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Now that we are working on fractions, percentages, and decimals with elementary school kids in Math Magic at Kump Center, we are thinking more about everything we do in terms of the parts of a whole.
I have often seen charts showing a healthy diet with sections representing the percentages of different food groups necessary for a balanced diet. The recommended percentage from each food group has changed on official charts over the years, but the goal is a healthy diet.
The first thing we do when our 4th and 5th graders get off the school bus is offer them a snack. Last year we thought more about the ways Covid-19 could be spread at snack time, so we got food and drinks that were wrapped in individual packages. When I started looking for healthy packaged snacks, there were not many that would provide what is needed for a balanced snack.
We decided to create a tablecloth for our round snack table divided into a pie chart representing the food groups in a healthy diet. We are trying to put each fresh, healthy snack in the appropriate section for its food grouping. We hope the colorful pattern representing the ways to make balanced food choices will create a memorable image in children's minds and help them make good choices.
When we started looking up dietary recommendations on line, we could see that there are many different ideas about what constitutes a healthy diet these days. We decided to make our cloth chart reflect the "Healthy Eating Plate" from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. On this chart four major sections represent a balanced daily diet: Vegetables, Fruits, Whole Grains, and Healthy Proteins.
The Veggie Section takes up 35% of Harvard's daily diet chart. "The more veggies the better."
The explanation is quick to add that potatoes (particularly French Fries) do not count as healthy vegetables. Potatoes are high in carbohydrates, and they lack the minerals and vitamins that come in the deep green and bright red veggies. Fiber in veggies is another very important component of a healthy diet.
The Fruit Section of the Harvard chart comprises only 15% of the healthy diet, and it completes the purely plant half of the dietary circle. Fruit fiber is as important to a healthy gut as the fiber in vegetables, and fruit sugars are healthier than refined sugars. The problem is that fresh fruits are not always available. When they are not in season, they may be available in cans, but canned fruit is usually in a sugary syrup. Vegetables offer more minerals and vitamins.
Whole Grains Section fills 25% of the circular Harvard based dietary chart. Here you will see a variety of whole grain breads, pastas, and brown rice. White breads and most baked goods are made with refined wheat and sugars; therefore, they do not rank high on the whole grain part of the chart.
Healthy Proteins fill that last 25% of the Harvard chart. Fish, poultry, beans, and nuts count as healthy foods, and olive and canola oils are needed, but red meats should be limited because they contain trans fats.
Ideas about a healthy diet keep changing, but one key concept is that plants are our best food source.