Keeping a Food Record

CONCEPT: Keeping a Food Record



Discuss what food records are and make a food record with pictures of food.



After completing this activity, children will be able to:

  • describe what a food record is
  • understand why it is important to keep a food record
  • recall what they usually eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks



  1. Lead a discussion about food records with the children, with questions such as:
    • What is a food record?
    • Why is it important to keep a food record?
    • Why is it important to know who much phe you are eating?
    • What should a good food record include? ( food item, amount, how prepared, brand name)
  2. Discuss foods the children usually eat:

    Suggested questions: What are some foods that they ate yesterday? What do they usually have for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Snacks? What is their favorite food? When they eat their favorite foods, how much do they usually eat? (simple amounts, such as 1 piece, 1 cup, 1 bowl, etc.)
  3. Food Record Activity:
    • Distribute one set of food pictures and food records to each child. (You may decide to give a food record for only one meal, rather than for the three meals and snack. It will depend on how much time you have and the ages of the children.)
    • From their food pictures, have the children identify foods that they usually eat at each meal.
    • For each food, they glue or tape it to the corresponding meal.
    • When finished, each page represents their typical food choices for that meal.



  • acrobat reader logo Food Pictures: Variety of pictures of "yes" foods from five groups (Fruits, Vegetables, Low Protein Breads, Pastas, and Cereals, Formula, and Miscellaneous/Snack Foods). For additional types of foods, you can cut out pictures from magazines.



  • Allow your child to help in simple meal preparation tasks so that he/she can learn what foods are used and how they are prepared.
  • When baking, let your child do all the ingredient measuring (with your help if necessary) so that he/she will become familiar with accurate measuring.



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