1. Nutrition 101 and Navigating WIC
By Sara Hettel

2. Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………….
Goals For the Program/
Instructions for Excluding WIC Portion…………
Preparing For the Class…………………………………
Lesson 1: Fruits and Vegetables……………………
Lesson 2: Grains……………………………………………
Lesson 3: Dairy…………………………………………….
Lesson 4: Protein…………………………………………
Lesson 5: Beverages…………………………………….
Intern Suggestions……………………………………….
Sources………………………………………………………….

3. Introduction
The idea for this curriculum was born during the Keene State Dietetic Internship WIC rotation. Many of the clients using WIC services in Manchester are immigrants and refugees who often have limited English skills and have difficulty navigating the numerous guidelines when using WIC vouchers. Additionally, many of these people have a limited knowledge of what to do with certain foods that WIC provides because these foods are not present in their culture, or do not understand why certain foods are allowed and others are not (ex: brown vs white rice). Moving from having a limited amount of food choices in the countries and refugee camps where these people have come from to having a huge variety of food choices in the United States can also cause some problems. Many refugees have not learned how to navigate grocery stores or how to make the USDA recommended choices when shopping such as choosing whole grain products over refined, how to identify the amount of added sugar in a product or why skim milk is recommended over whole milk.
Currently around 112,000 refugees arrive in the United States each year. Some of these people are relocated to Manchester, New Hampshire where the International Institute of New England (IINE) helps to resettle them, teach them English, navigate health services and a variety of other things. These refugees and immigrants benefit from guidance about American grocery stores and food choices every day in order to ensure that they become happy, healthy and productive members of society. Ideally, this curriculum will help to remove some of the barriers which stand in the way of these courageous people living healthy lives. The main goals of this curriculum were developed using an assessment survey which determined what the students in the IINE English classes already knew about nutrition and what they would like to learn from a nutrition class. These goals include helping pregnant and new mothers have a better understanding of WIC guidelines, helping ESL students better develop their English skills and giving students the tools and knowledge needed to make healthy choices while purchasing and cooking food for themselves and their families.
Though this curriculum was written to include sections dedicated to navigating WIC guidelines, it can be adjusted and taught as just a nutrition 101 class if that is the need of the community at IINE during the period of time the class is being taught. Overall, if students take away even a small amount of knowledge from these classes and it helps them to succeed in their new environment, then this class series has been successful!
Best of luck,
Sara Hettel,
BS of Nutrition at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Keene State Dietetic Intern

4. If Excluding the WIC Component of the Class……………
Goals For the Program
Help students practice basic English skills
Familiarize students with new foods
Provide students with basic knowledge of nutrition
Help students to better navigate the WIC program (if applicable)
If Excluding the WIC Component of the Class……………
All of the lesson plans are set up in the same way-
Part 1: Nutrition education
Part 2: WIC Guidelines
Part 3: Trying a new food
If this class series is being taught without the WIC component than the instructor only needs to teach only parts 1 and 3 of each lesson plan. This will transform the WIC nutrition 101 class into simply a nutrition class.

5. Preparing For the Class
Before conducting the first day of class at the International Institute, there are a few thing which should be done initially-
Determine the best time and place at the IINE to conduct your class
Conduct an assessment survey to determine the baseline knowledge of the population you will be teaching- make sure to schedule interpreters!
Determine the need for a combined Nutrition 101 WIC program, or just a Nutrition 101 program. Adjust the curriculum accordingly.
Spread the word about your class using s to partner agencies, dropping in on ESL classes being conducted at the IINE, leaving fliers around the IINE and the Manchester WIC office, etc.
Send around a sign up sheet to all those who seem interested- Getting a good idea of who will attend is necessary to ensure that the correct interpreters can be hired.
A week ahead, have interpreters call people on the sign up sheet who have limited English to ensure they are aware that the class is happening the next week.
Some Other Recommendations:
Many of the people’s main mode of transportation is walking. When determining a class time, it is best to schedule it before, after or in-between ESL/any other classes because people will already be at the Institute.
Double check that interpreters have been scheduled; conducting a class or a survey is extremely difficult without them.
When conducting the survey it is useful to have pictures and other visuals to help enforce the questions
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or pointers from the IINE staff!
*All materials such as the sign up sheet and flyer are provided further on in the manual

7. Example Reminder Script for Interpreter
Hello,
I am calling on behalf of the International Institute of New England.
There will be a series of  WIC nutrition classes held at the Institute
starting on June 19th at 11:00 am which will be taught by Sara Hettel,
who is currently studying nutrition at Keene State
College. Over the course of 5 classes we will review how to use WIC
vouchers when at the store, WIC grocery guidelines, ways to use WIC
ingredients in recipes and an overview of the nutritional benefits of the
foods provided by WIC! The classes are only for those who are
receiving WIC benefits. We are reaching out to you because you have
young children and may be receiving WIC benefits and therefore
may be interested in this class. If you are interested you are welcome
to come!
Are you interested?
If yes, then would you like an interpreter to be present at the classes?
If yes, what language do you need?
NOTE- If the class is being taught as just a nutrition 101 class then the WIC portions in the script should be eliminated and the script should be adjusted accordingly.

8. Lesson #1: Fruits and Vegetables
Goals: To teach WIC fruit and vegetable voucher guidelines, review the benefits of fruits and vegetables and introduce the uses of frozen/canned produce
Learning Styles Addressed:
Visual- Writing on the whiteboard, using the handouts, Activity #2
Kinesthetic- Activity #1, tasting activity
Auditory-Discussing and answering questions, verbally delivering material
Materials: WIC Fruits and Vegetable Voucher Handout, Juice Handout, Fruits and Vegetable Benefits Handout, Market Basket Floor Plan, WIC Vendors List, Fruit, Vegetable and Juice product pictures, Measuring cups and spoons, dixie cups for samples, plastic spoons, gloves, Rinsed out black bean can and empty bags of frozen peas and corn, whiteboard/whiteboard markers and pens
Activities:
#1- “Where Can I Find This?”- Have students take time and mark where to find certain items on the Markey Basket Floor plan Handout. Discuss where we can find certain items, correct them if they are wrong. Items to find: fresh, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables, juice from concentrate and premade juice.
#2- “Can You Buy This?”- Pass out the produce and juice pictures to students. Have them determine if the item they have can be purchased using WIC vouchers. Discuss why or why not.
Tasting Recipe: Rainbow Bean and Rice Salad (Recipe on Handout)

9. Lesson #1 Continued How to Teach the Lesson:
Icebreaker- Have students introduce themselves, state their favorite fruit or vegetable and share a new fruit or vegetable they have tried since coming to the US
Explain today’s subject, Fruits and Vegetables
Distribute handout packet
Part 1- Fruit, Vegetable and Juice Nutrition
Review fruit and vegetable intake guidelines using cup measures for visualization-
Adults- 2 cups fruit/day and 2-3 cups vegetables/day
Children- 1-1 ½ cups fruit/day and 1-½ cups vegetables/day
Remember that juice should not be used as a substitute for fruit because it is high in sugar
Discuss the benefits of eating a varied diet with lots of produce and having a fruit or vegetable with every meal
Eating a varied diet allows more of a chance that we will get all of the vitamins and nutrients we need
Keeps us from getting tired of the same foods
Contributes fiber to our diets which helps our body function correctly
Certain items were excluded from the WIC vouchers because;
They contain too much sugar (anything packed in syrup, less than 100% juice, etc.)

10. Lesson #1 Continued Part 2- WIC Guidelines
Draw a t chart labeled “WIC Guidelines” on the board- on one side write YES and the other write NO- Ask if anyone can help you fill out the chart
Go over fruit and vegetable guidelines using handout packet
Repeat with juice guidelines and handout
Review where in Manchester these vouchers using the WIC Vendors list handout- ask where people generally like to shop and why
Activity#1
Activity #2
Part 3- Frozen/Canned Fruits and Vegetables
Ask -what do you normally cook using fruits and vegetables? Do you ever use canned or frozen produce ? Why or why not?
Discuss nutritional and economic benefits of occasionally choosing frozen/canned produce – use Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Handout
Discuss frozen food safety- always get frozen food last when shopping, only defrost what you need, etc.
Discuss using nutrition labels to watch out for sodium in canned produce
Food Tasting -
Pass out samples of Rainbow salad
Indicate to students that it was made with frozen and canned ingredients (show empty ingredient containers) and show them how it was made
Taste food and ask students what they think and how they would modify it
Call to action: Try using frozen produce in at least one of your meals that you cook this week!

11. Lesson 1 Continued Questions to Ask:
What fruit and vegetable items can we buy with WIC Vouchers? What can’t we buy?
Where do you like to shop for your fruits and vegetables?
what do you normally cook using fruits and vegetables? Do you ever use canned or frozen produce ? why?
What Worked:
Taste testing-everyone likes food!
Market Basket Floor Plan Activity- students also learned other words like “Produce”, “frozen”, “Cashier” and so on from the floor plan itslef
Suggestions:
Don’t discouraged if you cannot cover all of the material, do your best- working with interpreters can take up a lot of time
Write EVERYTHING relevant on the board- icebreaker, answers to discussion questions, words you want to emphasize etc.- one of your main jobs is to help teach the students English as well.

12. Lesson #2: Grains
Goal: Teaching WIC voucher guidelines for grains/grain foods, review the nutritional benefits of grains and introducing the uses of whole wheat pasta
Learning Styles Addressed:
Visual: Writing on the whiteboard, handouts
Kinesthetic: Activities 1 and 2
Auditory: Discussion questions and feedback from activities
Materials: WIC Grain Voucher Handout, Grain Benefits handout, dixie cups and plastic spoons for samples, Grain model containing the three parts of the grain, whiteboard and markers, rice measured into bags to illustrate recommended grain intake each day, samples of grains and the corresponding flours, grain product packages, basket, pictures of grain items/packaging
Activities:
#1- “What is a Whole Grain?”- Draw a large picture of a whole grain, color and cut it into the three main parts (Germ, endosperm and the bran). Label each piece. Place these in a basket and have each student draw a part out of the basket and read what they have. Assemble the Whole grain together with tape and use this to explain what a whole grain is.
#2- Divide pictures of grain items/packaging into ziploc bags
(5 pictures to a bag). Distribute these to the students and have
them determine whether or not these products can be purchased
using WIC vouchers and whether or not they are whole grain
products. Discuss why or why not.
Tasting Recipe: Whole Wheat Pasta with Swiss Chard
Include picture of grain, “dixie cups to serve samples in”, dry/cooked rice

13. Lesson #2 Continued How to Teach the Lesson:
Distribute samples of grain and flour and let students touch and feel them- one grain per person
Distribute handouts
Icebreaker-
Have students introduce themselves, state their favorite grain and have them guess what type of grain they have been given.
Explain today’s subject, Grains- a grain to be a small hard seed from any type of plant, like corn, rice, barley etc. A grain product is anything which has been made from either those grains directly or a flour made from any type of grain
Part 1- Grain Nutrition
Activity #1- Explain the difference between a whole grain and a refined grain
Ask- Does anyone know why whole grains are good for us?
Review the nutrients found in each part of the whole grain
Energy- iron, b vitamins, all of these things can be found in foods made with grains because they are normally “enriched” or had these vitamins and minerals added
B vitamins help turn the food we eat into a source of energy
Iron helps our blood carry oxygen to different parts of our bodies effectively which also gives us energy
Fiber- This nutrient is found in the germ and bran which are parts commonly removed from the grain. It helps us stay full longer, keeps our bowel movements regular and our bodies working properly
Reduce the risk of developing heart disease and other diseases like diabetes and obesity
Less additives (sugar, fillers etc. which we do not need and are not healthy for us)

14. Lesson #2 Continued
A product is a whole grain if (Indicate Grain Benefits Handout);
It is a grain in it’s most complete form
The package has “100% Whole Grain” or “100% Whole Wheat” written on it
The first ingredient on the ingredients list is a whole grain or a whole wheat/grain flour
*explain that whole grains can come in different forms such as flour, rolled flat, etc. but they are still whole grains
WIC vouchers include mostly whole grain products because these are the healthiest options
Discuss grain recommendations for adults and children using grains which have been pre-measured as an example
Part 2- WIC Guidelines
Draw a T chart on the board and label one side YES and the other NO-Ask if anyone can help you fill out the chart
Go over grain product guidelines using WIC Grain voucher handout
Activity #2
Part 3- Whole Wheat Pasta
Ask- What dishes do you prepare with grain products? How do you normally eat them? What type do you use the most? (write answers on the whiteboard)  
Discuss nutritional and economic benefits of whole wheat pasta using Grain Benefits Handout
Discuss ways to use whole wheat pasta/ How Americans prepare it using Grain Benefits Handout
Questions to Ask:
What Worked:
Suggestions:
When teaching new concepts, be sure to use examples to demonstrate your meaning

15. Lesson #2 Continued Food Tasting- Serve samples of the salad
Indicate that this recipe was made with whole wheat pasta, discuss the recipe steps
Ask-what do you think/what would they change about the recipe?
Call to action: Try using whole wheat pasta in one meal this week!
Questions to Ask:
Does anyone know why whole grains are good for us?
What dishes do you prepare with grain products? How do you normally eat them? What type do you use the most?
What do they think of the recipe/what would they change?
What Worked:
The grain assembly activity- students liked being able to put the grain together
Grain label identification activity- students were able to use handouts to identify whole grain products effectively
The icebreaker- students LOVED to touch the grains and talk about how they use them in their cultural cooking
Suggestions:
Add more salt to the recipe- all of the students stated it needed more salt and they are used to saltier foods in their diets
Make sure to go over everything slowly and help participants during the label reading activity if they need it- foster an open and positive learning environment

16. Lesson #3: Dairy
Goal: Teaching the WIC voucher dairy guidelines, reviewing the nutritional guidelines of dairy foods and introducing the uses of Greek yogurt.
Learning Styles Addressed:
Visual: Handouts, writing on the whiteboard
Kinesthetic: Icebreaker, Activities 1 and 2, food samples
Auditory: Discussion Questions
Materials: WIC dairy voucher handout, Dairy benefits handout, calcium activity pictures, whiteboard and markers, dixie cups for samples, pictures of dairy products divided into bags, pictures or models of different types of dairy foods, basket, tape, cardboard tube and cotton balls.
Activities:
#1-”What does it Impact?”- Place labeled cut outs of the skeleton, muscles, person running and cardiovascular system into the basket. Have students draw a picture from the basket, look at it and read the word. Go around and after each participant has read their picture , stick them on the whiteboard. Use these to go over what dairy does for our bodies- write key words on the whiteboard.
#2- “Can you buy this?”- Distribute ziploc bags with grocery store items. Ask participants to determine if the items are low fat dairy products and if they could purchase it using their WIC vouchers. Discuss results, correct answers if needed
Tasting Recipe: Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
How to Teach the Lesson:
Distribute samples of grain and flour and let students touch and feel them- one grain per person

17. Lesson #3 Continued
Distribute handouts and dairy product pictures or packages
Icebreaker-
Have students introduce themselves and have them share what dairy product they have been given and if they have ever eaten it before.
Explain today’s subject, Dairy- anything which is made from the milk of an animal like yogurt, cheese and even milk itself.
Distribute handouts
Part 1- Dairy Nutrition
Activity #1- Use as a platform to cover the benefits of dairy
Stronger muscles (indicate the muscle)-
Dairy products contain a large amount of the nutrient protein, which is the substance used to build muscles
Better blood pressure (indicate the cardiovascular system)-
Dairy products also contain the mineral potassium. This mineral helps to regulate our blood pressure, which is the amount of strain put on our blood vessels as blood pumps through them.
Strong Bones(indicate the bone)-
Dairy products contain the mineral calcium and a vitamin called vitamin D. These two things work together to help build stronger bones which do not break as easily. Calcium is the substance which all bones are made of and vitamin D is a vitamin which helps the body use calcium to build the bones.
Energy (indicate the person being active)-
There are B vitamins in dairy products which help turn the food we eat into a source of energy, just like the whole grains we talked about last week.

18. Lesson #3 Continued
Dairy also contains some substances which aren’t good for our health
Ask- Has anyone heard of fat before? What does it do in our bodies?
There are two types of fat. One is found plant products and helps us stay healthy. But “Saturated fat” which can be found in food products that come from animals like dairy and meat is not good for our health
Demonstration-Use cotton balls and cardboard tube to illustrate how cholesterol clogs the arteries-This can cause heart disease, increase the risk of a stroke or a heart attack and can also raise our blood pressure
Use Dairy benefits handout to discuss ways to avoid saturated fat in dairy products
Discuss dairy recommendations- use measuring cup to illustrate amounts
Part 2- WIC Guidelines
Draw a T chart on the board and label one side YES and the other NO-Ask if anyone can help you fill out the chart
Go over dairy product guidelines using WIC Dairy voucher handout
WIC has included mostly low fat dairy options because they are the healthiest choices
Part 3- Greek Yogurt
Ask-What dishes do you prepare with dairy products? How do you normally eat them? What type do you use the most? ( write answers on the whiteboard)  
Discuss benefits of Greek Yogurt- increased protein, better gut health
Use the Dairy Benefits Handout to review the economic benefits and uses of Greek yogurt

19. Lesson #3 Continued Food Tasting- Serve samples of the parfait
Indicate that this recipe was made with Greek yogurt, discuss the recipe steps
Ask-what do you think/what would they change about the recipe?
Call to action: Try using Greek yogurt in one meal this week!
Questions to Ask:
Has anyone heard of fat before? What does it do in our bodies?
What dishes do you prepare with dairy products? How do you normally eat them? What type do you use the most?
What do you think/what would they change about the recipe?
What Worked:
The icebreaker- students liked seeing the various new and interesting products which can be made with just milk.
The “cooking with dairy” discussion- many cultures prepare milk in different ways (boiling it, making kefir) with some prompting students like to share personal recipes and this helps their English skills.
Suggestions:
Make sure to differentiate between the nutrient “fat” in the foods we eat and the adjective “fat” which means large. Many of the students are just learning English and this may confuse them
A lot of people will not be familiar with Greek yogurt- they may not try it

20. Lesson #4: Protein
Goal: Teaching the WIC voucher protein food guidelines, reviewing the nutritional benefits of protein and introducing the uses of peanut butter.
Learning Styles Addressed:
Visual: Saturated fat demonstrations, Handouts, Whiteboard
Kinesthetic: Activities 1 and 2, tasting activity
Auditory: Discussion Questions, talking through/explaining activities
Materials: WIC Protein Voucher Guidelines Handout, Protein Benefits Handout, cotton balls and cardboard tube, pictures of protein sources, Protein word cut outs, basket, dixie cups for sampling, whiteboard and markers, measuring cups and spoons, tape
Activities:
#1-”Matching Activity”- Have students draw words out of the basket and take time to read them (Iron, B vitamins, Zinc, Amino Acids) during this time, write what these things do in a column on the right side of the board. Then have people go around and read their words. Tape the words up on the left side of the board and match up the definitions together.
#2-(Draw a t- chart on the board and write “lean proteins” on one side and “Higher saturated fat proteins”) Have people draw pictures out of a basket and read what the item is. Have students guess what side of the t- chart the item belongs on. Correct them if necessary.
Tasting Recipe: Peanut Butter Fruit Dip with Apples

21. Lesson #4 Continued How to Teach the Lesson: Distribute handouts
Write riddles on the board for the class to figure out;
I am small and black. You can find me dried or in a can, I can be cooked with rice or put in a soup. What am I?-Black Beans
I swim in the ocean, I can be grilled, baked or canned, I have scales. What am I?- Fish
I have feathers, I like to live in a group and I have two yellow feet. What am I?- Chicken
Icebreaker-
Have students introduce themselves and solve the riddles as a class.
Explain that all of these things are protein foods- Introduce today’s topic: protein
Protein- Anything which contain things called amino acids. These are the building blocks for our bodies. Just like the letters of the alphabet can be put together to form different words, these amino acids can be put together in different ways to build different parts of our bodies like our muscles- indicate pictures of protein foods
Ask- Has anyone seen some of these before? Has anyone ever cooked with them? What are some dishes you cook with them? Does anyone NOT eat meat/follow Halal?
Part 1- Protein Nutrition
Activity #1- Use as a platform to teach students
Stronger muscles-
Protein foods contain amino acids, which are the building blocks that help build muscles and fix them when they are damaged, build bones and make blood

22. Lesson #4 Continued Good sources of iron
Iron is a mineral found in protein foods which helps our blood carry oxygen to all parts of our body. This gives us more energy, helps us think better and helps our bodies function.
Energy (indicate the person being active)-
There are B vitamins in dairy products which help turn the food we eat into a source of energy, just like the whole grains and dairy we talked about last week.
Keep us healthy-
Protein foods contain the mineral zinc, which is used to keep our immune system healthy and working correctly
Ask- Does anyone remember last week when we talked about fat and lean meats? What do you remember?
Explain that there are two different types of fat in protein foods, Unsaturated and Saturated fat and where they come from-
Unsaturated fat is found in plant proteins. This type of fat is good for us and help our bodies and brains work correctly. Saturated fat can be found mostly in certain types of meat, called red meat.  This fat can float in our blood and cause problems. We should eat less of the protein sources which contain saturated fat and more of those protein foods which contain unsaturated fat.
Activity #2
Discuss protein recommendations- use measuring cups for visualization
Part 2- WIC Guidelines
Draw a T chart on the board and label one side YES and the other NO-Ask if anyone can help you fill out the chart
Go over dairy product guidelines using WIC protein voucher handout
WIC has included mostly lean protein options because they are the healthiest and most cost effective choices

23. Lesson #4 Continued Part 3- Peanut Butter
Ask-Do any of you cook with peanut butter? What do you use it for? (write answers on the whiteboard)
Use the Protein Benefits Handout to review the economic/nutritional benefits and uses of peanut butter
Food Tasting-
Serve samples of the dip with apple slices
Indicate that this recipe was made with Greek yogurt and peanut butter, discuss the recipe steps
Ask-what do you think/what would they change about the recipe?
Call to action: Try using peanut butter in one meal or snack this week!
Questions to Ask:
Has anyone seen some of these proteins before? Has anyone ever cooked with them? Does anyone NOT eat meat/follow Halal?
Does anyone remember last week when we talked about fat and lean meats? What do you remember?
Do any of you cook with peanut butter? What do you use it for? (write answers on the whiteboard)
What Worked:
The recipe! This recipe was by far the most popular
The word matching activity will work well for a class with more advanced ESL skills. It may take more time with students that have less advanced English skills.
Suggestions:
The riddles were challenging for the students to understand, making them simpler or cutting it down to two riddles instead of 3 might help
Make sure to elaborate on terms which students may not know like “immune system”- write them on the board, explain what they are, etc.

24. Lesson #5: Beverages
Goal: To review the importance of hydration, reviewing the importance of choosing unsweetened beverages and introducing fruit infused water.
Learning Styles Addressed:
Visual: Emergen-C demonstration, handouts, writing on the whiteboard, icebreaker activity
Kinesthetic: Activities 1 and 2, food tasting
Auditory: Discussion questions
Materials: Hydration benefits handout, clear plastic cups, sharpie, tape, poster of human body, water droplet cut outs, beverage label cut outs, empty bottles of coke, sweetened iced tea, pink lemonade and Gatorade, sugar, teaspoon, dixie cups for samples, pitcher, basket, whiteboard and markers, Emergen-C
Activities:
#1- Have students draw cut outs shaped like water droplets from a basket and read sentence written on it to themselves. Each sentence describes what water does in the body. Have participants look at their droplet sentence and sound it out/read it to the class and tape it on the body cut out according to what part of the body the droplet is referring to. Elaborate on each point as you go through the droplets.
#2-Distribute drink labels to students. Have them  determine whether or not the drink they have is a good/healthy  choice based on what they have observed and what they have learned so far in the class. Discuss as a group and correct answers if wrong.
Tasting Recipe: Strawberry and Basil Infused Seltzer Water/Normal water

25. Lesson # 5 Continued How to Teach the Lesson: Distribute handouts
Set up empty beverage bottle on the table and fill clear plastic cups up with the corresponding amount of sugar in each bottle. Keep the sugar cups hidden.
Icebreaker-
Have students introduce themselves, state their favorite drink, and guess which drink has the most sugar in it- at the end, reveal the cups with sugar in them
Introduce today’s topic: Hydration and sugar sweetened beverages
Ask- Does anyone know what hydration means?
Hydration- the process of providing our bodies with enough liquids to work, or function, correctly. The human body is made up of 60%-70% water on average, and our bodies use that fluid to function normally . That fluid needs to be replaced. We stay hydrated by drinking enough liquids, or beverages, throughout the day.
Part 1- Hydration Nutrition
Activity #1- use as a platform to elaborate on how staying hydrated helps our;
Muscles:
Our muscles need things called electrolytes to move. Water helps transport electrolytes to our muscles so that they work properly.
Blood Flow:
Our blood has to be a certain thickness to move through our bodies. If the body is dehydrated, the blood is going to be too thick to flow through the body correctly. Consuming enough liquids creates blood which is the perfect thickness to flow through our veins/promotes better heart function. Blood then transports oxygen, nutrients and vitamins in our bodies.  

26. Lesson #5 Continued Prevents Constipation:
Water helps to flush our bodies of toxins and feces
Provides moisture for our organs:
Our organs (stomach, brain, kidneys, etc.) need liquids to help them keep their shape and function correctly.
Helps us use vitamins and minerals:
liquids help our blood transport vitamins, minerals and nutrients to all parts of our body and also help certain vitamins, like vitamin C, break down into small enough pieces that the body can use.
Helps keep our bodies from overheating:
sweating keeps us cool
Demonstration: Use Emergen-C tablet to illustrate how water soluble vitamins behave
Ask- How can we stay hydrated throughout the day? – Use Hydration Benefits Handout to teach strategies
Review Hydration Guidelines and use water bottle or cup measures to visualize
Part 2- Sweetened Beverages
Write t chart on the board, use to explain added sugars vs natural sugars
Added sugars- sugars which naturally occur/are already in the foods we eat. Ex: Fruit and 100% fruit.
Added sugars- sugars which has been added by companies during the creation of the beverage . Ex: Soda
Both forms of sugar aren’t great, but beverages with naturally occurring sugars generally contain less sugar

27. Lesson #5 Continued
Ask-What can too much sugar do to our bodies?- elaborate on the following;
Dehydration
Cavities
Obesity
Disease/inflammation
Fill a dixie cup with 9 tsp of sugar as reference- place next to cup filled with the amount of sugar contained in one 16 oz coke
6-9 tsp of added sugar per day is the maximum amount of added sugar recommended per day- one 16 oz coke contains 52 grams of sugar and that’s equal to 13 tsp of sugar, much more than the recommended daily amount
Use Hydration Benefits handout to discuss different unsweetened beverage options
Activity #2
Part 3- Strawberry Basil Infused Water
Ask- What do you drink the most? Is there anything that you drink mostly with meals? In between meals? (write answers on the whiteboard)  
Brainstorm with the class different unsweetened beverage options;
Iced tea, flavored seltzer, Infused water, zero calorie sweeteners, sun tea, smoothies (for a cooling meal replacement)
Food Tasting-
Serve samples of the infused water
Indicate that this recipe was made with strawberries and basil, discuss the recipe steps
Ask-what do they think/what would they change about the recipe?
Call to action: Try making infused water at least once this week!

28. Lesson #5 Continued Questions to Ask:
Does anyone know what hydration means?
How can we stay hydrated throughout the day?
What can too much sugar do to our bodies?
What do you drink the most? Is there anything that you drink mostly with meals? In between meals?
What do they think/what would they change about the recipe?
What Worked:
Activity #1 worked really well, the large body cut-out really appealed to the students and they also got to learn the names of the different organs as a bonus
The recipe- people who were not normally inclined to try the food were willing to try the water because they could clearly see what was in it
The Emergen-C demonstration
Comparing the amount of sugar in a coke and the recommended intake of sugar using actual sugar seemed to really resonate with the students
Suggestions:
Write the answers to the discussion questions on the board
Make sure to ask if there are any questions, some people are very shy about asking their questions because of their limited English abilities

29. Intern Notes Final Suggestions:
Include a 6th lesson (or more) which includes a field trip to a local grocery store or other places food can be purchased (like a farmer’s market).
Include a more tangible assessment of how much the students learned. This can be in the form of:
A two discussions with the students, one before the classes commence and one after they finish
A verbal survey/assessment
Always write the icebreaker on the board so that students can refer to it
Students will have notebooks and try to write everything you write on the board in the notebook. This will take time so make sure to specify when they should take notes and when it is not necessary
Do not worry if the interpreter is late or members of the class are slow to filter in- many cultures have a different perception of time that Americans do. Many times the 1 hour class period was shortened to 45 minutes because of this. Be flexible and adjust your lesson plan accordingly, either way the students will learn something!
If you revise any materials for the class remember, keep it simple!
Include lots of discussion in the class, this is the best way for students to practice their English skills
Talk slowly and re-iterate yourself
It will be difficult to determine how many people will arrive each week, stay flexible.

30. Sources Research Articles:
Teidje K, Weiland L M, Meiers S J, et al. A Focus Group Study of Healthy Knowledge,
Practices and Barriers among Adult and Adolescent Immigrants in the United States.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2014; 11: 63.
Pereira A N C, Larder N, Somerset S. Food Acquisition Habits in a group of African Refugees. j.healthplace.
Wandell P E, Population Groups in Dietary Transition. Food and Nutr Res. 2013;27:1
Malmusi D, Borrell C, Benach J. Migration Related Health Inequalities: Showing the Complex
Interactions between Gender, Social Class and Place of Origin. j.socscimed
Website Resources/Manuals:
- under “resources for
dietitians” tab. Used as a resource for food and culture profiles.
-WIC guidelines resource
-used to observe what
other programs are teaching refugees as far as health and human services.
- A
resource for volunteers learning how to work with ESL students for the first time.
- Source of all dietary guidelines and nutrition information
- Resource for working with low income audiences