Lesson 2—Fabulous Fiber

Cherilyn Yazzie, Program Manager

Navajo County Public Health Services District

Session Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize the lesson #2 outline 2. Recognize fruits, vegetables, dried beans and

grains as sources of fiber3. Identify the materials and equipment used for

the fiber lesson4. Identify an activity to reinforce the lesson for

your audience

Lesson Overview

Students will learn about their digestive system. Fruits and vegetables provide fiber and by eating the amount they need each day, they lower their risk for cancer and heart disease. They will recognize what foods contain fiber.

Outline of Lesson #21. Introduction/Review from lesson 12. Cups of fruits and veggies3. What is fiber?4. Who ate a fruit or veggie? 5. Digestive System Poster6. Anatomy Apron7. Fiber protects against cancer and constipation8. Where does fiber appear on the MyPyramid?9. Water 10. Activities a) Fiber fun with bucket of food b) Fiber fun count it up!11. Taste the Beans12. Review lesson 213. Mention the upcoming tour

Introduction/Review

• Introduce yourself• Review the signal you chose with the students

to indicate when you want them to be quiet or to get their attention

• Review Lesson 1 by asking: What is the message I want you to remember when it comes to fruits and vegetables? Why do we want to eat different colored fruits and vegetables? What do we find in fruits and vegetables that are good for us?How does Vitamin A help our body?How does Vitamin C help our body?How does Fiber help our body?

Cups of fruits and veggies

• How many cups of fruits and veggies do girls and boys need to eat every day?

• Fiber acts like a scrub brush. Fiber is found in all plant foods, especially fruits and vegetables

• Hold up fiber poster and the scrub brush• Fiber works like a super scrubber and gives our digestive system or food

tube, a workout as well as cleaning waste products out of our bodies• Write digestive system on the board • Demonstrate how a hair brush takes out tangles, a scrub brush cleans

counters, and tooth brushes clean our teeth. Fiber works just like these brushes to keep our insides clean.

What is fiber?

Who ate a fruit/veggie? • Pick three to four students to name one fruit or vegetable he/she

ate during the day. Then ask the last one what do you think happened to that fruit/vegetable you ate today? Do you think it is somewhere in your body and still looks like a banana?- (of course not!) 

• Let’s see what happens to the food we eat...• Hold up your digestive system poster

Digestive System Poster

• Ask students to guess how long their digestive system is• 20 feet long for children and 30 feet for adults• Demonstrate 20 feet with a nylon rope• Use the scrub brush to demonstrate

how fiber cleans the inside of the digestive system from the month to stomach and through the intestines

Anatomy Apron• Let’s take a look at what the inside of our body looks like • Ask for a student volunteer to wear the Anatomy Apron• Place the anatomy apron on the student• Velcro the heart, lungs, stomach and

intestines onto the apron • Next place the liver above the stomach• Next place the kidney on the back

of the apron

Fiber protects against cancer and constipation

• What happens if you don’t eat enough fiber? • You may have constipation. That is when food

doesn’t move like it should through your body and you may get a stomach ache.

• Fiber also decreases our risks of getting some cancers

Water

• Did you know 50-70% of our bodies are made up of water?

• Water is so important• Water works with fiber to prevent constipation• Water clean the inside and the outside of your body• Does anyone know how you can tell if you are

drinking enough water?• Show the bottle with lemonade (no brand name)

and apple juice (no brand name)

Where does fiber appear on the MyPyramid?

• Hold up the My Pyramid for Kids Poster

• Where does fiber come from?

• What foods have fiber? • Where can I find fiber on

the MyPyramid? • How much fiber do you

need to eat everyday?

Activities a) Fiber fun with bucket of food

• Irene will explain how she utilizes the rubber food models for this activity

• Hand each student a food model labeled with fiber content

• Allow the students to drop the food into the proper bucket that identifies how much fiber are in each of those foods

• Plan a meal before the class using the food models to show how easy it is for children to get 25 grams of fiber per day

Activities b) Fiber fun count it up!

• Kelly will explain how she utilizes posters that will allow the students to plan a meal while looking for foods that have fiber

• Tell the students that children need at least 25 grams of fiber a day

• Give them directions on how to do the activity

Taste the Beans

• Explain to the class that they are going to taste a super food

• Don’t for get to mentionwashing your handsbefore and after you eat food

• Mention something about the beans they are eating

Review Lesson 2

• What does fiber do in our bodies? • How long is your digestive system? • How many grams of fiber do kids need a

day?• What foods have Fiber? • What do we drink that helps fiber clean

our food tube?

Grocery Store Tour

• Mention the grocery store tour• Review safety while visiting the

grocery store• Mention to the students that they will

be watching a video about the grocery store

Follow up with the teacher

• Provide copy of fiber handout for parents• Provide copy of Fun Food Newsletters• Pick up evaluation from teacher• Follow-up with teacher regarding scheduling the

produce tour • Give nutrition education reinforcement items to the

teacher to hand out to students• Clean up

Questions? Comments…Thank You!

Cherilyn Yazzie928-524-4750 ext.18

Cherilyn.Yazzie@navajocountyaz.gov