LESSON PLAN: Solid Fats and Added Sugars (SOFAS)

Nicole Arruda, Jackie Tanguay & Yewande Akinkuowo

I. TARGET AUDIENCE: The Oasis International Youth are predominantly from the
Providence and Pawtucket area living in lower-middle class communities. The
majority of the group is both Nigerian and Muslim and all participants of the youth
group are African American between the ages of 10 to 17 years old. This group
reads between a 6th grade and high school level. Visuals and demonstrations are
effective methods of learning for this target audience. Learning is most effective
when involved in the class and therefore participation is key to promote the best
learning possible.
II.

OBJECTIVE: After participating in a nutrition workshop on solid fats and added

sugars 10 out of 12 of the students in the Oasis International group will say that
they will make healthier fast food and beverage choices which contain less solid
fat and added sugars than previous choices.

III.

TIME ALLOTTED: 45 minutes

IV.

PRE ASSESSMENT: After careful analysis of the needs assessment it has been
determined that in order to prevent obesity, the greatest needs of the group are to
lower overall consumption of added sugar from sugar sweetened beverages and
solid fats from fast food. The majority of the Oasis group drink a variety of sugarsweetened beverages such as juice and soda, and 11 out of 17 kids drink soda
once a day or more, with 15 out of 17 kids frequently eat fast food once a week or
more. Therefore the goal of the workshop will be to educate the youth group on

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reducing their intake of added sugar from sugar sweetened beverages and
reducing their intake of solid fat from fast food.
V.

CONTENT AND SEQUENCE OF PRESENTATION

a.

ICE BREAKER: FAST FOOD TRIVIA

6 trivia questions based on fast food slogans, fun facts and menu items.
b. FACE THE FATS
Visually demonstrate the fat content of popular fast food items: McDonalds
french fries paired with McDonalds 10 piece chicken nuggets, Kentucky Fried
Chickens 2 piece fried chicken breast, and Burger Kings Whopper.
c. RETHINK YOUR DRINK
Visually demonstrate the added sugar content of popular beverages: Capri Sun,
DairyPure 1% milk, Nestle chocolate milk, Hi-C, orange juice, Sunny D,
Gatorade, Red Bull, Coca Cola, Mucho Mango Arizona iced tea and water.
d. EATING GOOD IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Students will design a fast food meal from a popular fast food restaurant in their
neighborhood that contains less added sugar and solid fat than their typical
order. Students will be able to demonstrate what they have learned from the
Rethink Your Drink and Face The Fats activity for this lesson and will be
assigned to McDonalds, Burger King, or KFC.

VI.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Before Presentation: Set up all visuals in an appropriate way for the space.
a. ICE BREAKER
1. Introduce self to class.

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2. Introduce the game of Fast Food Trivia and get students excited.
3. One presenter will reveal the questions and read them to the class. This presenter
will call upon the first hand raised and continue picking until the answer is
revealed. Complete this for all trivia questions.
b. FACE THE FATS
Behavioral objective: After participating in the Face the Fats activity on solid fats and
listening to the short introduction to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats vs. trans
and saturated fats, 10 out of 12 students in the Oasis International group will be able to
determine that healthy fats are unsaturated and which food sources contain them.
1. Presenter number one addresses SOFAS visual and flips around the SO and F to
reveal Solid Fats.
2. Explain that solid fats are found in common food items and especially fast food.
3. Introduce the Face the Fats demonstration and call 3 volunteers to the front.
4. Ask the first person to open their McDonalds bag. Ask him or her to show the
class picture of large McDonalds french fries and chicken nuggets and ask how
much fat does the class think is in the two combined.
5. Explain to the audience that there are 24g fat in the large fries and 30g fat in the
nuggets, and this equals 14 scoops. Ask the volunteer to scoop 14 scoops onto a
paper plate.
6. While the first volunteer is scooping ask the second volunteer to open his or her
KFC bag. Ask him or her to show the class picture of the KFC 2-piece chicken
breast and ask how much fat does the class think is in it.

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7. Say there is 28g fat in the 2-piece chicken breast and this equals 7 scoops. Ask
the third volunteer to scoop 7 scoops onto a paper plate.
8. While the first and second volunteers are scooping ask the third volunteer to open
his or her Burger King bag. Ask him or her to show the class the picture of
McDonalds Whopper and ask how much fat does the class think is in it.
9. Explain to the audience that there is 37g fat in the Whopper and this equals 10
scoops. Ask the third volunteer to scoop 10 scoops onto a paper plate.
10. Once the participants are done scooping ask the volunteers to hold up the plates
and show them to the class. Ask the class if any of these plates are a surprise
and for any thoughts or comments. Does this look appetizing? Is this something
they would want to eat? Did they realize that some favorite meals like fries and
nuggets, the Whopper, and 2-piece chicken breast contains this much solid fat in
it?
11. Reveal the saturated and trans fat poster to the class. Explain that these are solid
fats, and something to be enjoyed in moderation. Point out some of the foods on
the poster that contain them.
12. Explain that not all fats are solid fats. The opposite of this, a good fat that is
mostly liquid fat, is called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
13. Flip over the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated poster. Explain that these
fats are good for you and point out what foods contain them. Say that avocado is
in guacamole, and the chips and guacamole option is a better option when eating
at Taco Bell and Subway.
14. Turn it over to the second presenter.

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c. RETHINK YOUR DRINK
Behavioral Objective: After participating in the Rethink Your Drink activity about added
sugars 10 out of 12 students in the Oasis International group will be able to distinguish
that a healthy sugar is a natural sugar and which drinks contain them.
1. Presenter number two addresses the SOFAS visual and flips around the A and S
to reveal Added Sugars.
2. Explain that added sugars are found in common foods and beverages and it is
sugar that is added which is not naturally found in the food or beverage.
3. Introduce the Rethink Your Drink activity to the group, which focuses on added
sugars in the most popular beverages consumed by the group.
4. Show the class one sugar packet. Say this is equal to 4g of sugar or 1 teaspoon,
which is a normal serving spoon. Show plastic spoon to class. Hold up cup
containing one sugar packet for visual and ask if this looks like a lot.
5. Pass out one of each drink to the class. Ask them to line up their bottles with the
amount of sugar packets they think it contains.
6. Once each drink has been placed with the number of sugar packets ask the class
if they are satisfied with the arrangement of the drinks and make changes as
necessary.
7. After the order is complete, the instructor will congratulate the group on their
teamwork and critical thinking skills and then pull the incorrectly placed drinks
back. Pick each one individually and ask class where does this go? Do this for
every drink until the drinks are lined up in order.

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8. Pull the water, milk, chocolate milk, and orange juice forward. Explain that these
are GO drinks and can be had all the time.
9. Ask class why the water is a GO drink. Then say it is because there is no sugar
and is good so your body can function properly.
10. Ask the class why the 1% milk is a GO drink. Then say it is good for your bones
and also contains natural sugars, which is the opposite of added sugars. Natural
sugars are naturally found in food and drinks and are not added. Explain how
packets are replaced with pictures of cows to represent natural sugar.
11. Ask the class why the chocolate milk is a GO drink. Then say it is good for your
bones and also contains natural sugars. Point out pictures of brown cows to
replace sugar packets and say this represents the natural sugar, but there is one
sugar packet on the end because there is added sugar in this as well.
12. Ask the class why the orange juice is a GO drink. Then say it is a fruit and has
vitamin C. It also contains natural sugars represented by orange juice pictures
instead of sugar packets.
13. Bring all other drinks forward. Explain that these are WHOA drinks because
they are to be had in moderation.
14. Ask class why Capri Sun is a WHOA drink when it has only 4 sugar packets. It
has added sugar instead of natural sugar and is also small, so a package that
were as big as some of the other drinks would have more sugar.
15. Ask the class why Hi-C is a WHOA drink when it has an orange on it? Explain
that the sugar doesnt come from an orange and that it is added sugar. Hold it up
to orange juice and explain that it is half the size for the same amount of sugar.

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16. Ask the class why Sunny-D is a WHOA drink when it also has an orange on it?
Explain that the sugar doesnt come from an orange and that it is an added sugar.
17. Ask the class why the Gatorade is a WHOA drink when it is known to be good
for sports? Explain that it is good to have while doing long-endurance physical
activity to refuel but if just sitting on the sofa it might not be the best option. Again
it has added sugar
18. Ask the class why Red Bull, Coke, and Arizona are WHOA drinks. They have
lots of sugar and it is added sugar. Have the class examine the amount of sugar
in these and that the packets are dragging on the floor.
19. Now ask the class how many packets do they think is the maximum
recommended amount that that a female have in a day. Hold up 6 packets.
20. Ask the class how many packets maximum it is recommended that a male have
in a day. Hold up 9 packets.
21. Hold up sugar packets for Arizona, the 20 packets, next to the recommended
amounts. Ask the class if this surprises them and point out that just one can of
Arizona, Coke, and Redbull are over the maximum recommended amount per
day. Ask if this surprises anyone.
22. Pass out Natural Sugar vs Added Sugar handout. Briefly summarize to class
and say this is a take-home for them as quick reference to pick a better drink.
23. Ask the class if anything surprises them and if they think they will pick more GO
drinks and think about sugar content when picking drinks.
24. Turn presentation over to next presenter.
d. EATING GOOD IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

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Behavioral Objective: After participating in the Face the Fats and Rethink Your Drink
activities about added sugars and solid fats all of the students in the Oasis International
group will be able create a meal from their favorite fast food restaurant with an entree, a
side, and a beverage that contains less than 20g added sugar and 25g solid fats.
1. Explain that this next activity combines what they learned from the first activity
into one and is a fun way to test their knowledge. Fast food restaurants are
predominantly the places to eat outside of the home so the goal of the activity is
to equip them with the knowledge they need to eat at fast food restaurants and
select healthier options.
2. Split the group into three teams: Team McDonalds, Team Burger King, and Team
KFC. Give each group their respective worksheets.
3. Each team will be given a budget of 25g of fat and 20g of added sugar.
4. Explain that with the budget they must create a fast food meal containing an
entree, beverage, and side.
5. Provide each team with a fast food nutrition guide and their respective team
worksheets. Explain that the worksheet has a table where they can write down
meal items along with the fat and sugar content. Tell the class the page numbers
of their restaurants in the fast food nutrition guide, and their budget.
6. Announce that proctors will be coming around to provide help if needed. All
teachers will check on groups and ask questions to make sure each group knows
exactly what to do.
7. Once each team has created a meal plan collect the worksheets.

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8. Briefly report to the class all of the completed meals and reveal which meals
remained within the budget. Emphasize which foods each group selected so that
the entire class knows some good choices for when they next visit these fast food
restaurants.
9. Ask if this is something they would order next time at McDonalds, KFC, and
Burger King?
e. Conclusion
1. Summarize SOFAS very briefly. In 1-2 sentences reiterate the difference between
unsaturated fats vs. trans and saturated fats and added sugar vs. natural sugar
and which foods contain these.
2. Announce that there will be guacamole and chip samples in the front for students
to try and that guacamole and chips or guacamole on a taco or sandwich is a
great option for a healthy fat when at fast food restaurants such as Taco Bell and
Subway.
3. Ask the class to please complete a quick survey then come to the front for
samples and hand the surveys out.
4. As students walk up with completed surveys spoon them a small helping of
guacamole and handful of Tostitos tortilla chips.
5. Thank the students for attending the workshop and answer any questions
students may have
VII.

MATERIALS

a. Introduction
Fast Food Trivia Board. Picture found in references

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b. Face the Fats
2 48 ounce tub of Crisco
8 plastic tablespoons
4 paper plates
1 box medium gloves
Fast food paper bags containing food models: McDonalds large fries and
McDonalds 10 piece chicken nuggets, KFC recipe 2 piece chicken breast,
Burger King Whopper. Picture of models found in references
McDonalds large fries: 24g, 6 scoops Crisco
McDonalds 10 piece chicken nuggets: 30g, 7.5 scoops Crisco
KFS 2 piece chicken breast: 28g, 7 scoops Crisco
Burger King Whopper: 37g, 9.5 scoops Crisco
c. Rethink Your Drink
One of each of the following drinks, with solid colored tape covering up the
grams of sugar on the nutrition label
1 16.9 fl-oz water bottle
1 180-mL Capri Sun pouch
1 14 fl-oz Nestle chocolate milk
1 6 fl-oz Hi-C juice box
1 25 fl-oz Mucho Mango Arizona Tea can
1 11.5 fl-oz orange juice bottle
1 11.3 fl-oz Sunny D bottle
1 20 fl-oz red Gatorade bottle

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1 8 fl-oz Red Bull
1 16.9 fl-oz Coca Cola bottle
Laminated Sugar packets to match sugar in beverages. There are 4 grams of
sugar per sugar packet. Packets have been rounded up. A picture of this setup
may be found in references.
Water: 0g sugar, 0 sugar packets
Capri Sun: 13g, 4 sugar packets
1% milk: 21g, 5 pictures of a regular cow the same size of packets
Chocolate Milk: 22g, 5 pictures of a brown cow the same size as the packets
and 1 sugar packet
Hi-C: 22g sugar, 6 sugar packets
Orange Juice: 26.5g, 7 pictures of oranges the same size of packets
Sunny D: 27g sugar, 7 sugar packets
Gatorade: 34g sugar, 9 packets
Red Bull: 39g sugar, 10 sugar packets
Coke: 65g sugar, 16 sugar packets
Mucho Mango Arizona: 78g sugar, 20 sugar packets
d. Eating Good in Your Neighborhood
25 SNAP-Ed booklets of food food nutrition guides
25 Pens
3 worksheets for students to write down their meals along with the fat and sugar
content. One worksheet will be for team McDonalds, another team Burger King,
and a third for team KFC. The back of the worksheet should include the budget

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of no more than 25g total fat and 20g sugar as well as the page number of
where to find each restaurant in the fast food nutrition guide. These can be
found in visuals
e. Conclusion
Final evaluation survey
1 bag of Tostitos tortilla chips and 16 oz tub of guacamole
25 paper plates
1 spoon for serving