Activity 1: Hunger and Mindful Eating

1. Ask students if they have ever felt so hungry they could eat anything, or so full they could barely move?
2. Help students identify where they (currently) are on the hunger scale. Ask them to think about how they are feeling, if they are thirsty or dehydrated, and if they are craving anything.
3. Display the hunger scale. Have students silently identify where they are on the scale. Your class discussion will change depending on the time of day. 
4. Once students identify their number on the scale, help them identify why they feel hungry, if they should eat something, and what they should eat. Have students answer these follow up questions:
   • When did you eat last?
   • When will you eat next?
5. Explain that it's ideal to stay in the 4-6 (green) range. Both 3 and 7 (pale orange) are ok as well, but those are the stages to be most aware of to avoid moving to the extremes of hungry (1 and 2) and full (8-10).
6. Introduce the concept of mindful eating. Explain that our body will tell us when it is hungry or full, but we have to be aware in order to recognize the signals. Point out that this is especially true for babies and young children. A baby is very aware of what their body needs for food and will let you know by crying when they are hungry.
7. Watch, How Mindful Eating Improves Your Relationship with Food. 
8. Give each student one copy of the Mindful Eating Placemat. Discuss the tips as a class:
   • Which tip(s) do you think would be hardest to implement?
   • Which tip(s) do you think would be easiest to implement?
   • Which tip(s) do you think would be most valuable to improve your mindfulness when you are eating?
   • How can mindful eating improve our relationship with food, overall health, and body positivity? 
9. Optional: Select a food to eat in class and follow the instructions/narrative to allow students to practice and experience mindful eating. You can also use the audio in the Mindful Eating Exercise video to guide your students. If you choose the video, only use the audio to decrease distractions.

*If you have time, rather than using the prepared Mindful Eating Placemat for step six, assign students to research mindful eating and create their own placemat. 

Activity 2: Mindful Food Selections

1. Share the How Portions Sizes Have Changed slide deck. Discuss how portion sizes at restaurants and single-serve food packaging (sodas, chips, etc.) impact our overall food choices. 
2. Ask, "If we instantly went back to the portion sizes of 20 years ago, what would happen?" Discuss expectations and factors that contribute to feeling content with our food choices and portion sizes when we eat.
3. Offer the idea that practicing mindful eating will likely change our eating habits and our relationship with food in a positive way.
4. Give each student one Hunger Scenario Card. 
5. Make the Food Models available to the class. It may be helpful to divide the models into food groups before class to spread them out and make them more accessible to students during the activity. 
6. Have each student consider the hunger scenario they have been given and select foods to put on their place mat from Activity 1.
7. Have students share their hunger scenarios and their reasons for their food choices in small groups. Share the following questions on the board to provide prompts for their discussions.
   • How did the time of day impact your eating choice?
   • How did your hunger level impact your eating choice?
   • Did the available time you had to eat impact your food selection?

*For more ideas for using the Food Models in the classroom, see the Elaborating Activities below. 

Activity 3: Mindful Food Tracking

*Use steps 1-3 of this activity to assign the tracking activity. Complete steps 4-5 after the tracking period.

1. Give each student a copy of the Food for Thought Tracker handout. Explain that food tracking can help us understand our eating habits better. 
2. Instruct all of the students to track their food and drink intake for three days. Encourage students to record the days in continuous order instead of choosing three non-consecutive days. This will better identify their dietary trends. It is recommended that students record two weekdays and one weekend day if possible. Be sure students recognize that they should not calculate calories in this activity. The tracking activity is meant to bring awareness to hunger levels, mood, and eating patterns. It will also provide a learning experience in achieving daily recommendations for each of the five food groups.
   • The Dietary Guidelines for Americans contains recommended daily amounts of each food group for different ages. The recommended amount for each food group for adolescents can be found in Chapter 3 beginning on page 83.  
3. Answer questions and be sure students know how to fill out the tracker. Students should record their hunger levels prior to each meal.
   • Optional: In addition to tracking food and hunger, invite students to journal on a separate sheet of paper things like physical activity for the day, reasoning for eating, eating environment, and any other factors that they feel may influence their food choices and their ability to practice mindful eating. 
4. After students have completed food tracking for three days, use the questions below to guide a reflection conversation. Write the questions on the board for the students. 
   • Was this activity hard or easy to complete? Explain why.  
   • How did tracking impact your thoughts about what you ate? 
   • Did you notice that your mood was correlated with any of your food choices?
   • What trends do you notice?  
   • Was there a food group that you tend to under or over consume?  
   • Were there any times when you waited until you were VERY hungry to eat? What happened? 
   • What behaviors will you plan to continue? What behaviors would you like to change and why?
5. Remind students that everyone has different nutrient needs, as well as different cultural, taste, and personal food preferences. There’s no single “right” way to eat! Be cautious of students wanting to restrict certain food groups. All food groups provide essential nutrients. A diet high in food variety is encouraged. Remind students to aim for consistency and not perfection.  

Be mindful that some students may not feel comfortable sharing their dietary behaviors. Do not force anyone to share, instead ask for volunteers. Promote a positive sharing environment or self reflection. Teachers are encouraged to participate in this activity and it may be helpful if you share your experiences with the class. Remember that mindful eating promotes psychological wellbeing, healthful food selection, enjoyable meal experiences, and body satisfaction.12 Make adaptations in your class that will foster food and body image positivity.