Creating Art with Fruit & Vegetables
Eating a healthy diet is important; including a variety of colours in our diet is even more important. This was the idea behind this activity. The students were asked to research and eventually create art work using only fruit and vegetables. Besides testing for the students' creativity, the aim was to teach them that the several different colours included in their work signified a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. All fruit and vegetables were, at the end, either eaten by the students themselves, or taken back home to be used or eaten. None of the food was wasted!
The following shows the students at work:
Additifs in foods
Pigments in Beetroots
The students tried to observe diffusion of the red pigment while experimenting in the Biology Laboratory:
Colours - breakfast
Nutrients in Food
We are always encouraged to eat a healthy balanced diet. What is a balanced diet? It is one that includes all nutrients, in the right proportions according to our daily changing needs. A healthy diet must include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, water and a source of fibre. How can I check if food contains carbohydrates, proteins and fats? The following shows steps of how Biology students tested for the presence of these three nutrients during one of their Biology lessons: Please click HERE
Colour additives in food
Artificial food colours are chemical dyes used to colour food and drinks. The most widely used dyes are Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 – accounting for 90% of all dyes used. They contain carcinogens and may cause allergic reactions. Each year, about 15 million pounds of synthetic dyes go into the processed U.S. food supply. (http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-food-additives)
But are all food colouring additives bad for our health? If you would like to read more about this topic, below are two presentations prepared by 2 groups of Biology students.
The rainbow in our plate!
We often read or hear that ideally our plate should be a rainbow of colours. Eating a variety of colourful food provides vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to nourish the body. Different coloured foods play different roles in the body. It is important to aim for at least three colours at every meal and two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables over the course of the day. The following presentation shows the alphabet in colourful food, together with some nutritional values.
The meaning of colours in food
“Eat a rainbow of colours often,” Core Performance founder Mark Verstegen is fond of saying.
Eating a variety of colourful food provides vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to nourish your body that can’t be replicated in a supplement.
Different coloured foods play different roles in the body. Aim for at least three colours at every meal and two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables over the course of the day.
“Every meal should include colorful fruits and vegetables because of their fiber and nutrient densities,” says Verstegen. “Proteins and carbs will most likely be brown, beige, or white. Add veggies like red and green peppers, carrots, and green beans to get your color quotient up.”
http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/nutrition/eat-colorful-foods-for-better-health.html
Cherise and Julia's task was to research the benefits of the main colours found in food. They also took photos of their lunch or dinner plates, to analyse the colours found in their diet. Are they eating the rainbow of colours as suggested by Mark Verstegen?
Colourful plates for better health - A presentation by Maria Pia and her team