Dig This!
Watch out! Some packaged
foods and beverages pack
more servings than you need.
Do the math: % Daily Value
adds up to a balanced diet.
Potassium is a superhero
for healthy blood pressure.
Too much fat, sodium,
and cholesterol can
bully your body.
For health, vitamin C
gets an A+.
There’s more to fiber
than a good crunch.
READ THE LABEL.
It’s Good For Your Body.
w w w. h e a l t hy p o t a t o. c o m
Dear Teachers,
Name: ________________________________________
How to Read a Nutrition Facts Label
Enjoy this free nutrition-education poster and activity kit, courtesy of the United States Potato
Board. These activities are designed to build students’ reading comprehension, science and math
skills, and nutrition knowledge. At a time when 32.9% of 12- to 19-year-olds are either overweight
or at risk of being so, this information will help students embark on a lifetime of healthful habits.
Teaching With the Poster
Display the poster and invite students to discuss what they know about nutrition labels.
Do kids pay attention to these labels? Have
they ever found them confusing? Nutrition
labels are designed to give consumers valuable
information to help them choose the right
foods and meet their daily caloric needs without going overboard. However, learning how
to decipher nutrition labels requires those
skills needed to read other nonfiction text
features, such as charts and graphs.
Invite kids to study the poster and point
out things they notice about the label, such as:
v
v
v
Vitamins and Minerals: What clues show
that the potato is a healthful food? (Zero
fat, contains potassium and vitamin C,
and 110 calories)
Caloric Content: Point out that 2,000
calories per day is a suggested amount
for the average person. Growing teens
and athletes may need more, while
younger children or inactive
people may need fewer.
Carbohydrates: What have students heard about carbs? Did
they know that carbohydrates
are essential for the brain and
the preferred fuel for the muscles,
particularly during exercise?
Nutrition labels give you the knowledge to choose the best foods for health and energy.
Below, use your reading and math skills to analyze how potatoes stack up nutritionally.
Serving Size
tells you the
amount of
food typically
eaten at
one time.
Calories and
Calories from
Fat tell how
many calories
are in a serving,
and how many
of these calories
come from fat.
bel
How to Read a La
Nutrition
Invite kids to complete the then disand
Facts Label reproducible,
: 1. About 5
ers
sw
(An
cuss the results.
d non-fatpercent. 2. Low-calorie an
3. 55 percent.
tening; reasons will vary.
swers: High
4. 25 grams. 5. Sample an
tassium, no
in vitamin C contains po of fiber)
2g
fat, 110 calories, and has
Carbohydrates give
energy to your
brain for thinking
and to your muscles for exercising.
Nutrition Crosswor
d
Test students’ nutrition kn
ow-how with
the Crossword Puzzle rep
roducible.
(Answers: Across—3. Calci
um 5. Fiber 8.
Potassium 10. Grams 12.
Fats; Down—1.
Sodium 2. Nutrition 4. Ca
lories. 6. Daily
7. Mineral 9. Healthy 11.
Serving)
The mineral
potassium is
good for your
blood pressure.
Calcium is a
mineral that
helps build strong
bones. Kids nine
and older need at
least 1,300 mg of
calcium a day.
% Daily Value
tells how much
one serving
counts toward
your total needs
for the day.
Vitamin C
keeps your
gums healthy
for a beautiful
smile.
1. One potato contains 620 milligrams of potassium—18% of your Daily Value! A banana contains 450 mg
of potassium. Comparing percent of Daily Value, how much higher in potassium is the potato than the
banana? ___________________
2. Is the potato a low- or a high-calorie food and is it fattening? How do you know? ______________
Health at Home
_______________________________________________________________________________
savvy with
Reinforce kids’ nutrition
e, complete
this homework reproducibl
ry-store scavwith exercise tips, a groce
r-you recipe.
enger hunt, and a good-fo
are their newEncourage students to sh
their families.
found nutrition skills with
3. Imagine you ate one medium potato. What additional percentage of vitamin C do you need to eat to
meet your daily requirement? ___________________
4. One potato contains 2 grams of fiber, which is 8% of your Daily Value. About how many grams of
fiber would add up to 100% of your Daily Value? ___________________
5. After reading the label, do you think the potato is a healthful choice? List three reasons to support
your answer. ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Health at Home
Name: ________________________________________
Nutrition Know-How Crossword
How much do you know about healthful (and not-so-healthful) elements in food? Solve the crossword
puzzle to test your nutrition sense. If you need more information, head to the library or the Internet.
WORD
BANK
Burn it Up!
Challenge family members in a healthful-food quest
up and down the supermarket aisles! Scan nutrition
labels, make a list (or fill your cart), then compare
notes. Remember to look for labels on bagged fruits
and veggies, or near the produce bins.
Eating right and exercising are key to a healthful lifestyle.
These exercises burn calories, boost energy, and build
muscles. By choosing healthful, lower-calorie choices,
your food works harder for you when you work out.
Value for vitamin C.
or more of your
3. A food that contains 10%
Daily Value for iron.
% or more of your
4. A food that contains 20
Daily Value for fiber.
ted fat, sodium,
5. A food that is low in satura
and cholesterol.
re than 10% of
6. A food that contains mo
ium.
your Daily Value for potass
Average number of calories burned per hour are for a 150-pound person. A person who
weighs less will burn less than these amounts; someone who weighs more will burn more.
Activity
Calori es
Bu rn s as
much as:
Or burns
only:
Bicycling/
<10 mph
274
Two and one
half potatoes
One chocolate
bar
Walking/3 mph
342
Four glasses of
skim milk
Two medium
sodas
Swimming
50 yds/min
500
33 servings of
broccoli
One double
cheeseburger
Soccer/
competitive
700
30 servings of
spinach
One nine-inch
cheese pizza
Jumping rope/
vigorously
750
12 medium
apples
Four scoops
of ice cream
per hour
Twice-Baked Potato Cook Off
Potatoes are low in fat and sodium, high in vitamin C, and a good source of potassium.
Make the most of this healthful treat by trying this tasty, nutritious option.
Down
1. Too much of this can aggravate high blood pressure.
2. The _____ Facts Label is on all packaged food.
4. How much energy we get from food is measured
by these units.
6. DV stands for _____ Value.
7. Calcium is not a vitamin. It’s a _____.
9. Eating foods low in refined sugars and high in
vitamins and minerals is a _____ choice.
11. This tells the amount of food typically eaten
at one time.
Wash potatoes. Pierce the potatoes with a fork.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Microwave the potatoes on high for seven minutes.
Remove the potatoes. When they’ve cooled down, slice them
lengthwise down the center.
5. Scoop out the center of the potatoes. Mix the portion you’ve
scooped out with the steamed broccoli, sour cream, and 3/4 of the
cheese. Mash the mixture until creamy.
6. Scoop 1/8 of the mixture back into each potato skin. Top with
remaining cheese. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for
eight minutes. Enjoy!
1.
2.
3.
4.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
Across
3. _____ builds strong bones and teeth.
5. With the skin on, a potato has 2 grams
of _____ that aids digestion.
8. This mineral, found in potatoes, can help
maintain a normal blood pressure.
10. One 5.3 oz. potato equals 148 _____ of
this metric measure.
12. Health experts recommend we get less than
30% of our calories from these per day.
Grocery-Store Hunt
fat.
1. A food with zero grams of
% of your Daily
2. A food that supplies 100
Calcium
Ca lo ri es
Daily
Fats
Fiber
G ram s
Healthy
Mineral
Nutrition
Potassium
Serving
Sodium
Name: ___________________________________
Makes 4 servings. Nutritionals per serving: 171 calories, 13 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 2 g total fat,
236 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 36 mg vitamin C, 442 mg potassium.
You need:
• 4 medium baking potatoes
• 1 cup steamed broccoli
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 cup grated, reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• Measuring cup; fork; bowl;
nonstick baking sheet