Food groups

• Foods can be grouped according to their functions in the body and the main nutrients they supply:
  • foods for energy – carbohydrates;
  • foods for growth and repair – proteins;
  • foods for storing energy (in the form of body fats) and providing insulation and protection for nerves and organs – fats and oils;
  • foods for building bones and teeth, and maintaining a healthy immune system – vitamins and minerals.
• Most natural foods contain a mixture of more than one nutrient group.
• Most processed (manufactured) foods have added salt, sugar, preservatives, flavourings and colourings.

• Have a whole orange and a plate of cut-up oranges available for this activity.
• Greet the learners.
• Tell them that you are holding an item of food behind your back and they must guess what it is. The person who gets the answer first can have the food.
• Provide them with clues, starting with more difficult ones –
  • It is a fruit.
  • We cannot eat the peel, but we can use it in recipes.
  • We eat it when we have a cold.
  • It is round.
  • It is a citrus food.
  • It is not green, red or yellow, etc.
• Give the winner the orange and a piece of orange to everyone in the class to taste.
• Lead a discussion on why oranges are good for you.

• Ask learners: What do you remember from the lessons on plants and photosynthesis?

Answer:  Green plants can make their own food.

• Tell learners that animals, humans and plants all need food for survival – the food gives them the energy to carry out the seven life processes.
• Ask the learners: Can you list the seven life processes of living things?

Answer:  Movement; respiration; sensitivity; growth; excretion; reproduction and nutrition.

• Present an overview of the seven processes by using Presentation 1: Seven Life Processes.
• After the presentation, ask learners to share what their favourite foods are.
• Ask them if they thought that these foods are healthy and good for them.
• Tell them that they will discover the important ingredients in different types of food today.
• Tell learners that food can be classified into four groups – we call these food groups or nutrient groups.
• Ask them if they have ever heard of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils and vitamins and minerals.
• Give an opportunity to learners to share where they have heard or seen these terms, e.g. on television advertisement, on food labels, in magazines, etc.

• Stick labels, bearing the names of the four food groups, alongside each other on the blackboard. Leave sufficient space to add pictures of foods belonging to a particular food group underneath each label.
• Place large pictures of different types of food face-down on the front table.

For example:

• Carbohydrates: pasta,  samp, potatoes, cereal,  mealie meal, porridge, bread, etc.;
• Proteins: eggs, beans, meat,  fish,  chicken,  milk,  cheese, etc.;
• Fats and oils: butter, margarine,  sardines,  cooking oils,  nuts,  peanut butter, avocado pears, etc.;
• Vitamins and minerals: fruits, vegetables, milk (a source of calcium), etc.;
• Tell the learners that we will learn later how vitamins and minerals are further classified.

• Invite one learner at a time to draw a picture from the pile and let the class assist him/her to place it under the correct food group. Tell the learners that you will help them.
• Guide the learners to ensure that the pictures are ultimately placed under the correct food group labels.

• Present an overview of the different food groups by using PRESENTATION 2: Food Groups. 

• Remind learners that our bodies get vitamins from different foods, but there is one special vitamin, Vitamin D, that we get from the sun.
• Ask learners: What do they think will happen if we are out in the sun too much?

Possible answers:  Sunstroke; sunburn.

• Ask learners: What will happen to people who do not get out into the sun at all?

Possible answers:  People will be pale; people will have weak bones; people will have a vitamin deficiency and get sick; and people can become depressed.

• Present an overview of the vitamins and minerals we get from the sun and other foods by using PRESENTATION 3: Vitamins and Minerals.

• Learners complete WORKSHEET B: Vitamins and Minerals.

• Teacher to use WORKSHEET B: MEMORANDUM to mark the learners’ work.

• Ask learners to bring food containers from home to be displayed in the classroom – the nutritional information must be visible on the labels.
• Ensure that you have a sufficient number and variety of containers.
• Display a selection of the food containers in the classroom.
• Divide the class into groups of 5 or 6.
• Provide each group with a plastic shopping bag.
• Tell learners that each group may select groceries from the displayed items (stipulate how many items they may take).
• Once the groups have selected their groceries, hand out WORKSHEET C: Nutritional Information on food packaging for them to complete.
• Guide the learners on how to undertake this activity by providing examples and explaining how this worksheet will be assessed.

• Ask learners who of them like milkshakes.
• Ask them what flavours they like most, e.g. chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lime, etc.
• Now ask them what the colour of each of the milkshake is, e.g. chocolate – brown; strawberry – pink, etc.
• Now ask the learners:
  • Do you think that you can get a strawberry or banana milkshake that is white?
  • Will it taste the same?
  • What is an additive?
• Explain that food manufacturers add different ingredients to the food to make it taste and look nicer (more attractive).
• These ingredients are preservatives (that help the food to stay fresh longer); flavourings and colourings, salt and sugar.  All of these added ingredients are called ‘additives’.
• Processed food, such as hamburger patties and chicken nuggets, contain a lot of preservatives, sugars and salt. Tomato sauce, mustard and chutney contain a lot of sugar and colourings.  That is why takeaways (fast foods) are not good for our bodies.

• Hand out WORKSHEET D: Food Additives for learners to complete, making use of food packaging and containers.
• Guide the learners on how to undertake this activity by providing examples and explaining how this worksheet will be assessed.

• Show VIDEO CLIP 1: The Food Groups Song (1:10 min) and let the children sing along. 

• Tell the learners that so far we have learnt how the different types of food can help our bodies. We also learnt about additives that are not healthy for our bodies. 
• Ask learners: Is it healthy to eat only white bread? Give a reason for your answer.
• Explain that now that we know more about food groups, we can make sure that we eat healthy. We need to have a balanced diet, which means we need to include food from all four food groups in our meals. 
• Tell learners that we will learn more about a healthy diet in the next topic.
• Ask learners what nutrients are contained in meat.

Examples:  Protein and iron.

• Ask learners: What is special (different) about vegetarians?

Answer: A vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat.

• Ask them to suggest foods that a vegetarian can eat to replace the protein and iron one would find in red meat.

Examples:  Lentils, nuts, cheese, etc.

• Learners must each find and cut out 3 pictures of prepared meals from magazines.
• Hand out WORKSHEET E: Sorting Foods for them to complete.
• Guide the learners on how to undertake this activity by providing examples and explaining how this worksheet will be assessed.

• Show VIDEO CLIP 2: Benefits of eating fruit and vegetables (5:26 min.).  

• Learners complete QUIZ 1.

• Teacher to use QUIZ 1: MEMORANDUM to mark the learners’ work.