Six Nutrients - 6 Nutrients That are Essential for Life

STANDARD - 2.1

GRADE - 6

GOAL - The students will learn six nutrients and their importance for the body.

SWBAT

• Understand why we eat
• Identify 6 nutrients
• Explain how each nutrient benefits the body

LEARNING TASKS - Begin your lesson with DO NOW question on the board. "What do you need to do to have strong bones, healthy skin, and have energy?" This activity will warm your students up for six nutrients topic. I am sure that your students give your responses that will relate to the topic. For example - eat healthy food - eat vegetables - eat fruits - drink milk. Good job - that's the way to go.

I will supply you with basic power point presentation about 6 nutrients.

Nutrients presentation

Also - distribute the six nutrients worksheet to the students - when you go through the presentation let students answer the questions from it.

Nutrients Worksheet

Continue your lesson with presenting words to know.

Nutrition - is the science that studies food and how it benefits the body Diet - is everything you eat and drink Nutrients - are the substances found in food

Next - explain to the students the process of Satisfying the Hunger -

• You need energy
• You feel hungry
• You eat to get rid of hunger
• You feel satisfied
• You need more energy
• The cycle repeats again

At this time - discuss what food does for your body. Here are some responses that you should get from your students -

• It provides energy for daily activity
- tell the students that if they want to be energetic - be able to do their daily activities -be healthy - they have to eat
• It gives you raw material
- the food gives you six nutrients that are essential for the body
• Eating is an enjoyable activity
- the activity that families do to spend quality time together

What does it mean to have a healthy diet? It means that person has to eat a variety of foods. The foods that are rich in nutrients.

Now is the time to present 6 nutrients -

1. Carbohydrates
2. Protein
3. Fat
4. Minerals
5. Vitamins
6. Water

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy. It is readilly available energy that people use for daily activities. Sources of carbohydrates -

• Whole wheat breads
• Rice
• Pasta
• Potatoes

Protein is essential for body growth and repair of body cells. It especially important for athletes - because athletes put a lot of work on their muscles and they need protein for complete recovery and get stronger. Sources of Protein -

• Meats
• Eggs
• Fish
• Nuts
• Beans

Fats are another source of energy. It also protects against temperature changes. However - this is an important nutrient to have in the body but eating too much fat will cause the person to be overweight. Sources of Fat -

• Butter
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Meat

Vitamins help regulate body functions. For example - you need vitamins to help your immune system to fight infection. Sources of Vitamins -

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole grain breads

Minerals help your body work properly. This mineral is my favorite because I like milk. With milk comes plenty of calcium - and calcium makes your bones strong. Sources of Minerals -

• Milk
• Meats
• Whole grain cereal

Water is essential to our body because it carries nutrients. Also - it help many body's functions that are very important for a healthy well being. For example - removing wastes.

Sources of Water -

• Juices
• Milk
• Oranges
• Water melon

Some of your students might be wondering - how much should they eat? It varies - because it depends on three factors -

• Gender
- naturally men need to eat more calories than women
• Activity level
- if a person is physically active - that means that he/she has to consume more calories than the one that is less physically active
• Age
- young children need to eat more nutritious food because their bodies are growing and developing

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY - Write down short paragraph that explains why each nutrient is essential for a healthy body and in what types of food you can find it.

CONCLUSION - Why do we eat? Identify six nutrients? Explain how each nutrient benefits the body?

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