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UNL Food: Youth / 4-H

Food Facts on meal planning, nutrition, measurements, science, careers

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boys using liquid measuring cups Kids love to cook! Dish up some fun food facts!

Browse through facts, tips and other cool interactive stuff for kids — from healthy hints to the science of food. Kids can learn how to prepare fun meals for friends and family!

My Mealtime with MyPyramidboys mixing a recipe

Help children learn about food and healthy eating by inviting them into the kitchen. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers assistance in locating recipes, activities and guidelines to use when cooking with kids.

Writing the Winning Menu

An appropriately written menu should follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid to assure nutritional adequacy. Good menus have choices from every food group and get the most nutrition out of the calories provided.

MyPyramid gives more specific guidelines about the types and AMOUNTS of foods to eat than the previous Food Guide Pyramid. For adults, this is based on a 2,000 kcal diet. Adjustments may need to be made for an individual’s age, gender, and physical activity level. The following page offers the suggested guidelines for young children, girls and boys.

career woman with stack of books and appleCareers

Have you ever thought about making a career of foods?

Here's just a "taste" of careers that can await you as a graduate of Nutrition and Health Sciences in the College of Education and Human Sciences.

 Not sure what's for you? Explore Your Possibilities!

Meal Planning and Preparation

Meal preparation starts with the basics. Understanding how measuring teaspoons, cups, and liquid measuring cups equal each other is good first start! Use the following chart as a your guide or download your own My Measurements Guide to help learn the differences between teaspoons and tablespoons, quarts, and gallons.

measuring

Food and Kitchen Safety

Who says pizza is just for dinner? Check out Cold Pizza for Breakfast and learn all the important do's and don'ts for tweens and teens food safety!

Tacos left out on the kitchen counter? Food growing fuzz in the fridge? Let's play...'Keep or Toss".... and test your game plan for food safety.

Kitchens are one of the busiest rooms and may also be one of the most dangerous rooms in the house.
Check out Kitchen Safety to learn tips for keeping you and your family members safe when working in the kitchen. More on Food Handling Safety and Fair Project safetyâ–º

Mealtime Manners!

The following guide is a basic set of traditional rules for setting the table. Different cultures follow different rules for table etiquette – ask for clarification, if needed. This traditional example can be used in a formal as well as an informal setting. To set the table, the 4-H’er needs a “place setting” for each person. Table setting contests will commonly require at least one table setting on display - check the county for specific details. Not all counties have this contest. Please check with your local Extension office.

Food Science

What is Food Science? Food Science is the discovery of:

  • MyPyramid
  • Learning how ingredients react with each other when exposed to different temperature ranges.
  • Making predictions as to how recipes may turn out with different ingredient or mixing techniques.
  • Understanding how food production is impacted by the science of agriculture.
  • Using the five senses with sensory exploration.
  • Food Science can always provide a chance for kids to guess what might happen when they do their project and gives them a chance to analyze the results and experiment with varying ingredients.

Explore simple experiments and activities that Penn State University has to offer for food science!

Iowa State University's Welcome to the Fabulous, Fascinating (& sometimes FREAKY) World of Food, for K - 8th graders. These experiments are meant to have some adult supervision. Elementary and pre-school age youth will require an adult present, but all ages will enjoy the results!

Explore eXtension for objective, research-based and credible information you can use every day to improve your life! There are lots of resource areas to choose from for communities, families, and youth, as well as many related to agriculture. Look at some of the terrific ideas under Food, Families, and Fitness for some fune with your 4-H'ers and your family!