Health: Nutrition MyPlate and Food Groups
Learning about balanced meals and food groups
Health: Nutrition MyPlate and Food Groups
Learning about balanced meals and food groups
Health - Grade 2-3
- 1
MyPlate has five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. Name one food from each group.
Think about foods you might see on a lunch tray.
One possible answer is apple for fruit, carrots for vegetables, rice for grains, chicken for protein, and milk for dairy. - 2
Circle the food that belongs in the fruit group: broccoli, banana, bread, or cheese.
Banana belongs in the fruit group because it grows on a plant and has seeds. - 3
Look at this lunch: turkey sandwich, apple slices, carrot sticks, and milk. Which food group is missing or could be added to make it more complete if the bread is not whole grain?
Check for fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.
A whole grain food could be added or the bread could be whole grain bread. Whole grains are part of the grains group. - 4
Write whether each food is a fruit or a vegetable: orange, spinach, grapes, and broccoli.
Orange is a fruit, spinach is a vegetable, grapes are fruits, and broccoli is a vegetable. - 5
A bowl of oatmeal is in which food group: fruits, grains, protein, or dairy?
Grains include foods made from wheat, oats, rice, and corn.
Oatmeal is in the grains group because it is made from oats. - 6
Mia wants a healthy snack from two different food groups. She chooses yogurt. Name one fruit she could add to make the snack include two food groups.
Mia could add strawberries, blueberries, banana slices, or another fruit. Then her snack would include dairy and fruit. - 7
Which food group helps build and repair muscles: protein, fruits, dairy, or vegetables?
Beans, eggs, fish, and chicken are in this group.
The protein group helps build and repair muscles. Foods like beans, eggs, fish, nuts, and chicken are protein foods. - 8
Draw or describe a balanced dinner using at least four MyPlate food groups.
One balanced dinner could be grilled chicken, brown rice, broccoli, orange slices, and milk. This meal includes protein, grains, vegetables, fruits, and dairy. - 9
Sam eats cheese and drinks milk. Which food group do these foods belong to?
Cheese and milk belong to the dairy group because they are made from milk. - 10
Choose the better drink for most school lunches: soda or water. Explain why.
Think about what helps your body without adding extra sugar.
Water is the better drink for most school lunches because it helps the body stay hydrated and does not have added sugar. - 11
Sort these foods into the correct groups: eggs, corn, peach, rice, yogurt, and green beans.
Eggs are protein, corn is a vegetable, peach is a fruit, rice is a grain, yogurt is dairy, and green beans are vegetables. - 12
A plate has a large serving of noodles and a small piece of chicken. What two food groups are on the plate?
Pasta and noodles are usually made from grains.
The noodles are in the grains group, and the chicken is in the protein group. - 13
Why is it important to eat foods from different food groups instead of only one food group?
Different foods help your body in different ways.
It is important to eat foods from different food groups because each group gives the body different nutrients that help it grow, learn, and stay healthy. - 14
Look at a breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, and orange slices. Name the food groups in this meal.
The toast is in the grains group, the scrambled eggs are in the protein group, and the orange slices are in the fruit group. - 15
Create a MyPlate lunch that includes a vegetable, a grain, a protein, and a dairy food. Write the foods you choose.
Try to choose one food from each group listed in the question.
One possible lunch is carrots for the vegetable, whole wheat bread for the grain, turkey for the protein, and milk for the dairy food.