Pedro

Guzman
NUTR 510
Lesson Plan


Nutrition for kids: Why is it important?



Goal: Educate parents on the importance of having a well balanced diet in children between the ages 4-
12 in order to facilitate growth and development, as well as develop a positive relationship with food.

Behavioral Objectives:
By the end of this class, participants will be able to:
1. Understand what MyPlate is, and the importance of having a well balanced diet.
2. Learn about deficiencies in children when they’re aren’t exposed to a variety of foods.
3. Understand the importance of having a good relationship with food and the consequences that
come along if they don’t.

Teaching Aids:
1. PowerPoint
2. Fruit bowl assorted with an array of bright colors

Handouts:
1. MyPlate handout
2. “Shape your future by laying out the proper foundation” handout by Pedro Guzman


Introduction:

Anecdote: I have a 5 year old nephew who was recently diagnosed with anemia. I thought to myself, “
how can you become anemic that quickly? Are you sure there wasn’t a mistake? I was shocked when my
brother told me the news. So one day, without alerting him, I analyzed what he ate for a few days to
understand why he was diagnosed with anemia. So, let me tell you, the first day his consumption of
food was: chips, soda, candy, McDonald’s McChicken, and pizza pockets in the evening. The second day
was eggs in the morning, hot Cheetos and Taco Bell for lunch, one cup of noodles, and skittles in the
evening. I would continue with the third day but by now I’m hoping you see the pattern in his eating
habits. I noticed that my nephew didn’t consume any vegetables, hardly ate any fruit, and I guess you
could say he consumed some protein but that was also paired with consuming high sodium/refined
carbohydrates. So then I thought to myself, I wonder how my brother and his wife eat. What are their
eating habits? Honestly, they were pretty much identical. Their diet also consisted of high
sodium/refined carbohydrates foods. They often would eat at restaurants, didn’t cook often due to their
busy schedule, and snacked a lot on candy. My nephew was a product of their environment. I mean let’s
be honest, why would he eat something that the parents weren’t eating? Environment plays a vital role
in regards to preventing diseases or vitamin/mineral deficiencies in children.
So, today we will talk about MyPlate to understand the importance of having variety in the diet and how
impactful it can be. You will become educated on the importance of nutrition for children; understand

how you as a parent can encourage your kids to eat healthier, by instilling the proper building blocks for
success.

Questions to ask before the main content of the presentation:
1. Do you have anyone in your family or circle of friends that has or knows a child with a nutrient
deficiency?
2. How often do you parents eat at fast food restaurants throughout the week? Is it more or less
than 4?

Main Content:

Slide #2
Micronutrients, often referred to as vitamins and minerals, are important for healthy development,
disease prevention, and wellbeing. Even though these are required in small amounts, micronutrients
aren’t produced in the body which means they must be consumed through foods. According to the CDC
the #1 nutrient deficiency in children is iron. Iron is a leading cause of anemia which means RBCs aren’t
able to distribute oxygen to the tissues properly. Anemia affects 43% of children younger that 5 years of
age. Another nutrient deficiency is vitamin D, and this vitamin helps children with growth development,
bone density, immune function, and prevention of chronic diseases. According to “Today’s Dietitian”,
millions of children suffer from vitamin d deficiency. As you can see, these are just a couple of important
nutrients that are necessary for children to consume early in childhood to prevent abnormalities.

Slide #3
So I gave a few examples of nutrients and how important they are for children. Can you tell me why
micronutrients are important?

Slide #4
What is MyPlate?
MyPlate is a tool parents can utilize so that they can help their kids build a healthy eating style that can
be used throughout their lifetime. By focusing on variety, proper portions, foods/beverages lower in
saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars can help propel a healthy eating pattern now and in the future.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to change your whole diet completely, but by simply making
small changes can go along way. Ex: focus on whole fruits instead of juices. Eat a variety of veggies so it
doesn’t become boring, reduce big meals to smaller portions. MyPlate enables you to tailor a diet
between all ages of life. Whether the children is active or inactive, picky eater, lactose intolerant, this
tool helps you choose foods you like as well as make eating fun. Remember, the brighter the plate the
better.

Slide #5
MyPlate handout will be given describing adequate portion sizes for vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and
protein. This can be used as a reference in case you forget how much vegetables or fruits you need to
consume daily to reach certain goals. Today, about half of all American adults have one or more chronic
diseases, often related to poor diet. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasized the
importance of creating a healthy eating pattern to maintain health and reduce the risk of disease. As I
previously mentioned, it is important to establish a healthy eating pattern in children, because this will
help shape their future.

Slide #6
It’s important to develop a positive relationship with food at a younger age to prevent eating disorders
from developing. Certain eating disorders that can develop are anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge
eating. At a young age it’s relevant to teach children about how food can affect health as well as provide
energy. Encourage your children to eat when they’re hungry, eat together as a family, and avoid
skipping meals are simple yet effective tools that can promote positive changes in children. These tools
that are instilled in children at a young age can help them understand satiety cues (when they’re full)
understand that food is essential to sustain life, and skipping meals as children can impair their growth
and development because they aren’t receiving adequate nutrients.

Slide #7
You are what you eat. How many people have heard that throughout their lives? I mentioned a few
examples as to why Nutrition is important in children such as: developing good eating patterns young
can help prevent eating disorders when you’re older, having variety in food can help with growth and
development as well as decrease diseases, and food is energy needed to sustain life. Another factor that
dictates children’s eating habits is the environment. As I mentioned in my introduction parents can
facilitate change in child’s eating behaviors. Parents should also practice what they preach to their
children because children are sponges during this time frame, and if they see their parents incorporating
more fruits and vegetables into their diets, then this will encourage children to eat them as well which in
turn would lead to stronger immune systems.

Slide #8

Assorted fruit and vegetables would be passed out to the parents. On each fruit and vegetable it will
have one key nutrient that is high, and it will describe the purpose of that nutrient. They will spend 30
sec with each fruit/veggie then switch with someone else that has a different one. After a few minutes I
will collect the fruits and veggies and begin to quiz them to see if they remembered which key nutrient
correlated with the fruit and vegetable. Whoever gets it correct gets to keep that fruit or vegetable.

Slide #9
Now that you have been presented with some information in regards to why nutrition is important in
children, how many of you will try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in yours and your children’s
diet?
Were you surprised that nutrient deficiency can occur at such a young age?


Review:

1. Why it is important to instill good eating patterns in children?
2. What is the #1 nutrient deficiency in children?


Independent practice:
Go back and assess your lives at home. See what your children snack on during the day. Open your
cupboards or look at your food pantry and see how many sugary snacks you have. How much fruit do
you have around the house? How much fruit juices are available?

Conclusion:

There is a different types of disease today that could’ve been prevented if Nutrition was imparted at a
young age. According to WHO diabetes prevalence has been increasing at an alarming rate. Not having a
healthy energy dense diet and consuming more sugary foods/beverages is one of the causes. According
to WHO, avoiding sugar and saturated fats and increasing consumption of nutrient dense foods can help
prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. If the proper foundation was laid out to children, there would be a
strong case that these children would’ve grown up understanding why certain foods are important for
the body. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to cut out fast food or sugary drinks forever, but
ensure there is a good balance because these can be contributing factors to certain diseases. And I mean
realistically, who wants to see their children suffer the consequences because you didn’t do your part?
Children’s can’t make that choice, but you can! You change their lives for the better.