The document outlines a 6-module curriculum for a youth nutrition and gardening intervention program, including lessons on key nutrition concepts, hands-on gardening experiences, and healthy cooking demonstrations. Each module covers classroom nutrition education, gardening activities, and recipes, focusing on topics like energy balance, macronutrients, reading food labels, planting and maintaining a garden, and moderating added sugars and fats. The goal is to teach 4th-8th grade students healthy eating habits through integrated nutrition and gardening lessons.

1. Youth Nutrition and
Gardening Intervention
Spring Curriculum
Keshav Rao
Stanford University

2. Overview
Integrated 6 class curriculum covering:
Key nutritional concepts (40 min/class)
Gardening experiences (20 min/class)
Healthy recipes and cooking demonstrations (20
min/class)
Target Audience: East Palo Alto students in the 4th
Grade – 8th Grade
Weekly classes will be offered at the Ecumenical
Hunger Program in EPA

3. Table of Contents
Nutrition Gardening Recipes
Module 1 Intro to Healthy Eating Planning “Pizza Garden” Yogurt Parfait
and Gardening and Mini-Greenhouse with granola
Seed Trays and fruit
Module 2 Dangers of Added Fats Setting up the “Pizza Chicken
and Sugars Garden” Fingers
Module 3 Fruits & Veggies: Key Placing & Installing the Fruit
Sources of Vitamins Plants Smoothies
Module 4 Grains & Proteins Create Your Own Fritatta
Compost
Module 5 Portion Control & Maintaining & Growing the Hummus
Healthy Snacking Garden
Module 6 Eating Healthy When Harvesting & Garden Pizza
Eating Out Transplanting Seedlings to
Garden

4. Module 1
Introduction of Healthy Eating and Gardening
Classroom Material (30 minutes)
Concept of Energy Balance
“Go, Slow, Whoa” Foods
How to read nutrition labels
Gardening Material (20 minutes)
Review edible parts of plants
Decide on what seeds to plant for “Pizza Garden”
Plant seeds in mini-greenhouse tray
Healthy Recipe: Yogurt Parfait with granola and fruit

5. Energy Balance
Weight Gain:
ENERGY IN (Calories consumed) > ENERGY OUT (Calories burned)
Same Weight:
ENERGY IN (Calories consumed) = ENERGY OUT (Calories burned)
Weight Loss:
Energy IN (Calories consumed) < Energy Out (Calories burned)
Activity: Given a one day sample diet and an estimate of calories
burned, determine if the individual is gaining or losing weight

6. Go, Slow, Whoa!
Review foods that kids can
always eat (Go), sometimes
eat (Slow), and rarely eat
(Whoa)
Discuss the significant
differences in calories, added
sugars, and fats
Discuss recommended
serving sizes for each type of
major food group (based on
USDA estimates)
Activity: Use American Heart
Association age-specific
caloric requirement chart to
Source: NIH (National Heart, Lung, help students craft sample,
and Blood Institute) healthy diets using a

7. How to Read Nutrition
Labels
Discuss serving sizes
Limit saturated fats, trans fats,
cholesterol, and sodium
Get enough of potassium, fiber,
vitamins A & C, calcium, and iron
Use the Percent Daily Value (%
DV) column when possible; 5% DV
or less is low, 20% DV or more is
high
Activity: Read the nutritional labels
for Cheetos. Ask the students to
discuss why Cheetos are a “whoa”
food.
Source: NIH (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

8. Gardening Material (1)
Review edible parts of plants
Roots Stems Leaves Fruits Flowers Seeds
Asparagu
Beets Cabbage Apple Artichoke Beans
s
Carrots Celery Chard Avocado Broccoli Chocolate
Jicama Garlic
Herbs Banana Cauliflower Corn
(tuber) (bulb)
Parsnips Kohlrabi Lettuce Cucumbers Nasturtium Nuts
Potato Onion
Spinach Eggplant Violets Peas
(tuber) (bulb)
Radishes Turnips Bell Pepper Rice
Squash Wheat
Strawberr
y
Source: Nutrition to Grow on Curriculum

9. Gardening Material (2)
Discuss “Pizza Garden”
with students and choose
from the following
toppings (seeds to plant)
Tomato
Bell pepper
Onions
Eggplant
Rosemary
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Source: HGTV

10. Gardening Material (3)
Activity 1: Plant seeds
in mini-greenhouse
tray
Filling cells loosely
with soil, planting at
the appropriate
depth, watering
seeds, etc.
Have students draw
predictions of plant
growth from seeds
Source: Nutrition to Grow on Curriculum

11. Healthy Recipe: Yogurt
Parfait
Ingredients
½ cup granola, low-fat
¾ cup (6-oz container) vanilla or
plain yogurt, low-fat
½ cup fresh blueberries,
raspberries, or sliced
strawberries or bananas
Set-up/Prep: Have students
construct a healthy parfait by
combining granola, yogurt, and
fresh fruit
Key Nutritional Information:
Serving Size: 1 ¾ cups
15 g protein, 6 g fat, 2.5 g saturated
Source: Kidshealth.org

12. Module 2
Dangers of Added Sugars and Fats
Classroom Material (30 minutes)
Fats: Functions and Types
Moderation of Fats
Case Study: Nutritional Differences in Milk
Added Sugar: Rethink Your Drink
Gardening Material
Setting up the “Pizza Garden”
Healthy Recipe: Chicken Fingers

13. Fats: Functions and Types
Role of Fats
Most concentrated source of energy (2x kcal of proteins,
carbs)
Necessary for growth, healthy skin, and metabolism
But excess fats lead to higher cholesterol and risk of
heart disease, as well as other conditions
Type of Fat Food Source Impact
Unsaturated Fats Olives, Nuts, Avocados, Olive Lower cholesterol
oil, Corn, Sesame
Omega-3-Fatty- Cold-water fish, flaxseed, soy Lower risk for heart
Acids attack, improve immune
system
Saturated Fats Meat, butter, cheese, most Increase cholesterol,
milk raise risk of heart
Transfat Margarine, hydrogenated disease and other
conditions
Source: Kidshealth.orgoils, packaged/fried foods

14. Moderation of Fats
Rule of thumb: 30% of calories should be from fat
Sample Meal:
Two slices of bread = 13% fat (30 of 230 calories from
fat)
Two tablespoons of peanut butter = 75% fat (140 of
190 calories from fat)
One tablespoon of jelly = 0% fat (0 of 50 calories from
fat)
One cup of 1% milk = 18 % (20 of 110 calories from fat)
Apple = 0% (0 of 80 calories from fat)
Total = 29% fat (190 of 660 calories from fat)
Activity: Ask students to recall their lunch and identify the
approx. percentage of calories from fat
Source: Kidshealth.org

15. Rethinking Milk
Type of Milk Calories Total Fat Protein Calcium (% DV)
(g) (g)
Fat Free Milk 90 0 9 30%
1% Low-fat Milk 120 2.5 11 35%
2% Reduced Fat 130 5 10 30%
Milk
Whole Milk 160 9 8 25%
• Activity: Ask students to sample different types of milk. Show
them that 3 glasses of low-fat milk would still have less total
fat than one glass of whole milk, while having over 4x the
protein and calcium.
Source: California WIC

16. Added Sugars: Rethink Your Drink
Type of Beverage Calories in 12 ounces Calories in 20 ounces
Fruit punch 192 320
100% apple juice 192 300
100% orange juice 168 280
Lemonade 168 280
Regular lemon/lime soda 148 247
Regular cola 136 227
Sweetened lemon iced
135 225
tea
Tonic water 124 207
Regular ginger ale 124 207
Sports drink 99 165
Unsweetened iced tea 2 3
Diet soda (with
0 0
aspartame)
Water Centers for Disease
Source: 0 0

17. Gardening Material
Activity: Preparing the Pizza
Garden
Choose the size and location of the
bed
Ensure maximum sun exposure
Create a circular bed with enough
room for individual plants to grow
based on requirements
Prepare the soil
Remove weeds
Add in composted material to
create a nutrient-rich growing
environment
Install the edging
Plastic edge for outer circle, with
Source: wooden dividers for individual
HGTV
“slices” or growing areas

18. Healthy Recipe: Chicken
Ingredients:
Fingers
1 4-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast,
rinsed, patted dry, and sliced into strips or 4
1-oz boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 egg or ¼ cup egg substitute or ¼ cup skim
milk
1/3 cup cereal flakes, crushed (preferably
cereal with 3g or more of fiber per serving)
Set-up/Prep:
Preheat oven to 350º F (176º C).
Dip chicken strips into egg, egg substitute, or
skim milk.
Roll dipped chicken in high-fiber cereal to
coat.
Place coated strips on nonstick baking
sheet.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, turning after 9
minutes, until chicken is done (it must be
white, not pink, inside).
Key Nutritional Info:
Serving size: 1 tender Source:

19. Module 3
Fruits & Vegetables: Key Sources of Vitamins
Classroom Material (30 minutes)
Fruits and Veggies: Student Recognition and
Initial Preferences
Nutritional Information and Serving Sizes
Gardening Material
Placing the plants
Installing the plants
Healthy Recipe: Mango & Banana Smoothie

20. Fruits and Veggies: Student
Recognition and Initial
Preferences
Activity:
Ask students to list fruits and
veggies that they know. Fill
in responses that were not
discussed in class to get a
complete list.
Then have each student rate
how much they like each
fruit/vegetable on a scale of
1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)
Finally, ask each student
how often they eat major
fruits and vegetables on a
scale of 1 (never) to 5
(always)
California WIC and FDA Nutritional

21. Fruits and Veggies: Nutritional
Information and Serving Sizes
Activity:
Ask students to write down
all fruits they ate in the last
24 hours with approx.
serving sizes
Hand out the color cards
that correspond with fruits
and veggies eaten by the
students.
Review the nutritional
benefits from each group,
show the importance of
eating fruits of different
colors, and go through
proper serving sizes
Activity: Have students
identify best sources of
Vitamin A, C, Potassium,
Source: FDA Nutrition FDA
etc. based on Information

22. Gardening Material (1)
Activity: Placing the Plants
The tomato plants should
have an entire “slice”, while up
to three other plants can share
a section
Source: HGTV

23. Gardening Material (2)
Activity: Installing the Plants
With one hand, gently grasp the
main stems of each plant, and with
the other hand, tip the container
upside down and gently squeeze or
shake the container (Image 1) until
the plant is released.
If the plant is root-bound, gently
tease the outer roots apart (Image
2)
Plant the transplants at the same
depth as they were in their
containers, and firm the soil around
the roots. Top-dress each plant with
a handful or two of compost (Image
3).
Note: Plant tomatoes a little deeper
than they were in the pot / bend and
bury part of the stem for “trenching”
Source: HGTV Pizza Garden Guide

24. Healthy Recipe: Fruit
Smoothie
Ingredients
2 cups 1% milk
1 fresh pitted mango
1 small banana
2 ice cubes
Set-up/Prep
Put all ingredients into a
blender and blend until foamy.
Kids can add more fruit and/or
vegetables.
Key Nutritional Information:
Serving Size: ¾ Cup
106 Calories, 2 g total fat, 1 g
saturated fat, 157 mg calcium
Source: Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino

25. Module 4
Grains & Proteins
Classroom Material (30 minutes)
Why whole grains?
Sources and key nutrients
Importance of proteins and natural sources
Proteins: Daily Requirements and Dietary
Recommendations
Gardening Material
Create Your Own Compost
Healthy Recipe: Fritatta

26. Why Whole Grains?
Whole grains retain the fiber rich bran, the heart healthy
germ, and the starchy endosperm while other grains
only keep the endosperm after processing
Source: Whole Foods Market

27. Whole Grains: Sources and
Key Nutrients
Types of whole grains include:
Brown Rice
Barley
Whole wheat bread/tortillas
Oatmeal
Health Benefits: Great source of
fiber & vitamins, can reduce the risk
of heart disease, diabetes, and
some forms of cancer
Goal: 50% of all grains should be
whole
Activity: Teach students how to
identify whole grain tortillas, breads,
and cereals (cheerios vs. cornflakes)
based on ingredients (WIC)
Source: California WIC

28. Proteins: Importance and
Sources
Activity: Ask students to describe the importance of
proteins as well as key sources in our diet
Role of Proteins: Supply the amino acid building
blocks our cells need for growth, development, and
other processes
Primary Sources:
Meats, poultry, and fish
Legumes (dry beans and peas)
Tofu, nuts, grains
Milk and milk products

29. Proteins: Daily Requirements
and Recommendations
Recommended Dietary Allowance for Protein
Age Group Grams of protein (daily)
Children ages 1 – 3 13
Children ages 4 – 8 19
Children ages 9 – 13 34
Girls ages 14 – 18 46
Boys ages 14 – 18 52
Most individuals easily reach target levels, but need to make
lower-fat protein choices
Choose lean poultry & fish, trim excess fat, remove skin
Substitute pinto or black beans for meat in chili and
tacos.
Choose low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, cheese
Source: CDC

30. Gardening Material
Review significance of composting to build nutrient rich
soil
Activity: Create Your Own Compost
Take a 2-liter plastic soda bottle, cut its top off, and
remove all labels. Poke holes around the middle section
(to provide air to worms) and the bottom (to allow for
drainage).
Place approximately 1 to 2 inches of moist, shredded
newspaper in the bottle. Then place 1 to 2 inches of
shredded lettuce on top of the newspaper. Continue
alternating the layers until you reach the top of the bottle.
Don’t pack the layers down or make the bedding too wet.
Add 10 to 12 red worms on top. Wrap black construction
paper around the bottle and tape the ends together to form
a tube that can be slipped on and off for viewing purposes.
Cover the top of the bottle with dark cloth and secure it
with a rubber band to prevent light and flies from entering
the compost.
Place the worm bottle on a tray for drainage purposes.
Add new food every three to four days and cover with
more shredded newspaper. Spray to keep moist. You can
add fruit and vegetable peels as well, but do not add foot
faster than the worms can digest.
Add the compost/worm castings to the garden after a
month or two. Lightly sprinkle them in the holes in which
Source: Nutritionto replenish thearound bottle to keep the cycle
seeds are to to Grow On Curriculum seedlings.
Remember
be planted or
worm
the new

31. Healthy Recipe: Frittata
Source: Edible Schoolyard Project

32. Module 5
Portion Control & Healthy Snacking
Classroom Material (30 minutes)
Portion Control: Survey
What are appropriate portions for various foods?
Guide to Healthy Snacking
Build Your Own Healthy Snacks
Gardening Material
Maintaining and Growing the Garden
Healthy Recipe: Hummus

33. Portion Control: Opening
a) Always
Survey
1. How often do you Value-size, Supersize, Mega-size or “whatever-size” your burgers, sodas or fries?
b) Sometimes
c) Never
2. When you eat a packaged snack or dessert (like chips, crackers, cookies, or ice cream) do you usually:
a) Take out what you want and then put the package away
b) Take out what you want, but leave the package out, in case you want more.
c) Eat straight out of the package, sometimes until nothing is left.
3. How often do you read the label on food packages to see what the serving size is?
a) Usually
b) Sometimes
c) Never
4. How often do you check the label to see how many calories are in a serving”?
a) Usually
b) Sometimes
c) Never
5. When you go to the movies, what size popcorn do you get?
a) The biggest tub they have
b) Medium size
c) Smallest
d) Don’t buy food at the movies Source: Texas WIC Portion Control

34. Appropriate Portion Sizes
“Eating with Our Eyes” leads to excess calories
Demonstration 1: Ask students to pour recommended serving size
of juice (4-6 oz) into a pitcher and see how close they come
Demonstration 2: Ask students to make a PB&J sandwich with only
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (normal serving) and ask them to
compare to their usual portion
Demonstration 3: Ask students to look at different tortilla sizes.
Compare calories between tortillas (including whole grain options)
and encourage students to eat smaller tortillas
Demonstration 4: Ask students how many serving sizes are in
microwavable popcorn bags (2.5). Show how this compares to the
whole bag of popcorn, which people eat individually
Activity: Have students select one area to improve portion sizes
Source: Texas

35. Guide to Healthy Snacking
Snacks are small meals that should add vitamins, minerals,
and other nutrients with a low amount of added fat and sugar
Activity: Ask students what their favorite snacks are, how
often they eat them, and if they are healthy/unhealthy.
Review the table below for more comprehensive list of
healthy and unhealthy snacks
Healthy Snacks Unhealthy Snacks
Yogurt (high in calcium) French fries (high fat, high salt)
Fruits (Vitamins A & C, fiber) Twinkie (high sugar, high fat)
Cheese (highcalcium) Sunny delight (high sugar)
WIC Cereal (low sugar, low fat) Cookies (high fat, high sugar)
Vegetables (low in sugar, low fat, high fiber,
vitamins A, C, folic acid)
Nuts (low sugar, high protein, vitamins and
Source: minerals)
California Hard boiled eggs (low sugar, high protein,
WIC vitamins and minerals)

36. Building Healthy, Tasty
Snacks
Activity: Have students work together to make healthy
and tasty snacks from different combinations of food
groups Meat Group Milk Group
(for growth) (for bones and teeth)
Hardboiled egg Milk
Leftover meat Cheese Slices
Chicken leg Cheese Sticks
Peanut butter Cottage Cheese
Nuts or seeds Yogurt
Tofu Soy Milk
Beans
Grain Group Fruits and Vegetables
(for energy) (for vitality)
Pretzels Fresh Fruit slices-Apple, Orange, melon
Cheerios Banana, Pear, grapes
Kix cereals Canned fruit., applesauce
Bagels Strawberries
Rice cakes Steamed cold vegetables-broccoli,
Graham Crackers cauliflower
Tortillas Fresh celery sticks
Bread, various kinds Fresh vegies-celery sticks, cucumber,
Popcorn, plain snow peas, carrots
Cherry tomatoes Frozen juice sticks
Juice- fruit and tomato
Source: Snacks Count Pictures by Food Group (California WIC)

37. Gardening Material
Activity: Maintaining & Growing the
Garden
Water the plants properly
Tomatoes need more water than the
other plants, followed by basil and
peppers; rosemary and thyme will need
less water
Adding fertilizer
Diluted liquid fish emulsion to replace soil
nutrients
Remove weeds
Students should actively look for harmful
weeds
Support tomatoes
Source: Nutrition toplant stem HGTV or wooden stake
Tie Grow On, to cage

38. Healthy Recipe: Hummus
Ingredients:
2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drainer
1/3 cup tahini, ¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch paprika, 1 tsp fresh parsley
Set-up/Prep:
Place the garbanzo beans, tahini,
lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender
or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean
mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and
parsley
Key Nutrition Info:
Serving Size: 1/16 of recipe
77 calories, 4.3 g fat, 0.6 g sat fat, 5%
DV protein, 12% DV folate
Source:

39. Module 6
Eating healthy when eating out
Classroom Material (30 minutes)
How bad is fast food?
Checklist for Eating Healthy Away from Home
Gardening Material
Harvesting & Transplanting Seedlings
Healthy Recipe: Garden Pizza

40. How bad is fast food?
Activity:
Ask students where they get fast food, how often
they go, and what they typically order
Show students that there are 16 sugar cubes in a
“small” 20 oz. soda
Show students that a Big Mac has 6 teaspoons of
shortening fat (30 g total)
Source: Texas WIC

41. Eat Healthy Away from
Home
Do
Order a kids meal
Share a meal with friends/family
Ask for no mayo, dressing on the side
Pack up half of a lunch/dinner in a to-go box
before even starting the meal
Ask if you could get the lunch-sized portion of
dinner dishes
Don’t
Supersize your meals unless you plan to
share
Order the largest size of drinks or main
courses
Source: Texas WIC

42. Gardening Material
Activity:
For the final lesson, students
should gather whatever
vegetables and herbs are
ready to be harvested
They also should transplant
seedlings from the greenhouse
trays to garden plots in
preparation for the next cycle

43. Healthy Recipe: Garden
Ingredients Pizza
1 pint cherry tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste
8 fresh basil leaves, 2 tsp fresh oregano
¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, yellow cornmeal dusting
1 pound Easy Whole-Wheat dough
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
4 baby zucchinis, 1 medium yellow bell pepper
Set-up/Prep
Place a pizza stone on the lowest rack; preheat
oven to 450°F for at least 20 minutes
Roll out the dough and place on a cornmeal-
dusted pizza peel or inverted baking sheet, using
enough cornmeal so that the dough slides easily
.Slide the dough onto the preheated stone and
cook until the bottom begins to crisp, about 3
minutes. Remove the crust, making sure the
underside is covered with cornmeal
Quickly add the toppings and slide the pizza back
onto the stone. Continue baking until the toppings
are hot and the bottom of the crust has browned,
12 to 15 minutes.
Key Nutritional Information:375 calories; 9 g fat (5 g
sat, 1 g mono ); 26 mg cholesterol; 58 g
carbohydrates; 17 g protein; 8 g fiber; 531 mg
sodium; Source: Eatingwell,com

44. Key Sources
AHA Caloric/Dietary Requirements Table for Children and Adolescents:
www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Dietary-Recommendations-for-Healthy-
Children_UCM_303886_Article.jsp
California WIC:
www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/wicworks/Pages/WICEducationMaterialsHealthyEating.aspx
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Nutrition: www.cdc.gov/nutrition/
Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes :
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/sp_recip.pdf
Edible Schoolyard Project:www.edibleschoolyard.org
FDA Nutritional Labeling: www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/
HGTV: www.hgtv.com/gardening/how-to-plant-a-pizza-garden/
Kids Health: www.KidsHealth.org
NIH (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute):
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/
Nutrition to Grow On: www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he/nrttogrow.asp
Texas WIC: www.dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/nut/gnlessons-nut.shtm