Welcome

Introduction

I. Patch Requirements

13. Evaluate a fast food restaurant menu

Evaluate the menus of your two favorite fast food restaurants. Get a nutrition information pamphlet (available at most fast food restaurants) and select your favorite items to make a meal. Then look at the nutrition information. Adjust your selections to include low fat foods containing more than 200 mg of calcium per serving. Write a brief report telling which menu is best and why.

The scouts should collect a number of fast food restaurant nutrition information pamphlets, and highlight lowfat, high calcium selections. Discuss how scouts can trade high fat, low nutrient foods, for healthier foods.

14. Investigate calcium supplements

CALCIUM is important for bones. You should be able to obtain all the calcium you need from food sources. Some adults take calcium supplements in addition to calcium they obtain from dairy products and other food sources. Take a field trip to a pharmacy or the pharmacy section of a grocery store. Bring a pencil and paper to make a list of 7 calcium supplements. Next to each supplement put down the amount of calcium in each pill, the number of pills and the cost of the bottle. If 1500 mg of calcium is taken each day, figure out how long each bottle will last. Figure out which calcium supplement costs the most for a 1 month supply. Some people also take VITAMIN D. Vitamin D is usually found in multivitamins. These are pills containing many vitamins. Write down the names of 7 multivitamins and the amount of Vitamin D in each.

Emphasize that the scouts should be able to obtain all the calcium they need from food sources. Adults sometimes need additional sources of calcium; for example, some adults can't tolerate dairy products as they get older. There are many calcium supplements. They come in many strengths. The price can vary a lot. This teaches the scouts to shop carefully and to see how products can be different. Some calcium supplements also contain 200 iu of Vitamin D. You may suggest that the scouts evaluate these products also. Have the scouts help their parents and grandparents find the best value in calcium supplements if they can't tolerate dairy products.

15. Clip coupons

Look through the newspaper at home (Sunday's paper has lots of coupons) and cut out coupons of foods that have calcium. Look at "Bone-Building Foods" to help you find foods that have calcium. What food groups are represented? Have a parent, brother, or sister help you make your own coupons for foods that you want that you can't find in the paper. Put all your coupons in a book as if you were taking them to the grocery store. Trade in your coupons at home for high calcium foods at your meals and snacks.

16. Taste and evaluate popular beverages

Taste a panel of popular beverages: soda, fruit juice, fruit-flavored tea, nonfat milk. Use "Thinking About Your Beverage Choices" and compare the nutrition labels. List the important nutrients and calories each drink provides. Compare the beverages to determine which ones provide the most nutrients. Which ones contain calcium? Which drinks do you prefer? When are you most likely to drink each beverage?

Girls in this age group typically consume more soda-type drinks than high nutrient milk and juice, just when their nutrient needs increase for calcium. Teach the scouts that dairy foods are not always high in fat and high in calorie. Nonfat and lowfat options are readily available and just as healthy.

17. Taste bone-building foods

Taste unfamiliar foods with your troop such as tofu, flan, grits, kale, turnip greens, unusual cheeses, etc. Try to figure out to which food group these foods belong. Without looking at the information, rank the foods in order of calcium content. Put the food you think has the highest calcium content on the top of the list and so on from there.