4thand5th_Final
Food Plate
In this lesson you will learn about each section of the food plate. You will play games and take quizes to help you learn information. As you go through this lesson you will have an oppurtiunity to earn digital badges. If you are having trouble through out the lesson don't be afraid to ask for help.
The food plate is set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The food plate is broken into five categories which are fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. The USDA has put out information on what kinds of foods are in each category and how much of that category our plate should be composed of each time we eat. You may be wondering why the food plate is important by now. The food plate is important because it helps us stay in shape and healthy.
The fruit category on the plate is marked with a red background. The fruit category is located in the top left side of the food plate. To be in the fruit category the food must be a fruit or 100% fruit juice. Fruits can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried and doesn't always have to be whole they can also be cut-up or pureed. Per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 10% of your plate each time you eat should be fruits. Some examples of fruits are melons, berries, grapes, starfruit, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, apples, oranges, apricots, bananas, cherries, pineapples, plums, pomegranate, grapefruit, lemons, and prunes.
The vegetable category on the plate is marked with a green background. The vegetable category is located in the lower left side of the food plate. To be in the vegetable category the food must be a vegetable or 100% vegetable juice. Vegetables can be raw or cooked; fresh, canned, frozen, or dehydrated/dried and don't always have to be whole they can also be cut-up or mashed. Per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 40% of your plate each time you eat should be vegetables. Some examples of vegetables are broccoli, leafy greens, watercress, squash (pumpkins, zucchini, yellow summer crockneck) , peppers (bell, ghost, jalapeño), potatoes, tomatoes, plantains, water chestnuts, kidney beans, lenntils, soybeans, avocado, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, onions, and garlic.
The grains category on the plate is marked with an orange background. The grains category is located in the top right side of the food plate. To be in the grains category the food must be made of wheat, oats, cornmeal, rice, barley or another cereal grain. The grains category is divided up into two groups, whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel and refined grains have been milled. Milled is a process that removes the bran and germ. The grain kernel is made of the bran, germ, and endosperm. Per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 30% of your plate each time you each should be grains. Some examples of whole grains are brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, popcorn, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and wild rice. Some examples of refined grains are cakes, cookies, grits, pancakes, pie, pretzels, white bread, and white rice.
The protein category on the plate is marked with a purple background. The protein category is located in the lower right side of the food plate. To be in the protein category the food must be made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts and seeds. Per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 20% of your plate each time you eat should be proteins. Some examples of proteins are almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, canned fish, shellfish, black beans, kidney beans, bison, beef, chicken, ham, pork, sausage, turkey, and tofu.
The dairy category on the plate is marked with a blue background. The dairy category is not really located on the plate it is located to the upper right edge of the food plate. To be in the dairy category the food must be made of fluid milk products and foods made from milk. Per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 8 ounces or 1 glass of your plate each time you eat should be dairy. Some examples of foods in the dairy category are milk, pudding, ice cream, smoothies, yogurt, sherbet, and cheese.
Food Plate Resources
Food Label
In this lesson you will laern about each section of the food label. You will play games and take quizzes to help learn the information. As you go through this lesson you will have ans oppurtiunity to earn digital badges. If you are having trouble through out the lesson don't be afraid to ask for help.
The food label may look confusing when you look at, but when you look at it slightly different it isn't confusing. The different way to look at it is having the label colored. Now you can't go color coding every food label but you have to imagine it in your head that the label is color coded. The colored label is broken down into four sections which are the orange section, red section, green section, and white section. Below you will learn about each indiviual section and the things in each section.
The orange section is composed of the serving size and servings per a container which are explained below. You have to read this section carefully because you can have more then one serving in a container.
Serving Size:
Servings Per a Container:
The red section is composed of calories, calories from fat, total fat, cholestrol, and sodium which are explained below. You want to watch this section carefully also. You want low amounts of these items meaning 5% or less.
Calories:
Calories from Fat:
Total Fat:
Cholesteral and Sodium:
The green section is composed of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You also want to watch this section carefully. You want high amounts of these items meaning 20% or more.
Dietary Fiber:
Vitamin and Mineral Section:
The white section is mainly composed of percent daily value, sugars, protein and anything else that doesn't fit in any of the other three categories. For some of these things you want high amounts while others you want low amounts.
Percent Daily Value:
Sugars:
Protein:
Food Label Resources