Today, Lucy started a new school. Her new teacher gave her parents a paper asking what foods her family enjoys at home and how much she eats during the day. Lucy's new teacher also showed them where she would eat during meal and snack times and a menu with what they would eat daily. 

After talking to Lucy's new teacher, they discovered they did not know about healthy eating. They asked Lucy's teacher how they could find out how to learn more about choosing the right foods for Lucy. The teacher told them about places on the computer to learn about the eight requirements of nutrients for growing kids: calories, protein, fat, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, calories from fat, and saturated fat. 

Lucy learned that carbohydrates found in rice and grains gave you energy, protein in meats, eggs, fish, and beans helped you grow, and healthy fats in avocados and almonds get saved up for energy to use later. 

That day, Lucy's class did a fun game using toy food and two baskets. Their teacher asked them to separate the unhealthy choices from the healthy options between baskets. Lucy was excited to go home and show her parents she had learned much about choosing healthy foods to help her grow.

            Healthy

Unhealthy

Lucy shared with her parents all she learned about healthy food that night. She also had an activity on a food proportion plate where she could choose what food she wanted in each category. She could choose her favorite foods for dinner with her family at the dinner table, and her parents wanted her to help make dinner. Lucy could not wait to eat the dinner she and her family made. 

Her parents even made her a food judge, and she got to pick the winner of the best-tasting food. It was fun and healthy. 

Back at school, Lucy got to practice more healthy eating choices. She learned at school that her eight required nutrients would be given at breakfast and lunch. Breakfast would be one-fourth, and lunch would be one-third, with fats not exceeding 30% of each meal. 

Lucy's teacher and class created a garden where the class got to choose what vegetables and fruits they would grow, and it was up to the class to develop their garden. The best part is that they would soon eat all the healthy food they grew.