foods, and water to drink.

Part of the plate	Examples
Vegetables and fruits	carrots, peas, broccoli, squash, apples, blueberries, bananas
Whole grain foods	oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread or pasta, whole grain crackers
Protein foods	beans, lentils, eggs, fish, chicken, nuts or seeds, tofu, milk, yogurt, cheese

Canada's Food Guide also gives tips about how to eat:

Enjoy your food.
Eat meals with others, like your family.
Cook and help make food at home.
Notice when you are hungry and when you are full.

Foods like candy, chips and pop are not on the plate. They are highly processed and have lots of sugar, salt or fat. People can still enjoy them once in a while, in small amounts.

Families eat many different foods, from many cultures. Some First Nations, Inuit and Métis families eat traditional foods such as fish, wild meat and berries. All kinds of family meals can fit a healthy plate.

Listen to your body

Your body sends you signals (cues).

Hunger cues: your tummy rumbles or feels empty, you feel tired or grumpy, or it is hard to pay attention.

Thirst cues: your mouth feels dry, you feel hot after playing, you just feel like a drink.

Fullness cues: your tummy feels comfortable, food doesn't seem as interesting, you don't want more.

Healthy eaters eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Eat slowly so you can notice when you are full!

Worked example

Let's build a healthy plate

Ella's family is making supper. They have: chicken, brown rice, broccoli, carrots and water. How can Ella fill her plate like Canada's Food Guide?

Half the plate: vegetables and fruits. She puts broccoli and carrots on half her plate.
One quarter: whole grain foods. She puts brown rice on one quarter.
One quarter: protein foods. She puts chicken on the last quarter.
Drink: a glass of water.
Check: Is half the plate vegetables and fruits? Yes!

Broccoli and carrots (half), brown rice (a quarter), chicken (a quarter), and water. Ella's plate matches Canada's Food Guide.

Worked example

Let's read the body's signals

It is 11 o'clock at school. Raj's tummy is rumbling and he can't focus on his story. At lunch, after his sandwich and half his apple, his tummy feels comfortable. What is his body telling him?

At 11 o'clock: rumbling tummy and trouble focusing are hunger cues. His body needs food.
At lunch: a comfortable tummy is a fullness cue. He has had enough for now.
What can he do? Eat when hungry. Stop when full. He can save the rest of his apple for later.

First Raj was hungry (rumbling tummy, hard to focus). After lunch he felt full. He can listen to these cues and save the rest of his apple.

Your tummy works a bit like a car's fuel gauge. Raj felt hungry at 11 o'clock and full after lunch, so he could stop eating.

Funny but true

Broccoli is really a bunch of tiny flower buds! 🥦 If nobody picked it, those little green bumps would open into small yellow flowers. So when Ella eats broccoli, she is eating a bouquet.

Hands-on activity

Paper plate meal

You need: a paper plate, crayons or markers, old flyers or magazines (optional), scissors and glue.

Draw a line down the middle of the plate. Then draw a line across one half, so you have one half and two quarters.
In the big half, draw or glue pictures of vegetables and fruits.
In one quarter, draw whole grain foods.
In the other quarter, draw protein foods.
Draw a glass of water beside your plate.
Tomorrow, help a grown-up make a real meal or snack that matches your plate!

Your turn

Why do people need food? Give two reasons.

How much of the plate should be vegetables and fruits?

What is the best drink to choose most of the time?

Name one protein food.

Name one whole grain food.

Your tummy is rumbling. What is your body telling you?

Your tummy feels comfortable and you don't want more. What should you do?

More practice: warm-up

Is an apple a vegetable or fruit, a whole grain, or a protein food?

Is oatmeal a whole grain food? Yes or no?

Is a dry mouth a hunger cue or a thirst cue?

True or false: Food helps your brain think.

How many parts does the Canada's Food Guide plate have?

More practice: on your own

Sort these: yogurt, carrots, brown rice, beans, strawberries.

Why is it a good idea to eat slowly?

You just played soccer on a hot day. You feel hot and your mouth is dry. What do you need?

Kai only has pasta and meatballs on his plate. What could he add to match the Food Guide?

Why might you feel grumpy or tired if you skip breakfast?

Challenge

Plan a healthy lunch for school that matches Canada's Food Guide.

Your friend says, "I always eat until my tummy hurts." What could you tell them?

Explain how Canada's Food Guide can help a family make healthy meals.

Check your understanding

Quiz

How much of your plate should be vegetables and fruits?

Which is a whole grain food?

Which drink does Canada's Food Guide say to choose most often?

Which is a hunger cue?

Why do people need food?

You feel full but there is still food on your plate. What is a healthy choice?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 1 students explain why we need food (energy, growth, healthy bodies and minds), describe how Canada's Food Guide helps with healthy eating (half the plate vegetables and fruits, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein foods, water as the drink of choice), and recognize hunger, thirst and fullness cues.

A note on language: Try not to call foods "good" or "bad", or to praise a "clean plate". Encourage your child to listen to their body. Be sensitive to food allergies, cultural and religious food practices, and the fact that families have different budgets.

How to help at home:

Let your child help plan or build a plate at supper.
Ask "How does your tummy feel?" before seconds.
Keep water handy and model drinking it.

Common difficulties: confusing food groups (milk, yogurt and cheese are in protein foods in the 2019 guide), and not noticing fullness when eating quickly or in front of a screen.