October Monthly Action Idea
Snack Attack!

Recognize added sugar and fat in foods as a step in making choices for healthy balance. Choose foods with added sugar and fat less often or in smaller amounts.

 

Del Paso Manor Elementary kids build a healthy snack

Directions:

1. Ahead of time, download MyPyramid poster.
2. Gather the kids and get discussion going by asking if "snacking" is a healthy thing to do. Pros: a) Healthy snacks provide kids needed energy mid-morning and late afternoon.
   b) Healthy snacks provide extra nutrients that may have been missed at meals. Cons: a) Many foods thought of as snacks are high in sugar and/or fat with few nutrients. b) Too many people just "munch" on something between meals, even when they aren't hungry.
   Main Points: Most kids are hungry between meals. Snacks are needed and can be healthy if we make wise food choices.
3. On the downloaded MyPyramid poster, identify each food group and give snack food examples such as baby carrots (vegetable group), canned fruit (fruit group), a mini bagel (grain group) and low fat yogurt (milk group).
4. Ask kids:

• Which foods are not found in any of the food groups? (items with sugar and no other nutritional value--sugar, syrups, soft drinks, fruit drinks, and candies) Explain how MyPyramid teaches that within each group, foods high in fat and sugar are placed at the very tip-top of the food group. For example, a serving of whole grain, low fat crackers from the Grain group is placed at the bottom vs. a glazed donut which would be at the very tip of the group. For healthy balance, we should eat less of those high fat and/or high sugar foods at the very top of each food group.
• What happens when we eat too many of those foods that are at the very top of food groups or outside of the Pyramid, like soft drinks, cookies, ice cream, or cheese puffs? Answer: We tip our Pyramid over!
• What can we do to make sure we keep the Pyramid and YOU healthy? Answer: Choose more foods lower in fat and sugar, e.g. closer to the base of the Pyramid
• Brainstorm healthy snack ideas. Write them up on the blackboard to remind the kids throughout the week.

Optional: Using the healthy snack ideas written on the blackboard, ask kids to develop a grocery store shopping list.

This activity is found on page 23 of the A La Cart Snack Fun booklet. For more activity ideas like the one above, check out HKC resource materials. See the Online Store for descriptors and to view the Table of Content and booklet sample pages.