Om Sri Sairam

GO-GREEN FOOD

LESSON PLAN 4

GROUP 3

Value: Right Action

Sub Value: Healthy Living

Purpose: Students will learn the Satwic Food Pyramid and the FDA Food Pyramid. They will understand the importance of “how much to eat” in each of the food categories and the importance of “how” to eat. They will recognize the importance of mindful eating.

Materials: o Bowl of grapes;o Satwic Food Pyramid,;o Measuring cup to show serving size; o Scoopo Samples of each food type for them to figure out the quantity of each food type recommended for each

day (actual food can be substituted with small packing peanuts mainly to show the difference in quantity);o Plates/bowls to put each food category;o Labels for each food category o FDA food pyramid

1. 3 Oms, 3 Gayatris

2. Sailent Sitting/Prayer O Lord! You are the food, You are the provider of the food, You are the enjoyer of the food, and You are the giver of the food. Therefore, I offer all that I consume at Thy Lotus feet. Om Sai Ram!

3. Review of Life Application from previous lesson

4. Quote “It is one’s food that determines what one becomes. You have three qualities; the human characteristics (gunas) of sathwa (purity, calm), rajo (anger, greed, passionate activity), and thamo (sloth, dullness). Some are in the habit of taking completely satwic food. Some eat rajasic food, and others eat tamasic food. Some eat a combination of satwic and rajasic foods, and others eat a combination of all three. Because they consume food in all these varying combinations, we find in them behavior associated with one or another of the gunas. Because of what they become, differences arise among people. Since all are not taking the same type of food, they are unable to come to a platform of understanding.

It is one’s food that determines the shape of the mind, and the mind that leads us on to Godhead. What do we mean by satwic food? Milk, fruit, nuts, and so on, we understand to be satwic food – food that is juicy, food that is oily, food that is tasty and delicious and brings happiness on the physical planes. This type of food contains a subtle aspect, something that sustains and actually strengthens us.

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As far as possible, this food should be associated with oil, but not with fat. We should eat in limited quantities, to the extent we can enjoy it. After we sit down for a meal, we should feel light and effortless, not with the feeling that we are too heavy to lift ourselves. Food taken thus is truly satwic food.”

5. Affirmation “I eat a balanced diet and am mindful of my eating”

6. Pre-Story Activity Grape Exercise Put out a bowl of grapes and ask the students to help themselves to the grapes

StoryRead the story from http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2010/483_mar31/thisweek/100331_overeating.shtml

Thirteen-year-old Cheyanne began hiding food three years ago.

"I'd stick it under my bed," she says. "Or, I'd get a pack of gummies and I'd save the wrapper and, you know, stick it in a drawer or something, hoping my mom wouldn't find it."

Hiding the food didn't work, though.

"I would find wrappers in her room," says her mom, Debbie. "I would find plates with food, like the crust off of toast; things like that hidden under the bed."

And then Cheyanne started having trouble at school.

"They'd make fun of me because I was getting overweight," she says. "And I'd come home and I'd feel bad, so I'd eat. The next day they'd make fun of me again, and I'd come home and I'd eat."

She says she was using food to ease the pain. Only at the time, she didn't know it.

"I didn't notice how I was feeling," says Cheyanne. "I guess I thought I was hungry. But now, I know that I wasn't, that I was either upset or I was angry."

Cheyanne started seeing Dr. Genie Burnett, a psychologist.

"We do one of two things with our feelings," says Burnett. Either we talk them out or we act them out. Sometimes acting them out involves taking in food."

Burnett asked Cheyanne to keep a food journal. Every time Cheyanne ate something, she would write down how she felt.

"Basically, what I'm trying to do is help them link what is going on in their mind with what is going on in their belly," says Burnett.

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"I guess we started talking about my feelings," says Cheyanne, "and then I'd say, 'Well, I'm hungry' or I'd have, like, a candy bar. ... And if we were talking about something that I didn't feel all that great about talking about, ... I'd start eating the candy bar."

Cheyanne had to interrupt her pattern of feeling bad and then eating to compensate, says Burnett.

"Before you go to dinner, before you go to breakfast, before you do whatever," she adds, "if you feel like bingeing, sit down and write down what you are thinking and what you are feeling. I would either talk to my mom or something because we are really close and I tell her just about everything," says Cheyanne. "Or, I'd talk to a friend, or I would just go up in my room and just sit a while and wait till I'm not feeling so bad and try to stay away from the kitchen."

Post-Story Questions/Activity Why was Cheyanne overeating? (upset, angry, to ease the pain) How do we handle feelings? (talk them out or act out) What did Dr. Burnett ask her to do? (keep a journal to jot down her feelings when she ate) How does this help? (link what is going on in their mind with what is going on in their belly) How did Cheyanne interrupt feeling bad (by sitting down and writing what you are thinking and what

you are feeling) How else did she cope? (talk to her mom, friend, or go to her room and stay away from the kitchen) Have you ever turned to food when you were upset or angry? If yes, how did you feel after you ate?

Did the pain go away? Grape Exercise continued

o Ask the students how many grapes they ate? They usually don’t know.o Ask them to close their eyes and put a grape in their mouth and eat/chew it for one minuteo Now ask them if they saw the difference? Usually the first time they eat robotically. The second

time they really feel the taste and texture of the grape. This is mindful eating.o Mindful eating is when you focus and eat with all your five senses. It is being aware mentally,

emotionally, and physically of what you eat. o Now when you are angry or upset or add a distraction (like discussing or reading like seen

before) you are not fully present when you eat and hence don’t feel satisfied and lose track of how much you eat; Now add another sensory distraction – visual and auditory – like TV. We completely lose track of what we are eating. However, with mindful eating you can relish every bite you take and get up feeling satisfied even with a small amount;

o You can discuss the Restaurant Movie Theater or Fork and Screen Movie concept where they serve food while watching a movie or even restaurants where they show NFL, NBA etc. games while serving/eating (there are some studies that loud noise – from TV or music – actually causes people to eat and drink more)

o You can discuss how that causes obesity

7. Group Activity/Discussion Satwic food pyramid

o Show them the Satwic food pyramid and discuss

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o Based on the Satwic food pyramid let them scoop out the daily serving of food on plates/in bowls they think must be in each food category

o Show them the actual quantity of food for one day for each food category Was it what they expected? Were they surprised to see how small the portion size is for the whole day?

FDA Food Pyramid o Show and discuss the FDA food pyramido What are the differences between the Satwic and FDA food pyramids?o What are the similarities between the Satwic and FDA food pyramids?

8. Life Application

Continue with the Satwic, Tamasic, and Rajasic food chart and let them jot down the food they ate; Ask them to improve on how they did last time

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A Basic Satwic Vegetarian Eating Plan (see food pyramid above)Below is an approximate serving guide for a balanced daily diet following the satvic Jagadguru Kripalu Pyramid:

1. Grains -- 3-5 servings a day as:o 1 slice wholegrain bread, or 1 small cup whole grain cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked cereal

2. Legumes -- 3-5 servings a day as:o 1 cup boiled dal, grams or lentils, or 1/2 cup boiled larger beans (kidney, black-eyed,

garbanzo, etc.)

3. Vegetables -- 4-5 servings a day as:o 1 cup raw, 3/4 cup semi-cooked, 1/2 cup fully cooked

4. Fruits -- 4-5 servings a day as:o 1 small fresh fruit, 1/2 banana, 1/4 papaya, 1 dried dates, 2 dried figs/apricots, 1 cup

berries or cut melon

5. Dairy -- 2-3 servings a day as:o 1 cup non-fat/skim milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1 cup buttermilk

6. Nuts and Seeds -- 1-2 servings a day as:o 7 almonds, 3 walnuts, 8 peanuts

7. Oils -- 1-2 servings a day as:o 1 teaspoon healthy oil (cold-pressed olive, flaxseed, etc.)

8. Honey -- 1-2 servings a day as:o 1 teaspoon (unprocessed organic)

9. Fasting – Adults periodically fast to cleanse their bodies

Simple, isn't it! And don't forget to drink at least 8 glasses of pure filtered water every day.

This pyramid is a part of a 5-part process explained in the book called Jagadguru Kripalu Yoga. http://www.bhakti-yoga-meditation.com/become-vegetarian.html

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FDA Food Pyramid

from http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/MiniPoster.pdf

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Sathwic – balanced, not too hot or spicy

Tamasic – stale, salty, sour, bitter

Rajasic – hot, spicy, too rich, too much

Organic cereals Onions/onion powder Potato chipsMilk Garlic/Canned garlic paste PicklesCream Stale food ChiliesButter High fat White sugarYogurt High starch Cocoa/chocolateVegetables Fried foods (French Fries) Black/green tea/coffeeFruits Beef, Pork EggsWheat/rice/barley/all grains Alcohol, intoxicants TamarindLentils MustardJaggery/brown sugar/honey SpicesNuts Fish, MeatEating in moderation Eating too little food Eating too much food

Sathwic Tamasic Rajasic

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