LESSON OVERVIEW
Eating Smart on the Run
Making Smart Choices
When Eating Fast Food
RECIPE
Oven Fries
HANDOUT
Fast Food
Survival Guide
OPTIONAL
ACTIVITY
530 calories, 27g fat,
960mg sodium
“SyberShop Fast Food
Court” game
MATERIALS NEEDED
510 calories, 24g fat,
290mg sodium
KEY MESSAGES
• Choose fast food less often.
• Make smart fast food choices.
• Check the facts before you choose.
OBJECTIVES
Participants will be able to:
1. state why it is important to choose fast food less often for
good health and money management;
2. name strategies for choosing healthy options, including smart
sizing when eating fast food; and
3. locate and review nutrition facts for favorite fast food
menu items.
Copyright 2016
280 calories,
76g sugar
• Copies of the handout for this
lesson for all participants
•Ingredients and equipment to
make the recipe for this lesson
• Nutrition guides from two fast
food restaurants
LESSON OVERVIEW
PREPARING FOR THE LESSON
1.Determine lesson format most appropriate for setting.
5.Collect menus with full nutrition facts from fast food
restaurants or their website. Choose those most
frequently by your participants.
2.Purchase food needed for recipe from safe sources.
3.Secure all needed cooking demonstration supplies,
safe food transportation supplies, and teaching
materials.
6.Arrive early. Wash your hands thoroughly. Clean and
sanitize your demonstration or food preparation area.
7.If handwashing facilities are located in the restroom
only, have hand sanitizer available for added
protection when participants return to room after
washing their hands.
4.Determine which recipe will work the best at your
delivery site. Please note that the Oven Fries recipe
requires an oven and the Micro-Baked Potato requires
a microwave. If you choose the Oven Fries recipe,
consider showing a mix of russet and sweet potato
fries.
LESSON
FORMATS
30 minutes
45–60 minutes
90 minutes–2 hours
This is the minimum amount
of time for a lesson. This
lesson format is appropriate
for on-site delivery in WIC
offices, Medical Clinics,
Worksites, etc.
This is an ideal lesson time
frame. All elements of
the entire lesson can be
delivered in this timeframe.
Choose this format when
you have participants that
want a more rigorous
cooking experience and the
facility has a preparation
kitchen. This format allows
you to have everyone
involved in the preparation.
Discuss with partners how to
cover costs of food. Recruit
and train volunteers to help.
SLIDES
Hide Slide 26.
Limit Move More activity for
Slide 14 to 3 options.
Use all.
Use all.
FOOD
PREPARATION
Tasting with Recipe Video
Demonstration and Tasting
Recipe Video and Hands-On
Preparation by Participants
PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY
Included activities only
Included activities only
Included activities only
OPTIONAL
ACTIVITIES
None
None
“Sybershop Fast Food Court”
game
ENGAGING PARTNERS
• Start the conversation with your Extension colleagues
and partner organizations to learn what work is
being done to engage farmers and corner stores with
increasing access to healthy foods. Share what you
learn with participants.
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•Ask your FCS Agent what work is being done to
increase healthy food access at food pantries in the
community where your participants live. Share what
you learn with participants.
2016
Making Smart Choices When Eating Fast Food
LESSON OVERVIEW
Media Moments
The following options are suggestions to post on program social media site
and/or send text message or email:
PRIOR TO CLASS
•Looking forward to sharing a new recipe with you this week. See you (day, date,
and time) at (location).
•What’s the best buy you found at the grocery this week? Share your success on
our page.
•How are those family meals going? Share a photo of your family making or
enjoying a meal together.
How will you avoid
eating fast food this
week?
Plan, shop, fix, eat!
You got it!
FOLLOWING CLASS
•Do you find that the fast food line isn’t the most opportune time to read the
Nutrition Facts and make a decision about what to order? Many fast food
restaurants list their nutrition information for their on the Internet. This is a great
way to compare foods before you order or buy. You can choose the healthiest
options before you even set foot in the restaurant.
•Don’t be fooled by menu items that look healthy. A fast food salad and other
“healthy-sounding” foods can be loaded with calories and fat. Use the internet to
check those “healthy-sounding” foods before you buy.
•Do you love coffee or tea? If you order these beverages away from home, choose
plain, black coffee—no coffee beverages—and unsweetened tea. If you need a
little sweetener, you can add a non-calorie sweetener of your choice. Fast food
coffee drinks and sweet tea have lots of sugar, and that much sugar can make it
extra hard to maintain a healthy weight.
•Fixing and eating meals at home is one of the best ways to control your family’s
food choices and portions. Not to mention, you can control the money spent on
food much better as well. Remember, it’s as simple as Plan, Shop, Fix, and Eat.
What’s your family’s favorite EFNEP recipe so far?
•Here’s a challenge for you this week­—try cutting out one fast food meal you
would normally eat and replace it with a healthy meal. If you want help planning
a healthy menu, go to: www.choosemyplate.gov/recipes-cookbooks-and-menus.
Let us know how you met this challenge by posting on our page.
Making Smart Choices When Eating Fast Food
2016
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