Objective

Students will analyze Nutrition Facts labels to evaluate the nutritional quality of food products and explain their choices using evidence from the label.

Materials

• Printed or projected images of two different food labels (e.g., a sugary cereal vs. a whole-grain oatmeal, or a potato chip bag vs. a serving of pretzels). If no printer is available, draw simplified versions on the whiteboard.
• Student notebooks or loose-leaf paper.
• Pencils.

Lesson Flow

1. Introduction: The Label as a Map (10 minutes) Explain that a Nutrition Facts label is a map for your body. It tells you exactly what you are putting into your system.

• Serving Size: This is the portion the label is based on. It is not necessarily what you should eat, but what the manufacturer used for the math.
• Servings Per Container: This shows how many "maps" are in the whole package. If you eat the whole box, you must multiply everything by this number.
• Percent Daily Value (%DV): This number tells you if a serving has a little or a lot of a nutrient. 5% DV or less is low; 20% DV or more is high.
• The Big Three to Watch: Point out Sodium (salt), Added Sugars, and Saturated Fat. These are nutrients that experts recommend we limit to keep our hearts and energy levels healthy.
• Dietary Fiber: Explain that fiber helps digestion and keeps you full longer. We want this number to be higher.

2. Teacher-Guided Analysis (10 minutes) Project or draw two contrasting labels on the board. Model how to compare them.

• Ask: "Which one has more added sugar?"
• Ask: "Look at the ingredient list. Is a whole grain listed first, or is it sugar?" Explain that ingredients are listed by weight, so the first three items make up the bulk of the food.

3. Student Activity (15 minutes) Divide students into pairs. Have them compare two products. If you don’t have physical labels, write the nutrition stats for two products on the board (e.g., Product A: 12g sugar, 1g fiber; Product B: 2g sugar, 5g fiber).

• Students must decide which product is the healthier choice.