Note to teacher: It has been estimated that children consume up to one third of their total daily caloric consumption away from home.  This includes calories from fast food and other restaurants, school, and convenience establishments.  Most restaurants do have healthy alternatives; it is important that children know what to look for when eating out.

Lesson Goal: To educate children about choosing healthy meals and snacks when eating away from home.

Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Create a menu for a fictitious restaurant containing at least 3 healthy breakfast choices, 4 lunch choices and 4 dinner choices, and
  
  
• Identify which category of MyPyramid each food item belongs.

Lesson Content:
Explain to the class that eating away from home is a part of everyone’s lifestyle, but sometimes our choices are not always healthy.  Find several menus from local restaurant establishments.  If you are not able to locate an actual menu, try looking at that restaurant’s Web site.  Many chain restaurants now offer their menus online.

Activity

1. Ask students to name their favorite restaurant and menu item that they would typically order.  Write them on the board. Try to get a variety of answers.
   
   
2. Ask the students which choices are the most heart healthy.  Ask, “How do you know they are heart healthy?”
   
   
3. Read menu items from several different menus.  Ask the students if that menu item is healthy or unhealthy, and how they know?
   
   
4. Break students into groups of 2-3.
   
   
5. Ask each group to design a menu including 3 breakfast, 4 lunch and 4 dinner choices.  Choices should be heart healthy.  Additionally, each group should design a cover, and name their restaurant.  Encourage the students to be creative with this project.  This project may require more than one hour to complete.