Joanne R. Pompano
Grade Levels:
9, 10, 11, and 12
Students will investigate and analyze the meals they purchase at school with the meals they purchase at fast food restaurants. For a period of one month students will keep a log of food purchases.
Goal:
To compare the nutritional values of food selected by high school students
Objectives:
l. Students will read and discuss the book “Fast Food Nation.”
2. Students will keep a log of lunch and after school meals they purchase
3. Students will analyze the meals according to:
A. fat B. carbohydrates C. calories D. sugar E. portions
4. Students will analyze what “super-sizing” will do to the daily food intake
5. Students will analyze how their lunch and after school snacks fit into their overall diet and nutritional needs
6. Students will speculate which pesticides may have been used (For instance: a hamburger might contain hormones in the beef, chemicals on the lettuce, tomato, onions, preservatives in bun, etc.)
7. Students will investigate nutritional contents of fast foods by visiting official website of fast food restaurants or collecting “fact sheets” from the restaurant
8. Students will share their results and concerns with the school administration and corporate public relations personnel
Procedure:
Students will be divided into teams.
Students will analyze the lunches provided in the school cate.
Students will analyze the foods from locate fast food restaurants
Students will compare the choices to food pyramid.
At the end of each week students will discuss how the lunches rate compared to the food pyramid.
Teacher Reading List
Wargo, John, “Our Children’s Toxic Legacy: How Science and Law Fail to Protect Us from Pesticides,” Yale Univ Press; 2nd edition, April 1998.
This book helps us to understand how U.S. law fails to protect us and the environment from pesticides This informative and well-documented book was written by an expert on environmental law and health risks for children It warns of the dangers of pesticides to food, water, soil, as well as the special dangers pesticides have on children. It provides an understanding what the legal and scientific community must do to control the health risks of pesticides.
Student Reading List
Schlosser, Eric,
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
, HarperCollins, 1st edition January 8, 2002 A very interesting and readable book that will change how students and teachers view fast food establishments and the meals they serve. The history of the fast food industry and the men who created applied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen and transformed America’s diet, landscape, and economy.
Carson, Rachel,
Silent Spring
, Reprint edition September 1994 Thirty five years ago Rachel Carson changed the way we look at our environment. This is an important book that will help students about pesticides and their affect on nature.
Useful Internet Resources:
The Food Guide Pyramid- Your Personal Guide to Healthful Eating
http://ific.org/relatives/17200.PDF
Network Nuggets: Physical Education, Sports, and Health
http://www.cln.org/lists/nuggets/pe_health.html
The Food and Nutrition Information Center
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
USDA: Educational Resources - FNS
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fncs/
