Minds On

Too busy to be healthy?

Human bodies need food to fuel them and get them ready, both physically and mentally, for a busy day!

What would be an ideal breakfast for a Grade 6 student? Consider how a busy morning could affect what and how they eat.

Explore the following images to get an understanding of some breakfast options.

Yogurt

Oatmeal

Waffles

Pause and Reflect

Pause and reflect

How can a busy life impact eating habits and food choices? How can people make healthy choices when they are busy?

Record your thinking digitally, orally, or in print.

Action

Making healthy choices

One of the best ways to make healthy eating choices is to align eating habits with Canada’s Food Guide. It creates a balance among proteins, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and water intake!

Investigate

Food search

Explore the following image of Canada’s Food Guide.

Do you notice any foods that are missing from the Food Guide? Why might they not be included?

Record your thinking using a method of your choice.

Description

A plate of food is divided into three sections. Half of the plate is fruits and vegetables. An arrow pointing to the fruit and vegetables reads “Have plenty of vegetables and fruits.” A quarter of the plate is meats and proteins. An arrow pointing to the protein section reads “Eat protein foods.” Finally, another quarter of the plate is made of grains. An arrow pointing to the grains section reads “Choose whole grain foods.” Beside the plate is a glass of water. An arrow pointing to the water reads “Make water your drink of choice.”

Factors that prevent healthy eating

Even though we may want to build healthy eating habits, sometimes we can’t because of reasons called “factors” that prevent us from eating well.

Press the 'Definition' button to learn about factors.

Definition

Factors are circumstances, facts, or influences that contribute to a result or outcome.

For example, you may not want to play outside because it is raining. In this situation, rain is a factor preventing you from exercising outside.

Brainstorm a list of reasons/factors that could make it difficult to align eating habits with Canada’s Food Guide.

You can use the following fillable and printable Roadblocks to Healthy Eating document to record your reasons/factors. You may also record your factors using another method of your choice.

Press the Activity button to access Roadblocks to Healthy Eating.

Activity

When you’re ready, explore the following list of factors. Did you have any of these factors on your list? Do any of these examples surprise you? Why or why not?

allergies, sensitivities, dental health, health conditions

food availability, cost

media influence, cultural, peer and family influence, environmental impact

likes, dislikes, stress, holidays

Factor match

Let’s play a matching game to show our understanding of factors.

The following is a list of four scenarios. In each scenario, a type of factor is preventing someone from eating a food. Your task is to match each scenario with the factor that it describes.

Cues and physical factors

Developing personal guidelines for healthy eating isn’t just about what we eat: it’s also about knowing when to eat.

Our bodies give us cues that help us know when to eat and drink. A cue is a message from the brain that gives instruction to the body. If the cues are ignored, our bodies tell us something is wrong by creating headaches, dizziness, anxiety, irritability, and other physical warnings.

Hungry

Not eating when you’re hungry can cause dizziness, a sore stomach, irritability, and headaches.

Thirsty

Not drinking when you are thirsty can cause dehydration, headaches, and weakness.

Brainstorm a list of reasons, or physical factors, why our bodies may need more or less food and water. Physical factors are things that are controlled by our body.

You can record your list of physical factors in the following fillable and printable Physical Factors Stickies document. You can also record your ideas using another method of your choice. Be creative!

Press the Activity button to access Physical Factors Stickies.

Activity

When you’re ready, explore the following list of physical factors.

These physical factors are ways that our brains tell our bodies how much and when to eat and drink.

appetite increases as the body grows

the body needs food to grow

burns calories quickly and sweats out liquids

the body knows when it has had too much

Compare your sticky notes against the list of physical factors to check your answers.

Pause and Reflect