Introduction
Your health is important! There are many things that we can do to
help keep ourselves healthy. The
main things we can do are to eat the right amount, the right foods, exercise
regularly, and practice good hygiene and food safety.
Task
At the end of this unit, you will thoroughly analyze
a classmate’s diet as well as your own nutritional and healthy habits.
Process
Step 1: Log It All
At home this week you need to track your regular
daily diet. Record your daily food
intake on this Nutrition Log for 48 hours.
You need to record everything you eat and drink, including dressings, snacks,
and toppings.
**The
more descriptive you are on the log, the easier your task will be later.**
« Use the
measurement model to help you decide the amount of something you are eating so
you can record an accurate portion.
« If you
don’t know your height or weight, then find out at home so you will be prepared
when you assess your food intake online.
On the back, record your exercise, too. You can rate your activity from low,
moderate, and high intensity.
« For help
deciding the intensity of your exercise, visit this website
about exercise.
Step 2: Check It Out
Now, go to the following website and fill in your
information.
« Use only
your initials for your name. Be as
accurate as you can with the other information.
Once you have filled in the information, notice that
your daily recommended intake has been calculated for you. There are different amounts in the 5
categories pre-set to be your intake goal.
There is also a calculated caloric intake target that you should be
reaching.
Click on each category (colored bar) and read the
notes about each one. It will give
you measurement tips as well as food suggestions.
Step 3: Enter It In
Enter your food intake into the tracker. Write in everything you’ve logged for both
days. Notice there is a tab in the
lower right-hand corner to switch between days.
Enter in every thing for day 1; then, enter in everything for day 2.
Step 4: Make It in Excel
Read and follow the
step-by-step directions to create your spreadsheet.
« When you
have finished creating the table, enter in the information from the website to
your table. Enter in the fixed
amount that was your goal amount, under the “Daily Goal Amount” column.
Then, calculate the percentages you actually
achieved out of the goal amount.
« For
example, if you needed 6 oz. in the grains category, and you only consumed 4 oz.
throughout the day, you achieved 66%.
If you consumed 8 oz., you achieved 133%. When you have calculated the percentages
for both days 1 and 2, find the average of the two and enter it in the last
column.
Step 5: Analyze It
Then, print out your spreadsheet without your name, and turn it into your
teacher. Your teacher will code
them, and then pass out a different spreadsheet to each student.
Assess the spreadsheet you were given and write a
recommendation of 2 things he/she already achieve in his/her daily diet (or eat
enough of), as well as 2 things he/she could improve on (eat more of to reach
the recommended goal) on your own paper.
See the prompt sheet for details. Your teacher will assign you a due date.
Step 6: The Perfect Day
Read your analysis done by your classmate.
On your pyramid tracker, in the bottom left-hand
corner change the day to day 3. Now,
plan your ideal daily intake trying to reach 100% of every goal.
« Be
realistic – don’t choose things you do not think you could eat on a daily basis.
« What
food items can you eat that will reach across multiple categories? Think about the assessment you were
given. Plan a healthy food option
for every meal, including snacks.
You can use foods you have eaten, or you can use
others you wish you had. If you get stuck on thinking of foods, ask you friends
what foods they are putting down and use that as a thinking point.
Conclusion
Now that you have created an ideal day, take
everything you’ve learned about eating portions, exercise, and amounts and write
about your daily health. Write a 5
paragraph essay about 3 things you’ve learned from the unit and from those
things, 3 ways you are going to change your current habits.
See the prompt sheet for details.
Extension
Food Safety With Dr. X
There are other ways to be healthy other than eating
right and exercising often. Food
safety is an important factor in disease prevention, and overall health. Watch these interactive video modules
and follow along with the guides.
« Click on
each link to get the guide.
Evaluation
See the Teacher Page for grading
rubrics, SOLs, additional resources, and other notes about the unit.
Credits
This WebQuest was created by Kelly Henaghan for
Last
revised: December, 2008
© 2008
Agriculture in the Classroom; All Rights Reserved