Activity Ideas: Finding Fiber and Grab a Lunch

Activity Idea: Finding Fiber This engaging lesson will help participants learn more about fiber, its role in health, and its many benefits. It is excerpted from the 12 Lessons of Diabetes Program, so if you like what you see and would like to get more great ideas, check it out. Assemble a stack of Nutrition Facts labels. You can cut these labels off of food packages or print out the Nutrition Information stamps on any recipes in the Food and Health database. Whatever you choose, be sure to label the Nutrition Facts panel with the corresponding food so that participants know what they are evaluating.Once your participants have arrived, hold up a Nutrition Facts label and show everyone where they can find the fiber content of a food. Distribute piles of labels to groups of students and have each person hold up a food label, pointing to the place where fiber is listed. Correct any mistakes.Now that everyone knows where to look to find fiber content, have each group sort their stack of labels into high- and low-fiber foods. Circulate throughout the room and check the categories.Review the health benefits of fiber and discuss the difference between how much fiber people should consume in a day and how much fiber they are actually eating. Discuss fun ways to incorporate fiber into meals, reminding students of the resources they have at their disposal. You can also arrange the labels for high fiber foods into a display for future reference.Activity Idea: Grab a Lunch This activity idea is also from the 12 Lessons of Diabetes and was originally created to accompany a few of the lunch handouts that are featured in a guide to living healthfully.Divide the class into groups and have them brainstorm ways to pack and store healthful lunch foods. Have each group come up with a few ideas for tasty yet balanced lunches. Review the highlights of each group's discussions as a class.Bring the groups back together and have them write down their recipes, illustrate them, and post them on a bulletin board that is titled "Healthful Lunch Inspiration." Place the bulletin board in a highly visible place, and have participants decorate it with images of healthful foods. It can be a great reminder for the coming weeks.