Free Educational Resources About Myplate And Healthy Eating

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate program has replaced the traditional Food Pyramid as a simpler visual guide for healthy eating. Numerous free educational resources are available to help teach children and adults about proper nutrition and balanced meals. These resources include printable activities, coloring pages, digital interactive materials, and practical tools for meal planning and healthy eating education.

MyPlate Educational Resources

The Choose MyPlate program, developed by the USDA, provides a visual representation of a balanced diet with sections for fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy. Food and Health Communications serves as a USDA Choose MyPlate National Strategic Partner, offering a variety of educational resources about this healthy eating guide.

Free MyPlate education resources are available through various channels, including the Nutrition Education Store. These resources aim to help individuals understand how to create a healthy plate with a balanced proportion of food groups to receive necessary nutrients within appropriate calorie limits.

The Nutrition Education Store offers materials for purchase, including MyPlate posters, handouts, brochures, PowerPoint presentations, bulletin boards, games, bookmarks, workbooks, and physical MyPlate plates suitable for presentations or cooking demonstrations. However, free resources are also available for those seeking basic educational materials.

Printable MyPlate Activities

Numerous printable MyPlate activities are available for educational purposes, particularly targeting teachers and parents looking to teach children about healthy eating:

• My Plate FLIP Book: This educational resource helps students understand the five food groups included in MyPlate: dairy, protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains. The flip book is designed to be simple to color, cut, and paste together, with all directions included. It can be used as a standalone activity or incorporated into an interactive science notebook.

• Healthy Plate Activities: Students can engage in hands-on activities where they clip flyers to fill up a "healthy plate" with appropriate U.S. or Canadian food groups. The plate sections include labels to help students properly place food items in their correct categories. These activities are suitable for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students and serve as a great addition to a Healthy Eating unit.

• Nutrition Plate Coloring Pages: Free printable coloring pages of MyPlate are available from various sources, including the Nutrition Education Store and other educational websites. These coloring pages help reinforce the visual representation of the five food groups in a format that is accessible to young children.

• Fruit and Vegetable Coloring Pages: Additional coloring pages focusing specifically on fruits and vegetables are available, often accompanied by printable eating charts that encourage children to consume these healthy food groups regularly.

Digital MyPlate Resources

In addition to printable materials, digital resources are available for teaching about MyPlate and healthy eating:

• Interactive BOOM Cards: Digital task cards that can be used on computers, iPads, or tablets. These self-marking multiple choice cards are designed for assessing prior knowledge, whole class instruction, mini-lessons, or independent work. The MyPlate BOOM Cards typically include 40 multiple choice questions covering various aspects of healthy eating and food group identification.

• Digital Presentations: PowerPoint presentations about MyPlate are available for purchase from educational resource providers, though free alternatives may be found through educational websites and teacher resource platforms.

These digital resources offer interactive ways to engage students with MyPlate concepts, particularly beneficial for technology-integrated learning environments or remote education settings.

Healthy Eating Teaching Tools

Beyond MyPlate-specific resources, additional tools are available for teaching healthy eating habits:

• Healthy School Lunch Activities: Resources designed to help students learn to pack healthy school lunches include cut-and-paste coloring activities and draw-and-color activities adaptable to various grade levels. These activities not only teach nutrition concepts but also help develop fine motor skills. They can be used independently or in conjunction with other resources like "Plan My Plate."

• Healthy Foods Books: Students can create their own healthy foods books by completing individual pages and then assembling them by stapling on the left side. These books can be used as complete resources or with pages utilized individually for specific lessons. Some resources are designed to be used alongside specific children's books about healthy eating.

• Interactive Notebooks: MyPlate activities can be incorporated into interactive science notebooks, allowing students to create a personalized reference for healthy eating concepts that they can revisit throughout the school year.

These teaching tools provide varied approaches to nutrition education, accommodating different learning styles and educational settings.

Free Menu Planning Resources

Practical applications of healthy eating education include menu planning resources:

• Weekly Menu Planner: A free printable weekly menu planner is available to help individuals plan meals ahead of time. Planning meals is identified as the number one way to save money on groceries and take advantage of sales on various items. Users can print the planner and place it in an 8x10 frame (available at dollar stores) to use as a white board with dry erase markers, eliminating the need to reprint weekly. Multiple copies can be printed for planning weeks or months in advance, depending on individual needs.

• Meal Planning Templates: Various templates and guides for healthy meal planning are available through educational websites and nutrition resources, helping individuals apply MyPlate principles to their daily eating habits.

These resources bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge of healthy eating and practical application in daily life.

Other Plate-Related Freebies

While most plate-related freebies focus on educational materials, other resources are available:

• Plate Mockup Design Template: For design professionals or those creating educational materials, a free plate mockup is available. This digital resource allows users to create realistic presentations of plate design projects by inserting their designs into a smart object layer in a PSD mockup file. After inserting the design, users simply save the file to create a professional presentation.

This resource is particularly useful for dietitians, nutrition educators, or food bloggers who need to visually present meal concepts or plate designs.

Accessing Free Educational Resources

Multiple platforms offer free MyPlate and healthy eating educational resources:

• Educational Websites: Websites like Teachers Pay Teachers host numerous free resources created by educators, including MyPlate activities, coloring pages, and lesson plans.

• Nutrition Education Partners: Organizations like Food and Health Communications, as official USDA Choose MyPlate National Strategic Partners, provide access to free educational materials and resources.

• Teacher Resource Websites: Educational websites offer newsletters and freebie libraries where new resources are added regularly. Users can subscribe to newsletters to receive teaching tips and freebies delivered directly to their inbox. These websites typically contain hundreds of free resources and are updated frequently with new materials.

When accessing these resources, users should verify that materials align with current USDA MyPlate guidelines and educational standards.

Conclusion

A wealth of free educational resources is available for teaching about MyPlate and healthy eating. These resources range from printable activities and coloring pages for young children to digital interactive tools for modern learning environments. Teachers, parents, and nutrition educators can access MyPlate flip books, healthy plate activities, nutrition coloring pages, interactive BOOM Cards, and practical menu planning tools at no cost.

The USDA's MyPlate program continues to serve as an accessible guide for balanced eating, supported by numerous free educational materials that make learning about nutrition engaging and practical. By utilizing these resources, individuals can promote healthy eating habits across various age groups and educational settings.

Sources

1. Plate Mockup
2. My Plate Educational Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers
3. Free My Plate Materials from Food and Health Communications
4. Freebies from Little Minds at Work
5. Freebie Library from Get On My Plate
6. Free Resources from The Great Green Plate