🥗 A Balanced Plate

Hello! Today we will find out why eating is so important. Then we will fill a balanced plate, one piece at a time.

The food we eat gives our bodies so much. Energy to run and play. Growth, so we get taller. Protection against illness. Every food does something different and good for our bodies.

Food is sorted into four groups: milk and dairy, meat, eggs and beans, fruit and vegetables, and starchy foods. Bread, rice and pasta are starchy foods.

Every group has its own job. Milk and dairy make our bones and teeth strong. Meat, eggs and beans help us grow. Fruit and vegetables protect us from illness. Starchy foods give us energy.

There is one more thing: water! Water helps our bodies work properly. We drink plenty of water all day long, especially after playing and with our meals.

Water and minerals are in every food, but the amounts are different. Watermelon and milk have lots of water. Dried beans have only a little. If you dry an apricot in the sun, it shrinks, because the water inside it evaporates.

Here is a balanced plate! One piece each of fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, meat, eggs and beans, and milk and dairy. And a glass of water beside it. At every meal we try to eat from all four groups. A sweet treat is fine too, but only now and then.

Let’s look at Pandi’s plate: there is rice, chicken and yoghurt. One piece is empty. Which group should the next food come from to make the plate balanced?

The label on packaged food tells us important things. The most important is the use by date: the last day we can safely eat the food. Compare it with today’s date. If the date has gone by, we do not eat it. We also do not buy packs that are torn or puffed up.

Fruit and vegetables can have dust, dirt and germs on them that we cannot see. First we wash our hands, then we wash the fruit under plenty of running water. Now it is ready to enjoy!

To sum up: a balanced plate has food from all four food groups, and we drink water with it. On packaged food we check the use by date. We wash fruit and vegetables before we eat them. Now try it in Earth Spins!