ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LESSON

READING FOOD LABELS:

A GREAT TWO –MINUTE DRILL
OBJECTIVES:
1. Why are food labels important?
2. Parts of a food label:
a. Serving size
b. Servings per container
c. Calories
d. Sugar
e. Fat

INDIANA STANDARDS
(Grades 3-5).1.1 Identify the link between healthy choices and
being healthy.
(Grades 3-5).5.5 Identify a healthy choice when making a decision.
(Grades 3-5).7.2 Identify a healthy practice to maintain personal
health and wellness.

TEACHER TALKING POINTS

Why are food labels important?
• They can help you decide what to choose as part of your healthy eating plan.
• Labels tell you what the ingredients in the food are and where the food came from.
• The ingredient list is an important part of the label. Ingredients are listed in order
so you get an idea of how much of each ingredient is in the food. When something is
listed first, second or third, you know that this food probably contains a lot of it. The
food will contain smaller amounts of the ingredients mentioned at the end of the list.

Parts of a food label:

a. Serving size
i. Always start with the serving size amount, which is usually found at the top of the
label. The rest of the information on the label is based on that amount.
ii. Sometimes you’d be surprised that what you think is one serving (i.e. a bag of potato
chips) is actually two servings.
b. Servings per container
i. The label also tells you how many servings are contained in that package of food. If
there are 15 servings in a box of cookies and each serving is two cookies, you have
enough for all 30 kids in your class to have one cookie each.
c. Calories
i. A calorie is a way to measure how much energy a food provides to your body. The
number on the food label shows how many calories are in one serving of that food.
ii. The number of calories a person needs varies, depending on that person’s gender,
age, weight and activity level.
 d. Sugar
i. Check the ingredient list to see where sugar appears and try to limit foods that
mention sugar in the first few ingredients. That means it’s a very sugary food. Sugar
has different names, so it might also be called high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup,
sucrose, or glucose.
e. Fat
i. Total fat shows how much fat is in a single serving of food. Our bodies need a little
fat every day because it is an important source of energy.
ii. Unsaturated fats, which are found in vegetable oils, nuts and fish, are often called
“good fats” because they don’t raise cholesterol levels.
iii. Saturated fats and trans fats are considered “bad” because they can increase a
person’s risk for developing heart disease. These fats typically come from animal
products like cheese or meat.
• When you read Nutrition labels, try to select foods that are high in fiber, vitamins and
minerals and low in sugar, sodium, fat and cholesterol.
STUDENT ACTIVITY –
Food Ranking Activity

A food-ranking activity is a way for students to

learn what’s important on a nutrition label when
making healthy food choices. To do this
activity, bring in six to eight different
foods with labels. Without looking at
the labels, ask students to rank the
foods in order of what they think is
the healthiest down to the least
healthy. Once they determine
the order, they can then analyze
the nutrition labels to see if they
correctly ranked them.

A variation on this activity

is to rank the foods on a
specific component on the
label, such as most calories to
least calories or the most fiber to
the least.
FAMILY INFORMATION
Creating opportunities to talk about healthy eating habits at home with your child can go a
long way toward developing lifelong healthy eating habits. Mealtimes are great opportunities,
but don’t limit yourself to discussing nutrition just at the table. Here are some tips for helping
your child learn more about reading food labels:
• Make the grocery shopping list together and compare various brands of the same food
at the grocery store.
• Guess the serving size
As your child is getting ready for his/her snack, ask them to measure out what they think
is one serving. Then have them measure out what the actual serving size is according to
the food label.
• Prepare Individual servings of snack foods
At the start of the week, have your child check the food labels of his/her favorite snacks
and measure out single servings that can be eaten after school.
• Have a Snack Food Scavenger Hunt
Each family member finds a favorite snack food in the kitchen. Have your child lead
everyone in finding which food is highest or lowest in a particular nutrient. For example,
compare the number of calories in one serving of each food and select the nutritional
“winner” with the lowest calories. Use different nutrients on different days.
LESSON PLAN EVALUATION

1. Food labels tell you what ingredients are in a specific food. ___True ___False

2. Every person needs the same amount of calories each day. ___True ___False

3. Foods that are high in fiber are generally good for you. ___True ___False

4. Foods that are high in sugar are good for you. ___True ___False