Cooking Matters for Adults Week 2 Nutrition Lesson: Choosing Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains
Goal: Encourage participants to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into their meals.
Handouts: Vary Your Fruits & Veggies (p.5), Fruits & Vegetables at Every Meal (p.6), Delicious Dips and
Spreads (p. 20), Veggies Three Ways (p.21), Fresh, Frozen, and Canned (p. 45), Seasonal Fruits &
Vegetables (p.46), MyPlate Eating Plan (p.7), Sub it In (p. 22), Great Whole Grains (p.8), Week Two:
Choosing Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains (p.56).
Tools: measuring cups, salt/sugar baggies, new fruits to taste, veggie cooked 3 different ways, dips and
spread recipe, poster of rainbow of vegetables/fruits, flip board with markers, labels from grain foods,
whole grain models (4-5), grain bags, (Note: all tools are underlined and bolded indicating when they
are to be used)
Culinary Class Activities: Delicious Dips & spreads pg 20; Veggies three ways; Try new fruit/veggie,
Pro/Con grid for canned, frozen, fresh, sugar & salt baggies to show why rinsing is helpful;
Objectives:
1. Discuss ways to enjoy a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables
2. Discuss the pros and cons of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables
3. Prepare recipes using whole grains and different forms of fruits and vegetables
4. Practice identifying whole grains and different forms of fruits and vegetables.
Lesson:
I.
Welcome / Introduction (5 minutes)
a. Welcome participants back
b. ASK: What do you remember about the topics we discussed last week?
c. Review last week’s challenge activities. ASK: Who completed a challenge activity? How
did it go?
d. Explain that today we will build on last week’s lesson by looking more closely at the
Fruits, vegetables, and Grains sections of MyPlate.
II.
Objective : Fruits and Vegetables (Display poster of rainbow of vegetables/fruits, &
MyPlate poster) . Tasting activity with fruits/veggies
15 – 20 minutes for all part II & III
a. Remind participants that last week we discussed how MyPlate encourages us to make
half our plates fruits and vegetables.
b. Point out that it’s important to eat a variety of colorful fruits and veggies; that’s why it is
important to eat a rainbow. (show poster of rainbow of vegetables/fruits)
c. ASK: participants to think about their favorite brightly colored fruit or vegetable (Vary
Your Fruits and Veggies handout, pg 5) to identify the health benefits that color group
provides. Invite participants to share with the group their favorite brightly colored fruit
or vegetable.
d. Point out that each color group provides important nutrients that play a key role in
keeping us healthy.
e. ASK: What ideas do you have for adding more colorful fruits and vegetables to your
day? Share ideas from the Fruits and Vegetables at Every Meal handout, pg 6.
f. Encourage participants to write down their own ideas on the handout
TASTING ACTIVITY 1: **If time permits, add tasting activities to your discussion on Fruits & Veggies.
Try serving some fruits/veggies that may be less familiar to participants. Try jicama, kumquats, or some
types of squashes. Let participants taste the fruit/veggie on its own, then offer it with one of the dips
from the Delicious Dips and Spreads handout, pg 20 for comparison. (Have chef make ahead of time)
TASTING ACTIVITY 2:
Try tasting the same vegetable prepared in 3 different ways: on the stove, in the microwave, or in the
oven. Use Veggies Three Ways handout, pg 21. Have participants compare the taste and texture when
preparing vegetables in different ways.
III.
Objective : Discuss the pros/cons of fresh, frozen, and canned produce. (measuring cups,
flip chart, sugar and salt baggies to show content in canned fruits/veggies to show why
rinsing is helpful)
a. ASK: Which form of fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned) do you prefer?
What do you like about it?
b. Have participants brainstorm pros and cons of each. Use Flipchart & record
participants answers. Use handout Fresh, Frozen, and Canned, pg 45 to set up
flipchart and add any points not mentioned
**Prompt participants to consider factors like cost, storage, color, taste, texture,
nutrient content, and ease of preparation.
** When discussing the cost benefits of purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables in
season, you may wish to point out the following resources:
o Seasonal Fruits & vegetable handout, pg. 46 for understanding what
fruits and veggies are at best price at different times of year
o Freezing Fruits & vegetable handout, pg 42 for methods to freeze fresh
produce at its best price
o Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables handout, pg 39 for methods to
store fresh produce for longer use.
c. Have baggies of sugar and salt of canned fruits/veggies to show for examples of why
rinsing fruits/veggies is helpful.
d. Summarize by encouraging eating fruits/veggies in all forms; canned/fresh/frozen.
There is no “best” form of fruits and vegetables. All forms count toward your daily
goals. Using all forms can help “making half your plate fruits and veggies” possible no
matter the budget.
e. Measuring Cups: Highlight what a serving of fruit/veggie looks like
o Have measuring cups &/or food models to visually show what serving sizes look
like.
o Point out that most moderately active women need 1 ½ - 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½
- 3 cups of vegetables daily. Most moderately active men need 2 – 2 ½ cups of
fruit and 3- 3 ½ cups of vegetables daily.
o Use food models to show various portion sizes (in cups) for fruits/vegetables
participants typically eat. Point out how quickly the amounts add up, helping us
reach our goals.
**Can also use food pictures to demonstrate or use actual foods that will be
used in today’s recipes.
f.
IV.
If time permits, walk participants through the MyPlate Eating Plan handout, pg 7
Help participants determine their estimated energy needs and what this means for the
amounts they should consume from each food group.
Objective: Practice identifying whole grain foods by reading label ingredients from grain
foods to identify whole grains (est. time 20 – 25 minutes)
a. While food is cooking, discuss choosing whole grains as often as you can.
b. Refer back to MyPlate poster. Point out that when making choices in Grains group,
MyPlate encourages us to make at least half our grains whole.
c. Point out the whole grain foods being used in today’s recipes
d. ASK: Do you currently enjoy any whole grain foods? Which kinds?
e. ASK: What is the difference between a whole grain and a refined grain?
f. Add to responses as needed, emphasizing that in whole grains, the entire grain kernel is
kept intact. Many nutrients that keep our bodies healthy, help us feel full longer, and
reduce our risk for some diseases are found in the whole kernel. When grains are
refined, many of these important nutrients are removed in processing. This means that
refined grains don’t give us all the good stuff we need to be healthy.
o SHOW grain model and talk about the importance of each of the 3 parts
g. ASK: How can you tell if a grain food is a whole grain?
h. Talk about where to find the ingredient list.
i. Using a grain package as an example, show participants how to look for a whole grain
word as the first ingredient in the ingredient list.
j. Point out some common and less common whole grain words on the Great Whole
Grains handout, pg 8
k. Show examples of whole grains (Display grain bags: Popcorn, whole grain flour,
oatmeal, brown rice, etc)
l.
Work as a group to decide if a food is a whole grain.
V.
VI.
o Give 2-3 labels for grain foods to small groups and have them decide which are
whole grains and which are not.
o ASK pairs to first guess whether their food is whole grain w/out reading the
ingredient list and describe why.
o ASK: pairs to determine whether they have been given a whole grain food by
reading the ingredient list.
o Have participants point out a product that lists “enriched”. Explain that
“enriched” means certain vitamins or minerals are added back after processing,
but that it does not indicate whole grain.
o Have each pair report their findings and any surprises
o Discuss common reasons people are surprised to find they may not
have a whole grains food.
o Reinforce that the only way to be sure is check the ingredient list.
m. Visually demonstrate serving sizes for commonly consumed whole grains.
o Point out that most moderately active women need 6-7 oz of grains
daily. Most moderately active men need 7-10 ounce equivalents daily.
o Talk about portions and daily requirements (approximately 6 ounces).
Use grain food models and/or measuring cups to show various portion
sizes for grains participants typically eat
o 1 slice bread, ½ cup cooked rice/hot cereal, 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal
o ASK participants how these compare to the amounts of grains they
typically consume
Eat Together
a. Serve a plate according to the serving size indicated on the Nutrition Facts Panel for the
recipe or following the example of MyPlate.
b. Have participants comment on taste of meal
c. ASK participants to share ways they might make adjustments to the recipe to suit their
tastes or their families’ tastes when making it at home. (e.g. using different
herbs/spices)
d. ASK participants to brainstorm ways to introduce ways to introduce more whole grains
at home.
e. ASK: What did you enjoy about today’s class?
Summarize / Wrap Up (Can be while eating together)
a. Key messages: Review serving sizes, choose a variety of colorful f/v; frozen, fresh, and
canned food all count toward your daily goals; choose whole grains as often as you can;
check the ingredients list to be sure you have a whole grain.
b. Point participants to list of challenge activities on the WEEK TWO: Choosing Fruits,
Vegetables, and Whole Grains handout, pg 56
o Review challenges together
o Encourage participants to place a star by the challenge they want to try this
week
o ASK participants to write down or share with the group how they will complete
the challenge (e.g. which recipe they will cook, which whole grain they will try
o Make one of today’s recipes at home, adjusting as needed to fit their needs.
o Add at least one fruit, vegetable and whole grain each day.
o Try a whole grain version of one of their regular grain foods.
o Make their own weekly challenge based on something they learned today.
ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO HELP CLEAN UP
PASS OUT GROCERIES TO TAKE HOME
GET PARTICIPANTS EXCITED ABOUT NEXT WEEK’S TOPICS AND ACTIVITIES.