Middle Gate Elementary Students Learn About Eating The ‘Five Food Group’ Way

By Larissa Lytwyn

Middle Gate Elementary School’s second graders recently made some most unusual new friends: Dairydactal, Red Crested Breadbeak, Fruitus Freakus, Striped Vegatorius, and Miscellaneous Categorius.

Perhaps their ability to have survived their ancestors’ sudden, mysterious extinction millions of years ago could be credited to their healthful, “five food group way” of eating. 

District nutritionist Jill Patterson introduced the five friendly dinosaurs during her presentation to the Middle Gate second grade on healthy eating habits.

Each dinosaur represents a food group; Ms Patterson showed students a video featuring each creature. Onscreen, each dino eagerly discussed the vitamins and minerals the children could gain through making healthy choices in their diet.

Dairydactal discussed the calcium and protein found in low-fat milk and cheeses. He said that two servings a day of dairy was ideal for gaining maximum nutritional benefits.

Breadbeak, whose bill is actually a fresh baked loaf of bread, talked about the importance of eating, in accordance to the food pyramid, 6 to 11 servings of grains a day.

Miscellaneous Categorius represented the occasional “treats” people can eat “every once in a while.” These occasional foods included ice cream and pastries.

“The government will be releasing a revised food pyramid in 2005,” put in Ms Patterson, “that will offer people more detail on what kinds of items are best to choose [within the five food groups].”

Second grade teacher Dorothy Wenblad said that she has talked to students extensively about the benefits of good nutrition. “You should see how I get when I see someone bringing in an apple with his or her lunch!” she laughed.

“I also talk to students about the value of whole grains over white bread and starches,” she said.

In addition, Ms Wenblad said she has taught students how to read food labels, determining the amount of sodium, sugar, and fat in each product.

“It’s amazing how much [companies] market sugary products to children,” she said. “A lot of fruit juices have a higher ration of sugar [to juice]. It’s important to look for fruit juices and other beverages with as few additives in them as possible!”

Following the video, Ms Patterson asked students to name various foods in each food group: dairy, fruit, vegetables, meat, and grains. For dairy, students yelled out items ranging from ice cream to cheese.

In addition to the steak and chicken, students discussed when identifying food items from the meat group, Ms Patterson touched briefly on other protein sources, including red kidney beans. She also asked students what the nutritional value of an item from the dairy group, such as milk, could be.

“Stronger bones!” one student declared.

“Excellent!” replied Ms Patterson. “There are also lots of vitamins in dairy, which can help your skin, teeth, hair, and eyes.”

Next, each student received a sheet detailing the servings and items specified under the food pyramid.

Ms Patterson also introduced students to Pyramid Pete (Chartwells employee Diego Navla), a shy but gregarious giant green creature.

Each student was allowed to hug Pyramid Pete before leaving the cafeteria.

“I learned a lot from [Ms Patterson’s] presentation,” one student, Nina Bonvini, said later. “I didn’t know there was so much variety [in each of the food groups].”

Another second grader, Brooke Hadgraft, said she didn’t know that children were encouraged to eat two to three servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

“I had no idea we needed that many!” she gasped. She said that she would make an effort to eat more vegetables, including her personal favorite, corn.

Fellow student Kelsea Morshuk said she was equally surprised to learn more about the various number of servings from each group people were encouraged to eat each day.

“I’m going to try to eat more fruit and veggies,” she said.