WEEK 6 ALL ABOUT FIBER

Transcription

1 WEEK 6 ALL ABOUT FIBER In this lesson you will learn: 1. The benefits of eating fiber. 2. Different sources of fiber. 3. How to find fiber on the nutrition label. 4. How much fiber is needed each day. 5. Ways to eat more fiber every day. EDUCATOR 1

2 EDUCATOR GUIDE Materials: 3 oranges Measuring cup (preferably clear) Picture of the whole grain kernel diagram (preferably larger than 8.5 x11 ) Nutrition labels to pass around Whole-grain foods (cooked if applicable) and their nutrition labels Pens and pencils Burners (2-3) Large pot to cook pasta Medium pot to cook sauce Large sauté pan to cook vegetables Strainer Cooking spoons and spatulas For each cooking group: o 2+ cutting boards o 2+ knives for each group Plates and forks for each student Spoon for parmesan Educator tips: At the beginning of class, ask students how the On Your Own assignment from last week went, and if anyone would like to share. Where applicable, ask students what they think of topics prior to reading bullet points from the curriculum (ex: what is fiber, adding fiber to your diet). Demonstrate where to find fiber on the nutrition label. Also pass around a few food labels and ask students how much fiber is in those foods.

3 Activities: 1. Juicing Demonstration Ask a student to come up and cut a medium orange in half. Then squeeze the juice into a measuring cup. Show what is left of the orange to the class and ask them what was left behind (fiber). Ask them which has more fiber, the whole fruit or the juice? Then, have another student squeeze another 1 or 2 oranges into the measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup of juice. Ask them which they think has more sugar. Which is a better option? 2. Whole grain taste test Have different stations set up with the different whole-grain foods to try at each station. Also include the nutrition label next to each food item. Ask the students to taste each item, rate it, and record how much fiber is in each one.

4 ALL ABOUT FIBER What is fiber? Fiber is found in the plants we eat. It is the part of plant that we cannot digest. It is important to have a high fiber diet to maintain good health. Fiber helps lower blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It also improves digestion. Eating more fiber helps you feel full, so you don t overeat. Whole fruits have fiber, but juice does not. The skin and pulp of the fruit contains a lot of fiber and many other important nutrients. Juicing removes the skin and pulp from the whole fruit, removing most of the fiber and many of the nutrients. What do you think is healthier: A whole orange or orange juice? Nutrition Comparison Fresh-squeezed Orange Juice (1 cup) Medium Orange Calories Sugar 25g 14g Fiber Less than 1g 7g Which has more fiber, the juice or the orange? When an orange is squeezed, what part of the orange is left behind? About how many medium oranges do you need to make 1 cup of juice? Which has more sugar? What is better to have, orange juice or an orange?

5 Where else can you find fiber? 100% whole-grain breads, cereals, and tortillas. Vegetables like green peas and broccoli. Legumes and nuts, like beans, split peas and almonds. Why do whole grains have fiber, but refined grains don t? A whole grain has three layers: the bran, endosperm, and germ. Whole grains, like brown rice, have all parts of the grain. Refined grains, like white bread, have some parts of the grain removed (the bran and germ), which also removes the fiber. The bran is the outer layer where the fiber is.

6 How do you know if a food is high in fiber? This information is on the nutrition label (if its packaged). Fiber is listed under total carbohydrates. How much fiber do you need? It is important to have about grams of fiber per day. Good fiber foods have about 3-5 grams per serving. High fiber foods have 5 grams or more per serving. Here are some examples of the amount of fiber in foods: ½ cup of cooked green peas o This has about 4 grams of fiber. 1 apple with skin o This has about 3 grams of fiber. ½ cup of baked beans o This has about 6 grams of fiber. Adding fiber to your diet is easy: Have a bowl of oatmeal or other high fiber cereal for breakfast Try whole grains, like brown rice instead of white rice Use 100% whole grain bread for your sandwiches Eat more fruits, like raspberries or apples as a healthy snack Add more vegetables, like broccoli or peas, to your meal What are some other ways to add fiber to your diet?

7 DO YOU LIKE WHOLE GRAINS? We are going to try a variety of whole grain foods. Next to each item will be the nutrition label. Go ahead and taste each item. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best) rate how much you like the foods by circling the number on the scale. Then, read the label and find out how much fiber is in that food. Write this number down too. Do you like these whole grain foods? Dislike Like 1) Whole wheat pasta ) Brown rice ) Whole wheat bread ) Crunchy Corn Bran cereal ) Quaker Oat Squares cereal ) Quinoa ) Barley

8 WHOLE GRAIN PASTA WITH VEGETABLES Ingredients 1 cup 2 cups tsp 2 cups Whole wheat pasta, uncooked Fresh tomatoes, chopped (if tomatoes are not in season, use 1 cup canned whole tomatoes) Clove garlic Olive oil Vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, spinach, peppers Time: 20 minutes Makes 4 servings ¼ cup 1 stem Parmesan cheese Fresh basil or oregano, chopped (dried is ok if you don t have fresh herbs) Salt and pepper to taste Directions 1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 2. To make tomato sauce, sauté garlic in 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat for about 30 seconds, until you can smell it. 3. Add in tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Let cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up tomato chucks with a spoon, if necessary. 4. Season with salt and pepper 5. Cut all other vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Cook vegetables by steaming (or sautéing in 1 tsp olive oil). Season with salt and pepper. 6. Toss pasta, vegetables, and sauce together. 7. Top with herbs and cheese, if desired.

9 FUN FACTS: Nopal is an edible cactus that has been around since prehistoric times. It is native to Mexico and grows abundantly there due to the semidry weather. Celery requires more calories to eat and digest than it contains. A hornworm can eat an entire tomato plant by itself in one day! California produces almost all of the broccoli sold in the United States. On your own: Go to grocery store and try to find the cereal or bread with the highest amount of fiber. If you d like, buy this product and bring it home for your family to try. See what they think! Write about what you found in your journal or on the website.