Understanding Cooking and Nutrition (U-CAN) 1
Lesson #9 – Spending Your “Calorie Salary” and Plan a Balanced Menu
Objective: Discover how choosing nutrient-rich foods and staying active can help a person stay
within individual calorie needs, and practice planning a nutrient-rich and balanced menu.
Key Message: Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods every day & Balance Calorie Intake from
Foods and Beverages with Calories Expended.
Set up/visual: Prior to class, prepare Calorie Salary slide show. Set up: ChooseMyPlate poster,
Balance Your Menu Tri-fold. At the start of class, hand out Resource Packets.
Introduction (5 minutes):
Ask the class: “Does anyone know what a calorie is, and are calories ‘good’ or bad’ in your
opinion?” Then ask, “Can anyone tell me about how many calories a person needs in a day?”
Refer students to the Balance Your Menu Tri-fold, and encourage them to consider the two
menu examples as options for meeting the bodies need for calories. Then ask, “What do you
think the benefits are of an eating pattern such as the balanced menu vs. the fast-food menu
example? Tell the class, “in class today we are going to explore a little more about how
making healthy food choices can help you eat the right amount of calories for your body,
and also to get all of the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.”
Content/Activity (45-60 minutes):
Activity 1: How to Spend Your Calorie Salary
a. Use the Teen Calorie Salary PowerPoint slides to present an interactive
lesson to the class. Students should be encouraged to ask questions and
contribute comments throughout the presentation. When the slide show is
complete, be sure to ask if there are any questions before moving to the next
activity. On the calcium slides emphasize the partnership of calcium, vitamin
D and weight bearing exercise for strong bones.
b. Direct the students’ attention back to the Balance Your Menu Tri-fold, and
ask them for suggestions about how a person could make the fast-food meal
more nutrient-rich, and something that would be more likely to fit into a
daily ‘calorie salary.’
c. Give students the How You Should Spend Your Calorie Salary handout and
encourage them to keep it as a reminder about today’s lessons and as a
resource to share information from today’s learning with family and friends.
Optionally, the It is up to You Mini-Poster could also be handed out.
Activity 2: Individual Calorie Needs and Planning a Balanced Menu
a. Instruct students to complete steps 3-5 in the Activity & Eating: Small Steps
to a Healthier You (formerly 10 Steps to a Healthier Me! brochure)
b. Using steps 6 and 7, have students create the “perfect” menu, that meets
their individual food group recommendations (step 5) and also pays close
attention to including nutrient-rich food choices, and limiting foods with
added sugars and solid fats. The menu should also be a realistic reflection of
something they would actually eat, and not just an attempt to meet the
recommendations!
c. If students are able to create the “perfect” menu, they can use additional
paper to work towards creating a weekly menu that meets their individual
Food Group recommendations. Or use the 5 Day Meal Planning Worksheet
Activity 3: How do your salads stack up? (good activity for longer sessions) (if not used during
the class, leave for extended delivery by the teacher). How do your Salads Stack Up? Poster
and mini-poster.
Closing (5 minutes):
Ask: What are some important concepts from this lesson?
State Objective and Key Messages from above
Suggestions:
 Make a shopping list for the week’s meals and price your foods at the grocery store.
 Have students go online and discover the ‘Nutrition Facts’ for their favorite fast-food
meal. Then, have them write down ways they can make the meal more nutrient-rich and
encourage them to try it that way the next time they go out to eat.
Oregon Standards for 2012-13 School Year:
Promotion of Healthy Eating: HE.HS.HE.03 Set a personal goal based on a dietary analysis to
enhance health.
Supplies and Equipment needed for the Activities in U-CAN 1, Calorie Salary & Menu Planning
Resource packet:
o Activity & Eating: Small Steps to a Healthier You (formerly 10 Steps to a Healthier
Me! brochure) from Oregon Dairy Council
ADD:
o How Should You Spend Your Calorie Salary? Handout from University of NebraskaLincoln website at
o It is up to You Mini-Poster from Power of Choice for tri-fold and optional handout
o How do your Salads Stack Up? mini-poster from NECS
Fast-Food vs. Balanced Menu Tri-fold (use visuals provided at U-CAN 1 to create tri-fold display)
Teen Calorie Salary PowerPoint Slides from UNL (use modified version at this link for classroom
lessons).
5 Day Meal Planning Worksheet from Iowa State Extension
How do your Salads Stack Up? Poster from NECS
2013 Oregon State University. OSU Extension Service cooperating. Adapted by Stephanie Russell, RD, LD, Faculty/Instructor and Glenda
Hyde, MEd, Faculty/Instructor, Deschutes County.Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and
materials without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, or veteran’s status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer.