HEALTH, FOOD, AND NUTRITION:

Getting Energy From Fats

FATS LESSON

Directions:

Print the Getting Energy from Foods: Fats reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions.  Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt

One of the things in food that gives your body energy is fat. You probably know that eating too much fat will make you fat! But you do need some fat from the food you eat since fat gives your body energy. It also helps you absorb some vitamins that you need to be healthy. Fat is important to keep your brain working too. In fact, when you were a baby and a toddler, you needed more fat than you do now so your brain would grow properly.

Now that you are older, you need less fat. Kids 6 to 8 years old need about 48 to 60 grams of fat each day. Kids 9 to 12 years old need about 60 to 75 grams of fat each day. How much is that? To answer, you need to know which foods are high in fat. Nuts, oils, butter, cheese and some kinds of meat are high in fat. There are about 16 grams of fat in two tablespoons of peanut butter, the amount you would probably use to make a peanut butter sandwich. If you drink whole milk, you get 8 grams of fat in one cup. You can tell how much fat is in food by looking at the label on the package.

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