HPE Curriculum Healthy Eating Strand
D2.1 Use Canada’s Food Guide to identify food and beverage choices that contribute to healthy eating patterns
D2.2 Demonstrate an understanding of how to make healthy food choices for meals and snacks, considering the factors they can and cannot control
Key Concepts for Student Learning:
Canada’s Food Guide messages that can support eating habits
- It is important to enjoy a variety of foods because different foods help our body to do all the things it needs to do (think, walk, grow, move, play, etc.) and makes eating more interesting and enjoyable. Food comes in all shapes, sizes, colours, smells, and flavours.
- It is important to eat regularly (having meals and snacks) to help our bodies do all the things they need to do (think, move, grow, play etc.)
- Eating with others and enjoying our food choices can be part of a pattern for eating
- An eating pattern may include different ways of eating / food choices depending on where we are and what is happening (e.g., weekday/weekend, at home/school/a restaurant, celebrating, etc.)
Food Choices
- Many factors influence the foods that we eat including:
- What we like to eat
- How food makes us feel (sensory perceptions like taste, smell, texture, and emotional perceptions like happy, excited, apprehensive, disgusted)
- What we have available to eat at home or when we are somewhere else
- Energy needs at different times of day
- Food allergies or medical conditions
Food Safety
- It is important to ensure foods are prepared safely so that we don’t get sick. We can safely handle foods by
- washing our hands before and after cooking or eating,
- washing fruits and vegetables before we eat or cook them,
- cooking foods properly,
- keeping cold foods (like cut up fruit, yogurt, meat and leftovers) cold (for example, by using an ice pack in our lunch).
- keeping hot foods hot (for example, by using a thermos for hot lunch items)
NOTE: Educators should be aware that food guide messages may not be appropriate for all students including those who are neurodivergent and/or have health, sensory or other exceptional needs that impact their relationship with food and eating. SMHO Resource on Mental Health Promotion at Schools: Classroom Considerations – Supporting Mental Wellness Amongst Students with Special Education Needs offers tips that can be applied to support learning about food and eating at school.
Classroom Activities and Lesson Ideas
Grade 2 Classroom Activities and Lesson Ideas
Canada’s Food Guide
- See Grade 1 Activity/Lesson Ideas Explore a Variety of Foods
- Make a “headbands” game where everyone has a picture of a mystery fruit or vegetable on their headband or taped to their back and they must ask yes/no questions to figure out what their mystery food is. The What Food am I? Activity (Alberta Health Services) lesson plan can be used as a guide.
- Taste Like a Chef from Growing Chefs Ontario (Use 5 senses to explore food)
Food Choices
- Class Discussion: What are some factors that can influence food and beverage choices? Can they be changed, or are they out of our control?
- Value of Food from Growing Chefs
- Family Food Choices from Alberta Health Services
- Class discussion: The Healthy Respectful Lunchroom (Good in Every Grain)
- Exploring Our Drinks (water and other beverages) from Teach Food First
- Learn about breakfast or lunches from other areas of the world to show different patterns of eating
Food Safety
- Video: Tricks to Not get Sick: Food Safety for Kids (Health Canada)
- Video: Wash Those Mitts (Handwashing for Kids)