Third Grade
Worksheets
Did You Get the Message?
Did you get the message? You didn't? Then it's a good thing you are reading this article! The USDA has a message for you. The people at the USDA want you to make good food choices so that your body can be healthy and strong. They've created MyPlate, a nutrition guide, to help you. There are three big things that they want you to remember. First, they want you to balance your food. Don't worry; they don't want you to balance a tray of food on your head! They want you to balance what you eat. The USDA wants you to eat and enjoy the foods that you like but eat less of them. This means avoiding extra large portions. Is it okay to have a few French fries? Absolutely! Should you supersize those greasy goodies? Probably not.
Next, they want you to change some of your eating habits. MyPlate wants the amount of fruits and vegetables that you eat to increase. The guide suggests that you fill at least one-half of your plate at each meal with fruits and vegetables. The USDA would also like you to increase the amount of whole grains you consume. When choosing foods from the grain group, MyPlate recommends that at least half of your choices be whole grains. Lastly, they would like for you to drink plenty of fat-free or 1% milk and eat several low-fat dairy foods each day.
