Last week and this week in class, we have been discussing how what we eat and drink are important for the health of our bodies. We have looked at the food groups from Canada’s Food Guide, with an emphasis on eating many fruits and vegetables each day. We learned that for healthy eating, we can choose a variety of fruits and vegetables from the following colours every day:

Blue/Purple: blueberries, plums, purple grapes, blackberries, eggplant, purple cabbage, purple asparagus.

Green: kiwi, green pears, green grapes, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts, celery, cucumbers, leafy greens, spinach, peas, zuccini

White: bananas, white nectarines and peaches, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, potatoes

Yellow/Orange: apricots, peaches, oranges, pineapples, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin

Red: apples, cherries, cranberries, strawberries, watermelon, tomato, radishes, red peppers, rhubarb, red potatoes.

Students created a poster including many foods they like to eat, including a variety of coloured fruits and vegetables, as well as foods from the other food groups. We made a small spot for foods high in salt, sugar or fat that they may enjoy once in a while, and many students added a food that they would like to try.

Tying into our learning about appreciating diversity, we have had discussions about appreciating the diversity of food that people eat. We referred to our classroom rule, “Sois gentil,” meaning, “Be nice,” when seeing someone else’s food that may seem strange. We talked about approaching someone with curiosity if we see a new food. We also watched 2 videos where we learned that 2 billion people in the world include insects in their diet, especially in Asia and Africa. In North America, protein bars are now for sale made from the flour of crickets. Students shared what foods they might like to try one day, ranging from insects, to turnips, leeks and pineapple. I was clear that no one should start eating insects on the playground or strange foods in nature! However, children may want to try something new in a restaurant, at a family home or from the grocery store. If your child asks you to try a new food, maybe you can share one of your favourites that your child has never tried before!