GRADE 10

LESSON 1

CONSUMER
CONCERNS
ABOUT FOOD
AND NUTRITION

In this lesson, we will learn to:

Choose to
Choose Nutritious Manage Drink Water
and Varied Options Portions and Milk

CONTENT OVERVIEW OBJECTIVES

This lesson is delivered in three sessions that At the end of this module, the learner should be
aim to raise students’ awareness about common able to:
nutrition myths and fallacies.
1. Consumers have countless questions regarding
1. Identify common nutrition myths and
food, nutrition and health.
misconceptions.
2. Consumers are exposed to a lot of information
2. Make sound decisions about food and nutrition
that are actually myths or fallacies, resulting to
using accurate, reliable and science-based
confusion about the potential benefits that can
information.
be derived from food.
3. In order to avoid using the health myths as basis
for a healthy lifestyle, consumers should use the
Healthy Habits as their daily guide to become
healthier and stronger individuals.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

SESSION 1 OF 3

MATERIALS The PowerPoint files for these lessons are

in PDF format. Open the PDF file, and at
the top menu bar, select VIEW > Enter Full
Screen. This places one page of the PDF
• Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition Session 1 file on the computer screen and you can
scroll up or scroll down to go through each
PowerPoint page like a PowerPoint slide.

WARM-UP
15 Minutes

1. Read the statements below and tell whether they are FACT or MYTH.
2. Read these statements:
a. Going to sleep with your hair still wet causes blindness.
b. After doing hard labor, such as ironing clothes, you should not touch water because it will cause
pasma.
c. Stepping over a child will stunt the child’s growth.
d. Pinching the nose of a baby will make the baby’s nose matangos.
3. All the statements mentioned above are myths, however, a lot of people confuse them as being facts.
4. Reflect on the following questions. You can write down your answers on your Health notebook so you
can come back to them after reading the lesson to have a better understanding of the topics discussed.
a. Why do people believe statements, such as the ones just mentioned, that have no medical basis?
b. How can we know if something is a fact or a myth?
c. Should we believe everything we see in the movies? On the television? In the news?

LISTEN & LEARN

15 Minutes

The table below should help you in being aware about some common nutrition-related myths. There is a
corresponding PowerPoint presentation that you can use if you have a computer available.

Slide
Consumers like us are exposed to a lot of information about nutrition. We see information
in commercials, in magazines and newspapers, on billboards and on the internet.

A lot of these information is actually false or misleading, resulting to confusion about the
potential benefits that can be derived from food.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

Slide
What are fad diets?

Fad diets are special diets that promise rapid weight loss in a short period of time. Is this
a fact or myth?

Fad diets are often grounded on false or incomplete information that misleads the public
and prevents them from achieving true health. Some diets may actually be harmful to
health in the long run.

This is how you will know if a diet is a fad diet:

• Guarantees rapid weight loss
• Limits certain food items (e.g. no rice) or overemphasizes others (e.g. high protein
diet)
• Makes claims based on anecdotes or testimonials, instead of evidence-based
information
• Often recommends ‘magic food’ or expensive supplements
• Does not promote healthy eating habits
Sometimes, endorsers of fad diets express skepticism about the credibility of health care
professionals and toward the medical community.

Individuals who repeatedly engage in fad diets or use weight loss products can suffer
from body fluctuations – when one’s body weight goes up and down rapidly. This is not
safe. It actually signals the body to store more fat, and this in turn is linked with increased
risk for lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even premature death.

Here is another common belief, that skipping meals results in weight loss.
What are your thoughts on this?

Write your answers on the space provided.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

Slide
This is another MYTH.
It may seem logical that skipping a meal will help you lose weight because you eat less
calories, but it is not that simple.

When you miss a meal, your body goes into ‘survival mode’, slowing down metabolism
and conserving energy rather than using it up. Skipping meals, therefore, actually has the
opposite effect. It can make you hungrier and you will be more likely to snack on food
that are high on sugar or fat.

A better way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is to eat small meals regularly
throughout the day and find ways to be more physically active.

What about this statement: We only need to drink water when we are thirsty.

This is a myth, you should not wait until you are thirsty to drink water.

Being thirsty is an indication that the body is already dehydrated. So if you already feel
thirsty, it means your body is already lacking fluids. You should drink all throughout the
day.

Here are other signs of dehydration:

• Headache
• Difficulty focusing or paying attention
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Dark yellow-colored urine
If you experience these signs and symptoms, you are already severely dehydrated. Avoid
these by drinking water all throughout the day, even when you are not thirsty. How many
glasses should you be drinking everyday?

Adolescents aged 13-18 years should be drinking 9 to 12 glasses or more everyday.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

Slide
Look at this statement: Milk is the best source of calcium. Is this a fact or a myth?

Write your answer on the space provided.

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________________________________________________________________________

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This is definitely a fact. There are many other sources of calcium but none as rich as milk.

Calcium may come from lots of food sources but the best source will still be milk because
it can be absorbed by the body easily.

In addition, fortified milk has calcium for strong bones and teeth. It also contains
nutrients like iron, zinc and vitamin C to help strengthen immunity.

The myths and facts that were discussed are related to three very important Healthy
Habits that we should develop in order to become healthy.

First, we should Choose a Nutritious and Varied Options. This means eating a variety of
food from each of the food groups, such as what the Pinggang Pinoy® teaches us.

What three food groups does Pinggang Pinoy® remind us to include in our meals?

Fad diets omit certain food groups, like carbohydrates, which is harmful for the body. It is
important that we get all the nutrients our body needs to function properly.

Having the correct portions ensures that the body gets just the right amount of food it
needs, preventing unnecessary weight gain.

According to the Pinggang Pinoy® guide, half of the plate should contain fruits and
vegetables, with more vegetables than fruits. The other half of the plate should contain
rice/grains and protein sources, with more grains than protein.

Last but not least, Pinggang Pinoy® reminds us to have a glass of water with every meal.
We can also have nutritious beverages like fortified milk that has calcium for strong
bones and teeth. It also contains nutrients like iron, zinc and vitamin C to help strengthen
immunity.

All throughout the day, we should keep our bodies fully hydrated by drinking water.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

LET’S TRY THIS

10 Minutes

1. Based on the lessons that you have learned, think of an advocacy that you can help teach in the
community. It can be debunking one of the most common myths that was discussed in the lesson and
that you want other people to learn.
2. Materials for this advocacy will be created later on but think of something that can be easily transformed
into concrete action by the end of all these lessons.

WRAP-UP
10 Minutes

Reflect on the lesson. Write down your learnings in your Health notebook. Limit your answers to 5 sentences
only.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

SESSION 2 OF 3

MATERIALS The PowerPoint files for these lessons are

in PDF format. Open the PDF file, and at
the top menu bar, select VIEW > Enter Full
Screen. This places one page of the PDF
file on the computer screen and you can
• Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition scroll up or scroll down to go through each
Session 2 PowerPoint page like a PowerPoint slide.

WARM-UP
15 Minutes

Review the last lesson by answering the following in your Health notebook:

1. What are the common features of a fad diet?

2. What are some of the dangers of fad diets?
3. What are the effects of skipping meals?
4. What are some signs of dehydration?

LISTEN & LEARN

15 Minutes

The table below should help you in being aware about some common nutrition-related myths. There is a
corresponding PowerPoint presentation that you can use if you have a computer available.

Slide
Compare your answers to question 1 with these common characteristics of a fad diet.

Compare your answers to question 2 with the dangers of fad diets.

Compare your answers to question 3 with this info on the effects of skipping meals.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

Slide
Compare your answers to question 4 with the signs of dehydration.

This lesson will tackle more nutrition facts and myths.

What do you think of this statement: Starchy food, such as rice and bread, are fattening.

This lesson will tackle more nutrition facts and myths.

In reality, there is no single food that is fattening. What causes weight gain is when we
consume more than what is needed by the body, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle.

What do we mean by the term sedentary lifestyle? A person is said to have a sedentary
lifestyle if he or she gets little or no physical activity. Such an individual spends more
time sitting or laying down than exercising or doing physical activities.

We should make sure to get enough exercise to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. But being
physically active does not just refer to exercising or engaging in sports. There are many
other ways to get our bodies moving. For instance, rather than taking a tricycle to get
to a nearby destination, we can opt to walk. We can also stay physically active by doing
chores. Can you think of other ways to stay physically active aside from exercising?

Write your answers on the space provided.

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________________________________________________________________________

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

Slide
Look at this next statement: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes. Is this a fact or a
myth?

Write your answer on the space provided and explain why.

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________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

This statement is a myth. Even though one of the symptoms of diabetes is high levels of
sugar in the blood, eating sugar does not directly cause diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a common lifestyle disease in the Philippines, caused by a number of
factors like family history, lack of exercise and being overweight or obese.
Eating too much sugar contributes to weight gain, which in turn can lead to the
development of diabetes.
So more than limiting our sugar intake, we need to watch our whole diet and make sure
we get plenty of physical activity, especially if we have a history of diabetes in the family.

What about this statement: Being fat during childhood and adolescence is okay. Is this a
fact or a myth?

Write your answer on the space provided and explain why.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

This is also a myth.

Many think that it is okay for children or adolescents to be obese, thinking that they will
lose the weight when they grow older, but that is not necessarily true.
The fact is, fat cells increase rapidly during childhood and early puberty, so an obese
child may experience difficulty losing weight. That child will have a higher risk of
becoming an obese adult later in life.

This is our last statement: Eating meals with the family is associated with lower risk for
depression. In other words, you are less likely to develop depression if you regularly eat
meals with your family. Do you think this is a fact or a myth?

Write your answer on the space provided and explain why.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

Slide
This one is a fact.
Mealtime is an important time for family members to come together and share about
their day. It is a good opportunity for parents to act as positive role models for their
children. Studies have shown that those who spend more time eating meals with
family members are less likely to develop depressive symptoms, have fewer emotional
difficulties and have better emotional well-being. Why do you think this is so? Explain
this and write your answer on the space provided.

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________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

This is because mealtime provides an opportunity for building family bonds, interacting
and getting the kind of support needed for emotional well-being.
During our previous session, we discussed how common nutrition myths and facts
are related to three very important Healthy Habits that we should develop in order to
become healthy.

In addition to these three Healthy Habits, There are two more Healthy Habits that are
important to develop:

Play Actively. Regular physical activity helps control weight and contributes to health by
lowering the risk of lifestyle diseases.

Enjoy Meals Together. Eating meals with the family not only promotes good eating
habits, but also better emotional well-being.

LET’S TRY THIS

10 Minutes

1. Choose one of the myths and its corresponding fact that you want to teach to other people in your
community.
2. Think of a way on how to present it in a poster: what is the myth, what is the fact and how they can
practice the correct behavior in their daily lives.
3. Create a “draft” for the mean time. This can still change later on. But think of the important elements that
you want in your poster.

WRAP-UP
5 Minutes

In your Health notebook, write your down what you have learned from the lesson. Limit your answers to 5
sentences.

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Grade 10, Lesson 1 - Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition

SESSION 3 OF 3

MATERIALS The PowerPoint files for these lessons are

• Art supplies and coloring materials
• Consumer Concerns about Food and Nutrition Session 3
PowerPoint
in PDF format. Open the PDF file, and at
the top menu bar, select VIEW > Enter Full
Screen. This places one page of the PDF
file on the computer screen and you can
scroll up or scroll down to go through each
page like a PowerPoint slide.

WARM-UP
10 Minutes

The table below should help you in recalling about the Healthy Habits. There is a corresponding PowerPoint
presentation that you can use if you have a computer available.

Slide
Previously, you have learned how common nutrition myths and facts are related to three
very important Healthy Habits that we should develop in order to become healthy.

Explain the three Healthy Habits in the picture in your own words. Write your answers on
the space provided.
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__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________
Explain the two Healthy Habits in the picture in your own words. Write your answers on
the space provided.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

LET’S DO IT
40 Minutes

1. Continue to work on your advocacy poster.

2. You can now put it in a piece of bond paper and start creating the advocacy on nutrition myths and facts
that you want to teach other people.

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 GRADE 10

LESSON 2

NUTRITION
ON THE
INTERNET
In this lesson, we will learn to:

Choose to
Choose Nutritious Manage Play Enjoy Meals
Drink Water
and Varied Options Portions Actively Together
and Milk

CONTENT OVERVIEW OBJECTIVES

This lesson is delivered in three sessions that aim At the end of this module, the learner should be
to teach children about the importance of critical able to:
thinking when making food and nutrition-related
decisions, particularly in light of nutrition claims and
misinformation rampantly available on the internet. 1. Learn how to obtain reliable nutrition-related
information from the Internet.
2. Distinguish credible nutrition-related information
1. The dramatic growth of the Internet has made it from false, biased or anecdotal claims.
easy for people to access free nutrition-related
knowledge and advice.
2. However, the vast quantity of information online
has been a cause of confusion because not all
sources are accurate and reliable.
3. Food and nutrition myths are also often cited
or recommended by many people, who are
poorly informed when it comes to the science of
nutrition. Thus, consumers must learn how to get
reliable facts and distinguish it from fake, biased
or anecdotal information on the Internet.

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Grade 10, Lesson 2 - Nutrition on the Internet

SESSION 1 OF 3 The PowerPoint files for these lessons are

in PDF format. Open the PDF file, and at
the top menu bar, select VIEW > Enter Full
Screen. This places one page of the PDF

MATERIALS
file on the computer screen and you can
scroll up or scroll down to go through each
page like a PowerPoint slide.

• Nutrition on the Internet Session 1 PowerPoint

LISTEN & LEARN

15 Minutes

The table below should help in introducing the topic on nutrition information and the internet. There is a
corresponding PowerPoint presentation that you can use if you have a computer available.

Slide
The dramatic growth of the Internet has made it easy for people to access free nutrition
related-knowledge and advice. Because of the internet, we can type in a nutrition-related
question and find dozens of sites that offer answers.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

While it is good to have information readily within our reach, this accessibility comes
with a challenge.

The vast quantity of information online, however, has been a cause of confusion because
not all sources are accurate and reliable.

Food and nutrition myths are also often cited or recommended by many people, who are
poorly informed when it comes to the science of nutrition.

Thus, consumers must learn how to get reliable facts and distinguish it from fake, biased
or anecdotal information on the Internet.

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Grade 10, Lesson 2 - Nutrition on the Internet

Slide
Making good nutrition decisions entails being well informed through accurate and
credible information. Food choices based on facts are likely to support good health.

LET’S TRY THIS

15 Minutes

Reflect on the following questions. Write your answers in your Health notebook:
1. When you go to the internet to research on nutrition topics or issues, how do you determine if the
information is correct or accurate?
2. What are your indications when a website is reliable? when is it not?

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Grade 10, Lesson 2 - Nutrition on the Internet

SESSION 2 OF 3

MATERIALS The PowerPoint files for these lessons are

in PDF format. Open the PDF file, and at
the top menu bar, select VIEW > Enter Full
Screen. This places one page of the PDF
• Nutrition on the Internet Session 2 PowerPoint file on the computer screen and you can
scroll up or scroll down to go through each
page like a PowerPoint slide.

WARM-UP
15 Minutes

Ask students to refer back to their lists of observations about websites that seem credible and those that
do not (i.e. the lists that they discussed in the previous session and written in their notebooks). Call on some
students to describe some of their observations and write the more common criteria on the board.

LISTEN & LEARN

15 Minutes

Use the PowerPoint presentation to teach students how to identify a reliable source of nutrition information.

Slide
Previously, you have learned some of the risks of getting information from the internet.

There is so much information available, but not all information sources are accurate,
reliable or based on sound evidence.

Also, there are many people talking about nutrition online but some may not be well-
informed in the science of nutrition.

The lesson will look at how to tell if a website or online source is a reliable source of
information about nutrition. We already listed some possible criteria on the board, let’s see
if any of these are, indeed, good criteria for checking a website’s credibility.

Websites that end in ‘.edu’ and ‘.gov’ tend to be good sources of science-based
information.
‘.edu’ refers to educational institutions while ‘.gov’ refers to a government agency.

Those ending in ‘.org’ are also good, especially when it is a professional nutrition website
or non-profit nutrition-related organization.

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Grade 10, Lesson 2 - Nutrition on the Internet

Slide
Websites that end in ‘.com’ refer to commercial websites that need to be carefully
evaluated. Sometimes, they provide useful information to the consumer, but sometimes
they are simply websites trying to sell a product.

Check the date to see when the information was posted.

Trustworthy websites are frequently updated to present the most recent nutrition
knowledge available.

Credible information only comes from credible experts. Remember, anyone can publish
on the Internet, so when searching nutrition-related information, look for those provided
by qualified nutrition professionals such as a registered nutritionist-dietitians. Check the
authors’ credentials like license (ex. RND), educational attainment (ex. MS or Ph.D) and
affiliations with known institutions (such as government agencies, healthcare institutions
and universities).

Check if a list of references is provided. Ideally, sources must be supported by scientific

evidence. Avoid opinion-based articles or those presenting anecdotes and testimonies
given by a few people.

Carefully evaluate the quality of information because some websites intend to promote a
particular product or service, hence providing biased information.

Always compare and validate information obtained from the Internet with other
credible sources such as textbooks, published researches, government or university
websites. Better yet, ask a qualified health care provider or licensed professional such as
nutritionist-dietitians.

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Grade 10, Lesson 2 - Nutrition on the Internet

Slide
Remember, making good nutrition decisions begins with being well-informed through
accurate and credible information.

Food choices based on facts are likely to support good health.

WRAP-UP
5 Minutes

On your Health notebook, write the ways on how to determine if a website is a reliable source of information
or not.

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Grade 10, Lesson 2 - Nutrition on the Internet

SESSION 3 OF 3

MATERIALS The PowerPoint files for these lessons are

in PDF format. Open the PDF file, and at
the top menu bar, select VIEW > Enter Full
Screen. This places one page of the PDF
file on the computer screen and you can
• Nutrition on the Internet Session 3 PowerPoint scroll up or scroll down to go through each
page like a PowerPoint slide.
• Bond paper
• Coloring materials

WARM-UP
15 Minutes

The table below should help reminding you of the questions you should ask to determine whether a website
is credible or not. There is a corresponding PowerPoint presentation that you can use if you have a computer
available.

Slide
Let’s review how to tell if a website or online source is a reliable source of information
about nutrition.

What do you recall about websites that end in .edu, .gov, .org and .com?

Websites that end in ‘.edu’ and ‘.gov’ tend to be good sources of science-based
information. ‘.edu’ refers to educational institutions while ‘.gov’ refers to a government
agency.

Those ending in ‘.org’ are also good, especially when it is a professional nutrition website
or non-profit nutritionrelated organization.

Websites that end in ‘.com’ refer to commercial websites that need to be carefully
evaluated. Sometimes, they provide useful information to the consumer, but sometimes
they are simply websites trying to sell a product.
Why is it important to check the date when the site was last updated?

Trustworthy websites are frequently updated to present the most recent nutrition
knowledge available.

Why is it important to check who the authors are of a website?

Anyone can publish on the Internet, so we need to look for authors who are qualified
nutrition professionals such as a registered nutritionist-dietitians.

Check credentials like licenses (ex. RND), educational attainment (ex. MS or Ph.D) and
affiliations with known institutions (such as government agencies, healthcare institutions
and universities)

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Grade 10, Lesson 2 - Nutrition on the Internet

Slide
Sources must be supported by scientific evidence. We cannot rely on opinionbased
articles or those presenting anecdotes and testimonies given by a few people.

Why is it important to examine the objectives or intentions of the website?

Some websites intend to promote a particular product or service, hence providing biased
information.

Why should we compare the information we get from the internet with information from
other sources?

We can use other credible sources to validate information obtained from the Internet,
such as textbooks, published researches, government or university websites.

LET’S TRY THIS

40 Minutes

1. Create a brochure using a piece of bond paper, on how to teach younger kids to distinguish a credible
nutrition website from one that is not.
2. Make the brochure easy to understand for younger students. Also, make it as colorful and informative as
you can.

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