On Tuesday, February 4, 2014, Cynthia Clifton with the LSU AgCenter conducted Lesson 2 of the “Let’s Eat for the Health of It program at Our Lady of Grace school with 53 (2^nd – 5^th grade) students learning about “Let’s Eat for the Health of It” Fruits and Vegetables: The More You Know the Healthier You Grow!

The students learned that fruits and vegetables provide nutrients that help them grow and stay healthy. They also learned that eating the correct amount of fruits and vegetable a day helps them look and feel great, control their weight, protect their eyes, strengthen their immune system and boost their energy level. The students listed the diseases that have a lower chance of developing if the proper amount of fruits and vegetables are eaten daily such as: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer.

They learned that children 8 – 13 years of age need 1 ½ cups of fruit a day, whereas the vegetables vary. For example, boys and girls 8 year old need 1 ½ cups of vegetables a day, girls 9 – 13 years of age need 2 cups of vegetables a day, and boys 9 – 13 need 2 ½ cups of vegetables a day.

The students played the Use Color as Your Guide Game. The students were given a handout with the following colors: Green, White, Red, Yellow/Orange and Blue/Purple. Under each color were fruits and vegetables that were associated with that color. The students were asked to study the list for 5 minutes and then they were asked to turn their papers over. Each class was asked to stand and they were given a color and asked to name the fruits and vegetables under that color. The 5^th graders were given the color Red and they were asked to list the names of the fruits and vegetables.

The 2^nd graders were next with the white color, and the 3^rd and 4^th graders were given the color Blue. Excellent job 2^nd – 5^th graders.

A parent/guardian letter was also sent home explaining what their child had learned about the fruit and vegetable food groups of the MyPlate food guidelines.

10 kid-friendly veggies and fruits tips were discussed with the children. The children expressed their excitement about learning about new fruits and vegetables.