Food for the Soul
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and
that God’s Spirit dwells in you?... For God’s temple is
holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Introduction
For us to love God and one another, we must love ourselves as well. Think of how a person
needs to take care of her/his car. S/he will be sure to regularly take the auto in for
maintenance, and to use the right type of gasoline and motor oil to insure the engine does
not fail. Our bodies are the same way. If we give them what they need, they will not fail us,
and we will be strong. And yet we often find ourselves eating food and consuming
beverages that not only have no nutritional value, but actually harm the function and
overall health of our bodies. God created fruits and vegetables in all shapes, sizes, colors,
and varieties. By eating a healthy combination of these foods – food that is not overly
processed, too salty, too sweet, or too fatty - we make ourselves stronger and help to
nourish and maintain this magnificent thing that we call “our body.” When we do this, we
have more energy to work toward peace, love, and compassion for all of Creation and for
each other. We can better help to bring about a healthier world. Our strong bodies, clear
minds, and joyful spirit will make God’s loving presence known here on Earth.
Outline
Prayer
Song
Craft
Activity
Snack
Activity
Meal
Activity
Storytime
Rainy Day Option
Healthy Food Prayer
Junk Food Car by Carol Johnson
Eat Like a Rainbow Rainbow
Fruit Memory Game (5 – 7 year olds)
Food Group Jeopardy (8 – 11 year olds)
Toast Fruit Faces
Create Your Own Water System
Sweet Pepper Bowl with Veggie Sticks
Herb Drying
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Vegetable Bingo
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Prayer
Healthy Food Prayer
Gracious God, all food comes from your
Creation. Warm sunlight, rich earth, and cool
rain work together to fill fruits and vegetables with the
vitamins and nutrients that we need to grow strong.
When we eat, may our food nourish us, in body and mind,
and provide us with the things that are good for living.
May we use the energy that comes from eating healthy food
to make a difference in the world,
by caring for your Creation and for each other.
Amen.
Adapted from Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table Middle School Version by the
Presbyterian Church USA
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Song
Junk Food Car
CHORUS:
If you give your engine (give your engine) junk, junk, junk (junk, junk, junk)
Soon that engine (soon that engine) goes clunk, clunk, clunk (goes clunk, clunk, clunk)
If you give your body (give your body) junk food, too (junk food, too)
It’s gonna give out (it’s gonna give out) on you! (on you!)
I knew a man with a brand new car
Thought he’d do his car a favor
‘Cause the car liked candy and fats and sweets
Of nearly every flavor
And the man didn’t have the heart to say,
“You’re supposed to eat gasoline.”
So he gave that car whatever it asked for
It was a sight to see.
He put soda pop in the gas tank
Sugar in the crank case
Cookies in the carburetor
Jelly in the universal joint
Ice cream in the radiator
Cigarettes were placed in the air intake
For the drive shaft he remembered
To dump in a treat of French fry grease
He put salt on the doors and fenders
CHORUS
He put bubble gum in the transmission
Whipped cream on the alternator
Devil’s food cake instead of tapes
He stuck in the cassette player
He put hot coffee in the battery
Wound spaghetti all around the fan
Stuck marshmallows in spark plug holes
Hot fudge in the oil pan
(continued on next page)
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Song: The Junk Food Car (continued)
Well, the car said “Yum” and began to hum
All ready to hit the road.
Then it coughed and sputtered and I heard it mutter
“I think I have a cold,
‘Cause my piston’s plugged with a nasty slug
My engine’s burning hot.”
Everything went wrong and before too long
It died there on the spot
CHORUS
To hear the melody for this song, click here.
© l981, Carol Johnson, Noeldner Music, BMI: www.caroljohnsonmusic.com
From the recording "Isn’t It Good to Know"
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Eat Like a Rainbow Rainbow
There are dozens of different fruits and vegetables that we can enjoy, yet many of us end up
eating the same two or three types every day. To get the most benefit from our produce, it’s
important to eat a wide variety. The easiest way to teach children how to do this is to
encourage them to “eat like a rainbow” because different colored fruits and vegetables have
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Materials:
Sticker dots of different colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
Big piece of white paper that can be taped up on a wall for the duration of the camp
Markers or crayons of the same colors as the dots
Instructions:
1. Have the children help to draw a big rainbow using the markers. A good size would
be 4 feet by 6 feet, if possible. Make each of the color bands on the rainbow a good
width, about 1 foot wide.
2. Instruct the children on the first day of camp that they should try their best to “eat
like a rainbow.” Explain that different colored fruits and vegetables benefit their
bodies in different ways:
Red food contains phtyonutrients,
phytonutrients, one of which is called lycopenes. Lycopenes help
prevent prostate cancer and protect against heart disease.
Orange food has vitamin C, beta-carotene, and liminoids. They are good for eyes
and lungs, and help fight germs. When you start to feel like you are getting a cold,
eat more vitamin C!
Yellow food has many of the same things as orange food, and some has potassium,
which helps your muscles work well and not get too tired. If you have muscle
cramps, you probably need more potassium.
Green food has lots of good things, like protein and calcium. Eating dark green food
low fat, non-animal
can help you get these from a low-fat,
non-animal food.
food.
Blue food is brain food. It helps keep your memory sharp. It also has lots of
vitamins in it.
Some purple foods have anti-inflammatory agents in them. Inflammation, or
swelling, causes a range of problems, from heart disease to infections, to headaches,
to knee swelling, to red zits! Purple foods help reduce the swelling.
3. Tell the children to keep track of what they eat every day during the camp. At the
beginning of each camp day, ask each child what color fruits and vegetables they ate
the day before, give them colored dots to match, and have each child place her or his
dot on the arc of the rainbow that corresponds to the color(s) of the food they ate.
Discuss any patterns you see with the whole class. (e.g., are they all eating only
bananas, apples, and oranges? What seem to be the most popular foods? What
colors aren’t being eaten as frequently?)
Adapted from Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table Middle School Version by the
Presbyterian Church USA
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Fruit Memory Game (5 – 7 year olds)
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Materials:
Fruit cards from handout (1 copy per child; see next page)
Instructions:
1. Give each student a fruit card and ask questions such as:
What is your favorite fruit? (Answer: anything)
What is a fruit that has a lot of Vitamin C? (Answer: orange)
What are some orange fruits? (Answer: orange, peach, apricot, papaya)
What fruits can we make juices from? (Answer: grape, orange, etc.)
What types of fruits have seeds in them? (Answer: apple, orange, watermelon,
etc.
2. Then play fruit memory using the handout. Kids can color in the fruits and look
at the fruit cards if they want to see what the fruits look like. Then they cut out
the cards and play memory with their partner. If there is extra time, have a
handout with fruit–related activities or coloring.
Used with permission from the Milwaukee Center for Independence
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Food Group Jeopardy (8 – 11 year olds)
Time Needed: 1 hour
Materials:
Jeopardy sheets (see pages G-10 to G-12)
Instructions:
1. This game can be played with pictures only (for younger students) or with
the spoken clues (more difficult). Both versions can be played with kids who
can’t yet read.
2. Explain MyPlate (you can visit the ChooseMyPlate.com for information about
how to teach health and nutrition according to these new governmental
guidelines.) Teach the children about the five food groups (fruits, vegetables,
protein, grains, and dairy) before beginning the game. Point out that half of
our plate in any meal should be filled with from fruits and vegetables.
Ask students for examples of foods from each group.
3. Play Food Group Jeopardy; give prizes of fresh fruit to winners, if you’d like.
Variation: Students can also be split into teams in a creative way. For example, give
out laminated food cards to each student and ask them to sort themselves according
to food groups to form the teams. In this way, the lesson can be adapted to be longer
or shorter.
Adapted with permission from the Milwaukee Center for Independence
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Information about sources of photos on this page can be found on page G-33.
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Toast Fruit Faces
Sometimes playing with your food is an okay thing! Children are more likely to try a new
food if it is in the context of a game or a project like this. Offer fruits that are in season,
and choose one or two that might be new to children to give them a chance to try
something different.
Time Needed: 20 minutes
Makes 10 servings.
Ingredients:
10 pieces of whole wheat or whole grain bread
2 sliced bananas
2 sliced apples
1 cup sliced strawberries
½ cup blueberries
1 tbsp honey or cinnamon
½ cup cream cheese (optional)
Instructions:
1. Toast the bread.
2. Spread the cream cheese.
3. Add honey or cinnamon.
4. Decorate with slices of fruit to make a face or a scene or a pretty pattern!
Adapted with permission from Super Healthy Kids:
http://blog.superhealthykids.com/2011/06/20-toast-toppings-for-a-healthy-breakfast/
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Create Your Own Water System
Time Needed: 1 hour
Materials:
Glass jar with lid (old pickle jars or mason/canning jars
work well)
Small stones or pebbles
Sand
Small plants
Bottle cap from a recyclable water bottle
Water
Instructions:
1. Explain that water evaporates from bodies of water and then falls over the land as
rainfall. This is God’s way of renewing nature with one of the resources it needs.
Explain also that pollution messes up the cycle of the water and exposes plants,
animals, and people to harmful substances that can hurt the environment and our
health. Water pollution poses health hazards because plants, animals, and people all
consume water and it is difficult to remove pollution from the cycle once it is
introduced.
2. To make the water system: Fill the jar one-third of the way with small stones and
cover with sand. Plant a small plant in the sand. Fill the bottle cap with water and
place it next to the plant. Screw the top of the jar on tightly and place it in the sun for
a few days. Students can take their jars home and observe what happens.
Extension: Water Pollution - Fill two large glasses with clean water. Allow students to add
pencil shavings, dirt, sand, stones, and strips of paper to one glass. Then use a coffee filter
to re-filter the dirty water. Ask the students to compare this glass to the clean glass of
water. Is the filtered water really clean? Would anyone want to drink the water that was
polluted?
Image courtesy of StormtheCastle.com
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Sweet Pepper Bowl with Veggie Sticks
Vegetables are more fun if they serve multiple functions. With this recipe, the pepper is
both part of the meal and is the bowl to hold the other veggies and something to dip them
in. We recommend hummus, either homemade or store-bought.
Makes 10 servings.
Time Needed: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
10 green, yellow, or red peppers,
washed
10 carrots, washed and peeled
10 ounces hummus
Utensils:
Knife
Cutting board
Instructions:
1. Make sure all your veggies have been washed.
2. Cut the pepper in half (from side to side). Clean out the seeds from the inside and
set aside for composting. Now you have two pieces. Use the bottom end as your
pepper bowl.
3. Cut the rest of the pepper into slices. Cut the carrots into small sticks. Vegetable
sticks should be long enough to fit into the bowl with a little leftover sticking out.
4. Add some hummus into the bottom of the pepper bowl.
5. Place the pepper and carrot sticks into the bowl, on top of the hummus (see photo).
6. Dip the vegetable sticks into the hummus. You can eat the pepper bowl, too.
COMPLETE THE MEAL:
Serve with pita bread and milk or milk alternative.
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Herb Drying
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Materials:
Fresh herbs such as basil, oregano,
mint leaves, etc. Best from the garden!
Towel or paper towel
Embroidery thread or other string
Single hole punch
Construction paper
Scissors
Markers
Instructions:
1. Rinse the herbs in clean water. Set them on a towel to dry.
2. While the herbs are drying, the children can cut out shapes from the
construction paper
and make a hole using the single hole punch. These tags can
then be decorated to label the herbs with the name of the plant and/or the child’s
name.
3. Gather several stalks of the herb and tie them at one end with a piece of string or
yarn. Make sure the bundles are small enough so that all herbs are exposed to
air, otherwise you will get moldy ones in the middle of the bunch. Tie the string
tightly as the herbs will shrink slightly as they dry.
4. Hang them in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
5. The children can take their herbs home. After 2 to 3 weeks, untie the herbs and
break off the leaves. Crumble the dried herbs and store them in a glass container.
Make sure you label it!
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Storytime
Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert
“Dad says we are going to grow vegetable
soup.” The necessary tools are pictured
and labeled, as are the seeds (green bean,
pea, corn, zucchini squash, and carrot).
Then the real gardening happens . . .
planting, weeding, harvesting, washing,
chopping, and cooking! In the end? “It
was the best soup ever.”
Berenstain Bears and Too Much
Junk Food
by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Mama Bear lays down the law when she
notices that Papa and the cubs are getting
too chubby. With the help of Dr. Grizzly's
slide show on how the body works, the
Bear family makes a healthful adjustment
in their diet and fitness habits.
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Rainy Day Option: Vegetable Bingo
Time Needed: 30 minutes
Materials:
Vegetable bingo prompts/questions (see pages D-19 to D-21)
Vegetable bingo sheets (see pages D-22 to D-32)
Bingo chips (if available; if not, use crayons)
Crayons
Prizes
Instructions:
1. Ask introduction questions such as:
What is your favorite vegetable?
What are some examples of green vegetables? (or red, orange, long, leafy, etc.)
What parts of the plant do we consider to be vegetables?
2. Hand out vegetable bingo sheets and play bingo. Read the prompts and hand out
prizes to students who get five in a row. At the end if not everyone has a prize,
hand out prizes to those who didn’t get one.
Adapted with permission from the Milwaukee Center for Independence
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Vegetable Bingo Prompts
Artichoke
A perennial thistle that originated in the Mediterranean.
It technically a flower bud that has not yet bloomed.
Asparagus
Grows 7 to 9 inch stalks, and is rich in antioxidants and minerals such as copper and
iron.
Beet
This nutritious root can stain your fingers red, and the green leaves can be eaten as well.
Broccoli
This veggie is one of the few vegetables available year round.
An excellent source of Vitamins A & C, folate, and fiber.
Brussels Sprouts
Miniature members of the cabbage family.
These super vegetables are a good source of fiber, with about 3 grams in a half cup
serving.
Cabbage
Rich in phyto-nutrients, this cool season leafy vegetable belongs to the "brassica" family
of vegetables, which also includes Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, kale and
broccoli. It is one of the widely cultivated crops around the world.
Carrots
An excellent source of Vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy eyesight, skin, growth,
and also aids our bodies in resisting infection.
Cauliflower
As its name implies, it is a flower.
The heavy green leaves that surround the head of this veggie protect the flower buds
from the sunlight. The lack of exposure to sunlight prevents chlorophyll from
developing. Therefore, color is not produced, and the head remains white.
An excellent source of Vitamin C.
Celery
A good source of vitamin C and potassium.
Low in calories: 2 medium stalks have only 20 calories.
Corn
Healthiest when it is eaten fresh off the cob, because in this form it contains the most
dietary fiber.
(continued on next page)
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Vegetable Bingo Prompts (continued)
Cucumber
There are several varieties of this veggie; the most popular are English, Persian, and
pickling. All these varieties are available year round.
Eggplant
This purple veggie is high in fiber and effective in the treatment of high blood
cholesterol.
Green Beans
Native Americans figured out how to plant these next to corn stalks so that the vines
could use the tall stalks to climb.
Jicama
Belongs to the legume or bean family.
A dietary staple in Latin America and widely grown in Mexico and Central America.
Lettuce
From iceberg to romaine, this veggie ranks number 1 across the United States when
making salads.
Mushrooms
Actually a fungi, not a plant!
Onion
Provides flavor; but also provide health-promoting phytochemicals and other nutrients.
Has many layers and comes in colors such as red, yellow, and green!
Peppers (Red, Green, Orange & Yellow)
This veggie can be found in a rainbow of colors and can vary in flavor. The variety of this
plant and the stage of the ripeness determine the flavor and color of each veggie.
Red ones contain 11 times more beta-carotene (a form of Vitamin A) than green ones.
Potato
When eaten with its skin, it is a good source of dietary fiber (4 grams).
Radish
These are root vegetables that resemble beets or turnips in appearance and texture, but
have a distinct flavor. It is the root of a plant classified in the mustard family.
(continued on next page)
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Vegetable Bingo Prompts (continued)
Spinach
This leafy green veggie is high in nutrients and omega 3 fatty acids, and can help reduce
the risk of many cancers.
Squash
Usually eaten in the fall or used for decoration at Halloween or Thanksgiving.
Sugar Snap Peas
A 100-calorie serving contains more protein than a whole egg or tablespoon of peanut
butter.
Part of the legume family, whose plants produce pods containing edible, fleshy seeds.
Sweet Potato
This orange or red veggie is sometimes confused with yams, but it is smaller and has
thinner skin.
Zucchini
It has more potassium than a banana.
Its name comes from ‘zucca,’ the Italian word for squash.
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Photos on page G-12 are used with permission from the following:
Coconut: By Hans Braxmeier [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
Peach: By Jack Dykinga, USDA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Grapes: By Mea496 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Bananas: By Arpingstone at en.wikipedia (Own work Transferred from
en.wikipedia.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Pomegranate: By Tomomarusan (Tomomarusan) [GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia
Commons
Celery: By Lombroso [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Sweet potato: By Llez (Own work) [GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Spinach: By Dinkum (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
Rice: By FASTILY (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Wheat: By Ximénex (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Tortilla: National Cancer Institute Author: Renee Comet (photographer) AV
Number: AV-9400-4222 Date Created: 1994
Corn: By Mgmoscatello (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Cheese: Microsoft Word Clip Art
Yogurt: I, BrokenSphere [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CCBY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via
Wikimedia Commons
Collards: By SaletteAndrews (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Eggs: By Self (Picture taken by myself; (nl: Eicode Nederland);) [GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia
Commons
Beef: USDA beef grade example
http://www.ams.usda.gov/kidsweb/meatgradegame/meatgame.htm
http://www.ams.usda.gov/kidsweb/beefgrades.htm {{PD-USGov-USDA}}
Beans: By Neil Palmer (CIAT) (NP_Genebank2011_1) [CC-BY-SA-2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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