Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Explore: Brain and food connection

35 minutes

Discover: Impact of food on mood

10 minutes

Thrive: Creating healthy habits

Explore: Brain and food connection

Step 1

Explain that today’s lesson will involve exploring how nutrition can affect a person’s mental state. To begin, invite students to reflect on whether they’ve noticed any patterns between what they eat and their mood.

Use the following questions to prompt discussion:

Have you noticed your mood change based on the food you eat?
Do you ever reach for certain types of food if you are stressed or tired?
Are there certain types of food that give you more energy?
What about food that makes you feel tired or overstimulated?

Step 2

Watch the TedEd Brain Food video, then facilitate a group discussion using the following questions:

Why do we sometimes feel tired after lunch or wide awake at bedtime?
What are the kinds of fats that can compromise brain health?
Why is it important to have a balanced diet?
What percentage of body weight does the human brain occupy?
How much energy does the brain use?
Why does our body respond differently to foods such as white bread compared to oats and legumes?
Why do we crave sweet food like chocolate or comfort food such as pasta?

Answers:

The food we eat can directly impact our mood and energy. This depends on how the food is processed and the messages that are sent to the brain.
Trans and saturated fats are found in foods such as fast food and sweets.
Eating too much of one type of food can alter the amino acids that carry messages to our brain, affecting mood, sleep, attentiveness and weight.
2%
20%
High glycemic food results in a rapid release of glucose, increasing our blood sugar which quickly drops. Foods such as oats and legumes provide a long-lasting and steady release of energy.
When we feel stressed, our body releases cortisol, which can make us crave sugary, fatty or salty foods - the brain thinks it needs food that will provide quick energy to fight whatever the threat (stress) is.

Step 3

Ask students to reflect on their last food craving and why they think they craved it. They should consider their physical, emotional and mental state at the time of the craving. Invite them to share their answer with a partner, then discuss them as a class.

Provide the following explanation to assist their thinking:

When we are stressed, we crave comfort, which is why we might crave food such as chocolate.
Our brain has evolved over time to create a reward system for foods that are high in calories, such as pizza and pasta.
The choices we make with food can have a direct and long-lasting effect on the brain which can, in turn, impact our mood, energy and attention.

Teacher note: If you have limited time, begin at Step 2.

Discover: Impact of food on mood

Step 1

Ask students to form groups of 3-4. Distribute a Food and Mood Research worksheet to each group. Students can complete this research on their devices. Once they have completed this research, discuss the findings as a class.

Step 2

Give each group a piece of butcher’s paper. Ask students to brainstorm healthy habits to combat feelings of stress and tiredness. The habits should be related to nutrition, movement and mindfulness.

Example:

Stress management techniques such as mindfulness
Regular exercise

Step 3

Ask students to brainstorm creative ways to share this information with their school community.

Provide students with some presentation formats:

School assembly presentation
Video
Poster
Canva presentation
Song or a jingle
Student choice

Once students have selected a format, they can begin planning and producing their presentations.

The presentation should include:

information about the link between nutrition, mood and overall health and well-being
healthy habit suggestions to combat feelings of stress or tiredness
a good-mood food suggestion (such as bananas, oats or berries) and its benefits.

Step 4

Students present their work to the class and distribute it appropriately throughout the school.

Teacher note: Provide students with options to share their presentation based on what is appropriate in your school setting. Set time limitations. This activity may be completed over 1-3 lesson blocks.

Thrive: Creating healthy habits

Step 1

Provide each student with the Meal Plan worksheet and ask them to develop a one-week meal plan based on their new knowledge of good-mood foods. Encourage students to retain the meals and snacks they already consume that benefit their health and well-being, then consider new healthy habits they could incorporate. Give students an opportunity to discuss their work with a partner before sharing it with the whole class.

Step 2

To wrap up the lesson, ask each student to share something they’ve learned about nutrition and would like to apply to their daily life.

Provide the following explanations to assist their thinking:

Eating nutritious food will assist in many areas of life, including having more energy, getting a better night’s sleep, improving concentration and reducing the likelihood of craving foods with high sugar, salt or fat.
When monitoring mood and overall well-being, consider food's impact and reflect on healthy habits to combat cravings and lethargy.
Don’t forget to treat yourself; remember that treats are part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Teacher note: Prior to filling out their meal plan, students can complete an extension activity using the worksheet, Food and Mood Reflection. Alternatively, this could be completed as a separate activity to promote discussion.

Health: Food, Mood and Wellbeing

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