This week is the second
of a three-part kidsINK
series focusing on
achieving a healthy balance
throughout your life.
Read these pages
carefully and see what
steps you can make to
improve your own health
and fitness.
The Newspapers In Education (NIE) Program
strives to promote literacy and responsible
citizenship in children and young adults
through the inclusion of newspapers with
regular classroom curricula.
Responsible Choices To make responsible choices about
food, you need to make an effort to learn about the ingredients of
foods you eat. To get this information, you need to know how to
read product nutrition labels that list ingredients. Some labels list
specific amount of different ingredients like sugar or salt (sodium).
Others list the information in descending order of quantity.
For example, if a food has more sugar than anything else, sugar
will be listed first.
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Watch Calories and Fats
Almost every food contains calories
and fats. Something like fried chicken
has many calories and fats, while
something like an apple or stick of
gum has only a few. They all add up
when people calculate the calories
and fats they consume.
Read What You Eat Study the sample label on this page
and answer the questions:
1. How much sugar does the package contain? ______________
2. How much salt does a single serving contain? _____________
3. How many calories does the package contain? ____________
4. What is the official serving size of the food? ______________
5. If the food package contains 16 ounces, how many servings
are included? ________________
6. If you consume two of this 16 ounce package, what percent
of “Total Carbs” will you have consumed according to the
Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet? _______________
7. This label is from what food? _______________
limit
these
nutrients
fatty acids. There are different types of fat and not all increase
blood cholesterol.
Saturated Fats – Foods that have a lot of saturated fat can raise
blood cholesterol. Cheese, whole milk, cream, butter
and regular ice cream are high-fat dairy
products. Other sources are fatty meats, skin
and fat from poultry, lard and palm oil.
get enough
of these
nutrients
Trans-Fatty Acids – Foods
[
[
low
5% or less is
containing trans-fatty acids can
h
ig
20% is h
raise blood cholesterol. Foods
in this group are high in
hydrogenated vegetable oils
like hard margarines and shortenings.
Commercially fried foods and some bakery goods also contain
fatty acids.
Activity: Search the non-sports
photos in the different sections of
today’s newspaper. On a separate
sheet of paper, answer the
following questions for at least
two photos: What are the people
doing? Why do you think the
person chose to exercise?
Unsaturated Fats (oils) – Unsaturated fats do not raise
blood cholesterol. These fats are present in vegetable oils,
most nuts, olives, avocados and fatty fish like salmon.
Monounsaturated fats are contained in olive, canola,
sunflower and peanut oils. Polyunsaturated fats
are found in vegetable oils like soybean, oil,
corn and cottonseed oil.
Did You Know?
• A 12 ounce can of regular soda
contains 150 calories. Walking briskly
for 20 minutes will burn 150 calories.
• One hot fudge sundae contains 290
calories. Playing a 25 minute soccer
game will burn 290 calories.
(8oz)
Fats: What to Know Fats supply energy and essential
Keeping track of the calories you
eat is one way to improve health.
Knowing how much exercise will burn
off the calories you eat is another.
Every kind of exercise is helpful in
achieving a healthy lifestyle. Even
moderate exercise, like walking, will
improve health, if you do it regularly.
• One 12 inch pepperoni pizza
contains 1,100 calories. Skateboarding for 3 hours and 8 minutes
will burn 1,100 calories.
Use labels as a source of information and comparison.
In conjunction with ingredients, you can find out
what’s in the food. Ingredients are listed in descending
order by weight. The example is from a box of
macaroni and cheese.
Serving Size Visual Cues
• Deck of cards = 3 ounces of meat,
Know the Limits on Fats, Sugars and Salt
(Sodium) – • Make most of your fat sources from
fish, nuts and vegetable oils.
• Limit solid fats like butter, margarine,
shortening and lard, as well as foods that
poultry or fish
contain these.
• Ping-pong ball = 1 ounce hard cheese
• Check the nutrition facts label to
or 2 tablespoons peanut butter
keep saturated fats, trans fats and
sodium low.
• Baseball = 1 medium fruit or 1 cup lettuce,
or cereal, or milk
• Choose food and beverages
low in added sugars. Added sugars
• Tennis ball = ¾ cup juice
contribute calories with few,
• 8 ounce glass = 1 serving milk
if any, nutrients.
• 12 ounce glass = 2 servings juice or 1 ½ servings milk
How Much is Too Much?
• 6 inch plate = 1 tortilla (6 inches)
What is a serving size? It’s a measuring
• Computer mouse = 1 medium potato
tool. Just by looking, most people don’t
• 4 inch CD = 1 pancake or waffle
know how much a serving is. Visual cues
can help you estimate how much you eat.
• Hockey puck = 1 bagel
• Two 9 volt batteries = 1 ½ ounces
cheese, cheddar
STANDARDS SPOTLIGHT
Language Arts | Grades 3 & 4
Research - Communicate findings orally, visually and
in writing or through multimedia.
Language Arts | Grades 4 through 7
Communicate findings orally, visually and in writing
or through multimedia.
ATTENTION TEACHERS!
The amount of food you usually eat may be
bigger or smaller than the Pyramid
or Nutrition Facts serving.
If your class is participating in the Healthy
Balance program, you could win $1000 for
your school! In one page, tell us what you would do with $1000 to improve health,
nutrition and wellness in your school. Email to [email protected] or fax to
619-670-0401 by April 25, 2008. Include your name, grade/subject, school name,
contact phone, address and email address. One entry per teacher/classroom.
The funds can be for any project that promotes wellness in your school. Ideas include
pedometers, a healthy foods sample party, health fairs, physical fitness equipment or
any other idea you and your students support.
PHOTOS: Thomas perkins, tom schmucker, glen jones – DREAMSTIME.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
March 18 – Healthy
Balance: You Can Do it!
April 8 – D.E.A.R. (Drop
Everything and Read)
Page development by Michelle Brown. Design by heather jackson.