Making Healthy Food Choices
Using Menu Labels
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Identify your own daily energy needs & what
portion of those needs should come from lunch
 Apply calorie information to select food &
beverages that meet your energy needs at lunch
 Discuss the benefits of paying attention to
calorie information to match intake with needs—
i.e. energy balance.
What do you already know?
Energy balance refers to the balance
between calories consumed through
eating and drinking and those calories
expended through physical activity and
metabolic processes.
Simple equation:
Energy in = Energy out (expended)
How many know how many calories you
should eat each day?
Laurel plays forward on the school's soccer
team.
She is a 17 year old junior. With soccer practice, weight
training, and games, she is engaged in vigorous physical
activity at least two hours, six days a week.
Because she is active more than 60 minutes a day,
MyPlate.gov estimates that Laurel needs 2,600 calories
a day. But Laurel trains at least 120 minutes a day, so
this estimate probably underestimates her energy
needs. She eats breakfast and a mid-morning snack and
needs between 700 and 800 calories at lunch to give
her enough energy to keep her going through practice.
Which of the menu options on your answer
sheet do you think best meets Laurel’s nutrition
and calorie needs for lunch?
Menu Labeling Laws
 The
Affordable Care Act includes a
requirement that all fast-food and chain
restaurants are required to include
nutrition information on menus and menu
board beginning in 2012. King County has
implemented a similar requirement since
January 1, 2009.
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which breakfast item at Denny’s has the
FEWEST number of calories?
 Ham & cheddar omelet
 Country fried steak & eggs

Three slices of French toast with syrup &
margarine

Three pancakes with syrup & margarine
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which breakfast item at Denny’s has the
FEWEST number of calories?
 Ham
& cheddar omelet
 Country
 Three
fried steak & eggs
543
slices of French toast
with syrup & margarine
 Three
595
1261
pancakes with syrup
& margarine
650
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which item at Dunkin’ Donuts has
the FEWEST number of calories?
 Sesame bagel with cream cheese

Two jelly-filled donuts

Banana walnut muffin

A medium (24 oz.) strawberry
banana smoothie
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which item at Dunkin’ Donuts has
the FEWEST number of calories?

Sesame bagel & cream cheese 570

Two jelly-filled donuts
420

Banana walnut muffin
540

A medium (24 oz.) strawberry
banana smoothie
550
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which sandwich at Subway has the
FEWEST number of calories?
(6-inch sub)

Meatball Marinara

Steak & Cheese

Chicken & Bacon Ranch

Tuna
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which sandwich at Subway has the
FEWEST number of calories?

Meatball Marinara
 Steak & Cheese
560
400

Chicken & Bacon Ranch
580

Tuna
530
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which item at McDonald’s has the
MOST calories?

A Big Mac

Two Egg McMuffins

A large chocolate shake

Four regular hamburgers
Nutrition Labeling Quiz
Which item at McDonald’s has the
MOST calories?

A Big Mac
540

Two Egg McMuffins
600

A large chocolate shake
1160

Four regular hamburgers
1000
Nutrition Quiz Results
King County Results
1
out of 388 answered all four
questions correctly
 72%
missed all of the
questions
Quiz adapted from:
California Center for Public Health Advocacy
Menu Labeling Quiz: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/boh/menuquiz.htm
Woodinville Cafeteria Quiz
Which entree item in the cafeteria
has the FEWEST number of
calories?
 Chicken Caesar Wrap

Spicy Chicken Burger with Fries

Chef Salad

Pepperoni Pizza
Which beverage item in the cafeteria
has the FEWEST number of calories?
 Nonfat Chocolate Milk (8 oz.)
 Nonfat Milk (8oz.)
 Minute Maid Orange Juice (8 oz.)
 V-8 juice (12 oz.)
 Which
dessert item in the cafeteria
has the MOST number of calories?
 Chocolate Chip Cookie
 Brownie
 Blueberry Poptarts
 Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Treats
Your MyPlate Assignment
How many calories did MyPlate
suggest you need on a daily basis?
Why might there be a
discrepancy?
Not taken into account:
 Growth rate
 Body composition – proportion of lean muscle
mass
 Genetics, hormones
 Estimates & vague descriptions of Physical
Activity
Warning: Don’t trust what exercise machines
tell you!
Average Caloric Needs
Males 14-17 years
Females 14-17 years
Sedentary: 2000-2400
Sedentary: 1800
Mod. Active: 2400-2800
Mod. Active: 2000
Active: 2800-3200
Active: 2400
How many of those calories should
come from your lunch?
 Approximately


1/3, IF you don’t snack!
600-700 for girls
700-900 for boys
If you do snack (and most of us do!):
 400-500 calories for girls
 500-700 calories for boys
Why is it important to make
healthy food choices?
Group activity
Get into groups of 6. Each group will have a fictitious
person with different energy needs. Your job as a group
is to create a healthy lunch for your character, using the
menu item cards. Use your MyPlate placement to help
decide what foods & beverages will meet your
character’s nutrition needs.
Things to consider:
What are this person’s calorie needs?
What nutrition is this person getting; what is this person
missing?
Be prepared to report out to the class, why you made the
choices you made!
“My Plate” Rules of Thumb!
 Make
half your plate fruits and vegetables
 Make at least half your grains whole grains
 Drink water instead of sugary drinks
 Switch to skim or 1% milk
 Enjoy your food, but eat less
 Be physically active
Why is exercise important?
Why is exercise important?








Good for me—keep heart, muscles, & bones
strong
Feels good— “Runner’s high” Boosts your
energy
Makes it easier to do the things I want to do.
Reduce stress, promotes better sleep
Combats chronic diseases
Manage weight
It may lead to higher academic performance
It can be fun—active play counts!
Laurel plays forward on the school's soccer
team.
She is a 17 year old junior. With soccer practice, weight
training, and games, she is engaged in vigorous physical
activity at least two hours, six days a week.
Because she is active more than 60 minutes a day,
MyPlate.gov estimates that Laurel needs 2,600 calories
a day. But Laurel trains at least 120 minutes a day, so
this estimate probably underestimates her energy
needs. She eats breakfast and a mid-morning snack and
needs between 700 and 800 calories at lunch to give
her enough energy to keep her going through practice.
Which of the menu options on your answer
sheet do you think best meets Laurel’s nutrition
and calorie needs for lunch?
Option A
Option B
Pepperoni Pizza
Teriyaki Chicken
&Vegie Noodle
Caesar Salad
Bowl
Non-fat Chocolate Non-fat Milk
Milk
Chocolate Chip
Cookie
Option C
Option D
Cheeseburger & Fries Chicken Caesar
Wrap
Vitamin Water
Arizona Mango
Ice Tea
Vegetable, Grain, Vegetable, Grain, Protein, grain,
Protein, Dairy
Protein, Dairy
Vegetable
Protein, Grain,
Vegetable, Fruit
Calories: 945
Calories: 1020
Calories: 715
Calories: 581
Woodinville Cafeteria Quiz
Which entree item in the cafeteria has the
FEWEST number of calories?
 Chicken Caesar Wrap 660 Calories

Spicy Chicken Burger with Fries 637

Cheeseburger with Fries 581 Calories

Pepperoni Pizza 480 Calories
Which beverage item in the cafeteria
has the FEWEST number of calories?
 Nonfat Chocolate Milk (8 oz.) 130
 Nonfat Milk (8oz.) 90
 Minute Maid Orange Juice (10 oz.) 110
 V-8 juice ( oz.) 75
 Which
dessert item in the cafeteria
has the MOST number of calories?
 Chocolate Chip Cookie 190 calories
 Brownie
243 calories
 Blueberry Pop-tarts
200/400 calories
 Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Treats
90
calories