Grade by Grade
D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Listening to My Body: Hunger, Thirst and Healthy Active Living

D2.2 D3.1 A1.3 A1.6About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can recognize my body's hunger, fullness and thirst cues.
  • I can explain physical factors, like growth spurts and activity, that change how much I want to eat and drink.
  • I can explain how healthy eating and active living work together to help my body and my mind.
  • I can set a SMART goal for healthy eating or active living.

Words to know

internal cue
A signal from inside your body, such as a growling stomach or a dry mouth.
hunger
Your body's signal that it needs food for energy.
fullness
The comfortable, satisfied feeling that tells you that you've had enough to eat.
thirst
Your body's signal that it needs water.
growth spurt
A period of fast growth, common during puberty, when the body may need more food and sleep.
active living
Making physical activity a regular part of every day.
SMART goal
A goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and has a Time frame.

Your body talks to you

Your body is always sending messages. A rumbling stomach, a dry mouth, feeling tired and cranky before lunch, or feeling comfortably full after dinner: these are internal cues. Learning to listen to them is one of the best healthy-eating skills you can have. Today you'll learn your body's cues, the physical factors that change them, and how eating well and being active work together.

A metal water bottle, a red apple and a container of carrot sticks on a wooden bench beside a sports field.
Water and a simple snack, ready by the field. Being active makes your body send thirst and hunger cues, so it helps to be ready to listen to them. AI-generated image

Hunger, fullness and thirst cues

Hunger cues (time to eat):

  • stomach growling or feeling empty
  • low energy or feeling tired
  • trouble concentrating
  • feeling grumpy or irritable
  • sometimes a headache or feeling shaky

Fullness cues (time to stop):

  • feeling satisfied and comfortable, no longer hungry
  • food doesn't seem as interesting anymore

Thirst cues (time to drink water):

  • dry mouth or lips
  • feeling tired or getting a headache
  • darker yellow urine (pale yellow usually means you're drinking enough)

It can take a little while for your brain to notice that your stomach is full. Eating slowly gives your body time to send the "I'm full" message. Canada's Food Guide also suggests taking time to eat and noticing when you are hungry and when you are full.

Physical factors that change your needs

How much you want to eat and drink isn't the same every day. Some physical factors:

  • Growth spurts during puberty: you may feel hungrier than usual because your body is building bone and muscle.
  • Activity level: a day of skating, soccer or shovelling snow uses more energy than a day of reading.
  • Hot weather or sweating: you lose water, so you need to drink more, even in winter sports when you're bundled up and sweating.
  • Being sick: you may not feel hungry, but drinking fluids is still important.
  • Sleep: being very tired can make it harder to notice your real hunger and fullness cues.

Everyone's needs are different, and they change. That's why listening to your own cues works better than copying what someone else eats.

Vegetables and fruit(half the plate)Whole grain foods(a quarter)Protein foods(a quarter)Water: the drink of choice
Canada's Food Guide plate: vegetables and fruit fill half the plate, whole grain foods fill a quarter, protein foods fill a quarter, and water is the drink of choice.

Healthy eating and active living work together

Think of your body like a team. Food is the fuel, and physical activity is the training. Each one makes the other work better.

  • Healthy food gives energy for playing, learning and growing. Being active uses that energy and builds strong muscles, bones, heart and lungs.
  • Both help your mind: being active and eating regular, healthy meals can help your mood, concentration and sleep, and help you handle stress.
  • Both protect your health later: together they lower the risk of health problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes when you're older.
  • Sleep is part of the team too: active kids often sleep better, and well-rested kids have more energy to be active.
Foodthe fuelActivitythe trainingSleepthe rechargegives energyto playuses theenergyregular mealshelp sleepactive kids often sleep better
Food, activity and sleep work as a team. Each one helps the others, and together they help your mood, focus and health.
Canadian guideline for kids aged 5 to 13What it says
Move (sweat)At least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day
Sleep9 to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night
Sit lessNo more than 2 hours a day of recreational screen time; break up long periods of sitting
EatFollow Canada's Food Guide: half the plate vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein foods, and water as the drink of choice
From the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth and Canada's Food Guide.

SMART goals

A good goal is SMART:

  • Specific: exactly what will you do?
  • Measurable: how will you know you did it?
  • Attainable: can you really do it?
  • Realistic: does it fit your life?
  • Time frame: by when, or how often?

"Eat healthier" is not SMART. "I will eat a vegetable or fruit at every after-school snack on school days for the next two weeks, and check it off on a calendar" is SMART.

Worked example

Let's read the cues

It's 3:45 p.m. Maya had lunch at 11:30, then had gym class. She feels grumpy, can't focus on her homework, and her mouth is dry.

  1. Find the cues. Grumpy and can't focus = hunger cues. Dry mouth = thirst cue.
  2. Check physical factors. Gym class used energy and made her sweat, so she needs food and water.
  3. Make a choice. Drink a glass of water and have a snack with more than one food group, like an apple with cheese, or whole grain crackers with hummus.
  4. Notice afterward. In 15 to 20 minutes, Maya should feel more focused and less grumpy.

Maya's grumpiness wasn't about homework. It was her body asking for fuel and water.

Riddle time

What has a mouth but never gets thirsty?

A river! You are not a river, so when your mouth feels dry, that's a thirst cue: time for some water.

Worked example

Let's connect eating and activity

Owen wants to have more energy for his basketball tryouts in three weeks. Write a SMART goal that uses healthy eating and active living.

  1. Specific: "I will eat breakfast every school day and practise shooting and running drills."
  2. Measurable: "...for at least 30 minutes after school, 4 days a week, and track it on a chart."
  3. Attainable and realistic: He has a hoop at the community centre and breakfast foods at home. Yes.
  4. Time frame: "...for the next three weeks, until tryouts."

"For the next three weeks, I will eat breakfast every school day and practise basketball drills for at least 30 minutes, 4 days a week, and track it on a chart." Eating gives him the energy; practice builds the skills and fitness.

Hands-on activity

Cue tracker and SMART goal

You need: paper or a notebook, a pencil, and a water bottle or glass.

  1. For three days, write down each time you eat or drink. Next to it write: How hungry was I? (1 = not at all, 5 = very) and How full was I after? (1 = still hungry, 5 = too full).
  2. Also write down how active you were each day and how many hours you slept.
  3. Look for patterns. Were you hungrier on active days? Did you drink enough water?
  4. Write one SMART goal for healthy eating or active living. Post it on the fridge and check it off each day.

What to look for: honest ratings, at least one pattern noticed, and a goal with all five SMART parts. If the goal is too hard, make it smaller: sticking with it (perseverance) matters more than a big goal.

Your turn

1

Name three hunger cues.

2

Name two thirst cues.

3

Why is it helpful to eat slowly?

4

Name two physical factors that can make you hungrier or thirstier.

5

How many minutes of moderate to vigorous activity should kids get each day?

6

What does Canada's Food Guide say should fill half your plate?

7

Give one way healthy eating and active living work together.

More practice: warm-up

1

What is the drink of choice in Canada's Food Guide?

2

True or false: everyone needs exactly the same amount of food.

3

How many hours of sleep do kids aged 5 to 13 need each night?

4

What does the T in SMART stand for?

5

You feel comfortably satisfied and the food doesn't seem as interesting. What cue is this?

More practice: on your own

1

Why might an 11-year-old suddenly feel hungry all the time?

2

You are cross-country skiing on a cold day. Do you still need water? Explain.

3

Make this goal SMART: "I'll drink more water."

4

Explain how being active can help your mental health.

5

Why might being very tired make it harder to listen to your body's cues?

Challenge

1

Explain, with an example, how healthy eating and active living together help someone more than either one alone.

2

Sam says, "I'm always hungry after school, so something is wrong with me." What would you tell Sam?

3

Kai's SMART goal is: "I will run 10 km every day starting tomorrow." Kai has never run before. Which SMART parts are a problem, and how could Kai fix the goal?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a hunger cue?

2.

Why might you be hungrier during puberty?

3.

Kids aged 5 to 13 should get at least how much moderate to vigorous activity each day?

4.

On Canada's Food Guide plate, half the plate is...

5.

Which goal is SMART?

6.

How do healthy eating and active living work together?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers two Grade 6 expectations: apply recognition of internal hunger and thirst cues and knowledge of physical factors that influence the desire to eat and drink (D2.2), and explain how healthy eating and active living work together to improve a person's overall physical and mental health and well-being (D3.1). The SMART goal builds positive motivation and perseverance (A1.3).

Facts used: Canada's Food Guide (2019) plate; Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, 9 to 11 hours of sleep for ages 5 to 13, no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time).

How to help at home:

  • Let your child serve themselves when possible and trust their "I'm full."
  • Offer regular meals and planned snacks, and keep a water bottle handy.
  • Be active together: a family walk, skating, tobogganing, a bike ride.
  • Help them pick a SMART goal that is small enough to succeed.

Common difficulties: confusing boredom or thirst with hunger; setting goals that are too big. Note: Keep the focus on energy, strength and feeling good, not weight or appearance. If you notice very restrictive eating, skipping meals, or strong worry about food or body size, talk to your child's doctor.