Food Pyramid

Objectives 

Students will:

• Gather, analyze and evaluate data.
• Evaluate the importance of different food groups in human nutrition.
• Create a healthier menu.
• Form and present opinions about the relationship of functioning ecosystems and food safety.
• Understand and evaluate the relationship between human population dynamics and food prices.

Instructions:

For this assignment you need to have on hand the grocery/restaurant bills for one week. If your bills show purchases for more persons, divide the total amount with the number of people. If necessary, use online sources to answer questions. The answers must be detailed and argued for maximum points.

1. How much do you spend on food weekly? (Add up your bills and divide by the number of persons they refer to)
2. Do you/your family produce any food? If yes what?
3. Do you use food harvested in natural ecosystems in your diet? What? (Hunting, fishing, mushrooms, nuts, berries etc.)
4. How much of the amount is spent on the major food groups? Establish the major food groups using online resources, then look at your bills and establish the amounts. List them.

Major Food Groups Money Spent

1. Is your consumption in line with the recommendations from the food pyramid? If not what is different? Do you think you need to change your eating habits?
2. Name 3 food items you could replace with healthier options.
3. Is Missouri soil and climate suitable for agriculture?
4. Do we have more or less human demand for food than we had 20 years ago? Why?
5. What happened with food prices in the last decade? Why? Look for global food prices.
6. Name 3 causes you think will influence future food prices. Will the cost of food go up or down?
7. How can your family deal with higher food prices? Name 3 measures.