Introduction
Everyday we choose what foods go into our bodies, and where we get them from. Every time we take a bite of something, our bodies make an immediate reaction to it. Depending on how much activity we get on a daily basis, depends on how much food our bodies can handle at any given time. By following the guidelines of this activity, you will see just how many calories, fat, sodium, and fiber are in each of the foods you eat.
Task
You will be working by yourself to google the foods you eat on a normal everyday basis. You should have 3 menu items for breakfast, 5 menu items for lunch, 7 menu options for dinner, and 5 options for snacks. This is not saying you eat these things everyday, but these are food items you would normally eat on a regular schedule. While you are working, ask yourself, why should be considering foods that are nutrient dense? Why do we even pay attention to nutritional value? By using these thinking questions, you will find the deeper importance behind the task, and take more away from the assignment.
Process
1. Google the caloric value of foods you would normally eat (see above for how many foods needed). Be sure to include the nutritional value for calories, fat, sodium,and fiber. Determine if your food is nutrient dense or not.
2. Look up choosemyplate.gov and follow the instruction to calculate your BMI and physical activity recommendations.
3. Create a chart using the amount of activity needed to burn off all of the calories you eat on a daily basis. Create a different menu for 5 days using the foods you chose. Compare and contrast which days are better for you based upon the foods you selected and your current level of activity.
4. Write a paper discussing your findings. Are you eating foods that are healthy for you based upon your level of activity? If you are, how can you contnue to incorporate foods to stay in a healthy fitness zone? If you are not, how can you alter your diet to make better choices of foods, while it still tasting good and you staying satisfied?
Evaluation
| Beginning 1 | Developing 2 | Qualified 3 | Exemplary 4 | Score | |
| Students have the appropriate amount of foods listed | Student has a few listed foods | Student has between 5-6 foods listed | Student has 7-10 listed foods compared | Student has all required food listed for comparison | |
| Fats, Calories, Sodium, and Fiber Calculations | Little to no nutritional information | Nutritional information is listed for 5-6 foods | Nutritional information for 7-10 foods are listed. | Nutritional information for all required foods are listed. | |
| Comparison Chart | There is no chart listed for comparison | There is a chart comparing 5-6 foods | There is a chart comparing 7-10 foods. | There is a chart comparing all required food choices. | |
| Paper Reflection | Student did not do a paper | Student turns in a paper, but only includes food choices, activity levels and comparison for 5-6 foods. Does not include nutrient dense choices | Paper includes food choices and activity level comparison for 7-10 foods. Includes nutrient dense choices | Paper includes all food choices required, involves a detailed comparison, nutrient dense options, and how to improve/maintain. |
Conclusion
By the end of this assignment, you will have a better idea on how to make proper food choices. By choosing foods that are nutrient dense, will help maintain and improve weight management struggles. The purpose of this assignment was for you to make a personal connection to what you allow to enter your body, and how much exercise you do on a daily basis. By researching the amount of calories, fat, sodium, and fiber are in each of the items we eat, we will hopefully make better food choices in the future.
Credits
David DeStefano-Education Assistant at Foxboro High School
Caitlin Jamiel-PE Teacher at Stoughton High School
Permissions
We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use and modify this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. The modified WebQuest may be shared only under the same conditions. See the Creative Commons Attribution • Non-Commercial• Share-Alike license for details.