An important part of balancing caloric intake to energy expenditure is knowing how many Calories you are consuming. In the fifth of a seven-instructional activity series on food and energy, learners estimate their daily caloric intake, then use a handout to find the foods they typically consume in a day, and finally, add up the Calories to get a daily total to compare to their estimates. The activity is wrapped up by having kids think about how they could make healthier choices when it comes to eating. 

Concepts

calories, healthy eating

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Additional Tags

healthy eating, Nutrition, food choices, calories, science

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Pros

• Real-world application makes the activity more engaging
• Helps kids take more personal accountability for their eating habits

Cons

• Be aware of kids who may be sensitive about their weight 
• Limited food selection on handout; if you have access to a computer lab, learners could go straight to the USDA website listed in the extensions section