We Are What We Eat!

Judy Jones — East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, NC
Kathie Fuller — Beekmantown High School, West Chazy, NY

In collaboration with Adolfo Correa, Terry O'Toole, and Katie Kilker, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Summary

This lesson is designed for high school students as part of a nutrition unit. It helps students understand how certain nutrients are essential to human health. Working in groups, students will analyze sample diets — each containing either too much or too little of a specific nutrient. They will also study how common certain nutrition-related habits are among young people in the United States. Finally, students will summarize their research and present their findings to the class in the form of a skit.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify which foods provide specific nutrients.
• Explain the roles of vitamin A, iron, calcium, and folic acid in the body, along with their health benefits.
• Explain why consuming the right amount of calories — from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins — matters.
• Identify nutrition trends among teenagers, both nationally and within their own state.

Materials

1. Photocopies for each student of the Pretest, Nutrition Worksheet, Epidemiology Worksheet, Case Study Summary Worksheet, Epidemiology Summary Worksheet, and Post-test.
2. Photocopies of the Cases for Nutrition Activity (one case per group).
3. Photocopies of the Nutrition Activity Rubric (one per group) for student presentations.
4. Board space or a large flip chart visible to the whole class.
5. Computers with Internet access (one per group).

Total Duration: 4 hours

Procedures

Teacher Preparation

Familiarize yourself with the websites "Major Nutrients," "Dietary Supplements Fact Sheets," and "MyPyramid," and confirm they're working. Also review the nutrients students will research and the method they'll use to gather worksheet information.

Prepare:

• An introduction to the activity, including a review of how to do the necessary diet-analysis calculations.
• A copy of the opening case study to read aloud ("Billy's Dilemma").
• Copies of all worksheets listed above.

Web Resources

Major Nutrients
www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/appendd.pdf
This USDA Food and Nutrition Service document explains what each major nutrient does and which foods contain it. Use it to complete the Nutrient Worksheet.

Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets
http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/...
This National Institutes of Health site gives detailed information on specific micronutrients (nutrients the body needs in small amounts, like vitamins and minerals). Use it to complete the Nutrient Worksheet.

MyPyramid.gov – Steps to a Healthier You
www.mypyramid.gov/
Students will use the "My Pyramid Tracker" tool to evaluate the nutritional quality of the sample daily diets provided in each case study. Click "my pyramid tracker," then "assess your food intake." One student per group should register as a new user, then enter the information for their assigned case.

Step 1: Introduction (30 minutes)

Begin by reading "Billy's Dilemma" aloud to the class. Then lead a brainstorming session: what additional information would help explain why Billy isn't feeling like himself? As students share ideas, write them on the board — diet-, nutrition-, and weight-related ideas at the top, and unrelated ideas near the bottom. Point out that although many factors could affect Billy's health, today's lesson will focus on the nutrition-related ones listed at the top.

Next, have students take the Nutrition Pretest.

Then discuss these questions as a class, recording responses on the board:

• What can you learn by looking at a person's diet?
• Why does this information matter?
• What short- and long-term consequences might Billy face if he doesn't change his diet?

Supplemental Documents:

• Billy's Dilemma — a case study read aloud to spark discussion.
• Nutrition Pretest/Post-test — a 14-question test given after the "Billy's Dilemma" discussion.
• Nutrition Pretest/Post-test Answer Key — answers to the 14 questions.

Step 2 (30 minutes)

Now that students are engaged with ideas about diet and health, have them research individual nutrients: what each one does in the body, how it supports health, and what health problems can arise from getting too much or too little of it. Divide the class into groups of 3–5 and hand out the Nutrient Worksheet. Direct students to the USDA's "Major Nutrients" document and the NIH's "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets" website for help.

Supplemental Document:

• Nutrient Worksheet — used to record research findings on assigned nutrients.

Step 3 (1 hour)

Once students have completed their nutrient research, demonstrate how to use the MyPyramid website, continuing to use "Billy's Dilemma" as the example. Then assign each group one case from the "Cases for Nutrition Activity" packet. Groups will use the MyPyramid website to analyze the nutritional content of the sample daily menu in their case.

Students should calculate the percent difference between the recommended amount of each nutrient and the amount the person in their case actually consumes, based on the sample menu. Answers are provided in the "Cases for Nutrition Activity Answer Key." Note: results may vary slightly depending on exact food choices, but the answer key provides a solid estimate for grading.

After finishing their calculations, each group should discuss what their findings mean and answer the analysis questions at the bottom of the worksheet.

Supplemental Documents:

• Cases for Nutrition Activity — contains all case studies and data tables; each group gets one case.
• Cases for Nutrition Activity Answer Key — used to check student worksheets. Numbers may vary slightly depending on food choices made on MyPyramid.

Step 4 (30 minutes)

Next, students complete the Epidemiology Worksheet. Assign each group a nutrition-related behavior and have them research how common that behavior is among young people, both nationally and in their own state, using the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) website. Students should examine data across all available years, genders, and grade levels. (The YRBSS data include confidence intervals — a statistical range showing how certain we can be about a result. Explain this concept so students understand the data better.)

Supplemental Document:

• Epidemiology Worksheet — used to record findings on nutrition- and health-related behaviors among teens, and to note any patterns in the data.

Conclusion (1 hour, 30 minutes)

To wrap up the lesson, each group prepares a skit to present its findings to the class. Encourage creativity — a skit might take the form of a TV interview, a soap opera scene, or a public service announcement. Each skit should explain the group's case study and findings, including which nutrients were lacking and which were in excess. It should also cover what these findings mean for health, along with relevant national trends from the YRBSS data.

While one group presents, the rest of the class should pay close attention and complete the Case Study Summary Worksheet and Epidemiology Summary Worksheet for that group's case. Evaluate presentations using the Nutrition Activity Rubric.

After all skits are complete, lead a discussion on the nutrition trends identified and brainstorm ways to address any trends that could harm teen health. Finally, give students the Nutrition Pretest/Post-test to complete.

Supplemental Document:

• Case Study Summary Worksheet — used to record each group's findings, so every student ends up with a complete set of notes from all the case studies presented.