PBS Kids GO! It's My Life
Body Games Video Advice Celebs
Play It
Home
Friends
Family
School
Body
Emotions
Money

Other Body Topics:

You Said It
Do you have any healthy eating habits you’re proud of? Do you have any unhealthy habits you wish you could change?

Here's what others said


Offline Activities
Help's Around the Corner
Parents and Teachers
Food Smarts: What's In You?
Girl and food

Topics on
Food Smarts:
What's In You?
The Food Pyramid
Serving Size Surprises
Understanding Food
    Labels
The Choices Are
    Yours
Myths And Facts
Real World Tips
    and Tricks
Family Eating Habits
From the Mentors
How much attention do you pay to what you put ON your body? Probably a lot, right? After all, wearing clothes we like helps us look and feel good.

Now, how much attention do you pay to what you put IN your body…in other words, FOOD? As we get older, we start to think about this stuff more and more. Maybe you’ve started making more of your own eating choices or even preparing your own meals. Maybe you’ve just become extra-aware of how food affects you inside and out. You’re not alone!

Brian, 11, told us: “I just wish I would eat healthier. I'm not exactly on the skinny side.” Jessica, 12, says, “If I could eat better, I would choose to eat less junky stuff and eat more healthy foods. I would also treat myself to candy only once a week.”

Melissa, 11, writes that she would like to change how much she eats for dinner. “I always eat like 2 or 3 servings of dinner,” she says. Allie, 11, wants more variety: “I would make myself like more foods.”

The truth is, food adds yumminess to our lives, and it’s no fun to deny ourselves something we want to eat. On the other hand, eating lots of junk food and sweets can make us feel a little gross, and maybe guilty that we’re not being good to our bodies. Somewhere, there’s a middle road, but it’s hard to find it through all the rumors, personal opinions, and fad diets out there. IML is here to give you the facts you need to be Food Smart, along with advice on gaining good eating habits that actually work in the real world…and will hopefully stay with you for the rest of your life.

Remember: This is not a guide to losing weight! If you feel you are overweight, talk to a parent, doctor, or school nurse about (a) whether you really do need to shed some pounds and (b) finding a safe, sound way to do it.

First, let’s look at the basics: The Food Pyramid

Our thanks to Mary McKenna, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for her contribution to this topic.


Printables Record your thoughts and feelings about this topic with a printable IML Journal page. You can also puzzle around with the "Food Smarts" Word Search, or check out a list of great books on the subject. Want to bring up this subject with adults in your family?
Print out some discussion questions that will help
E-mail a friend E-mail this page to a friend    Printable version of this pageGet printable version of this page
Word Search
Do the Food Smarts Word Search!

Vote Now
Do you think you have healthy eating habits?
Totally! I try
        to eat foods
        that are good
        for me.
I’m good
        sometimes, but
        other times I’ll
        eat junk food.
Not really. I
        mostly eat stuff
        I know isn’t
        healthy for me.


Watch It
Kids talk about food smarts
low-res      hi-res
Food Smarts

You'll need the RealVideo plug-in to view a video clip. If you don't have RealVideo, click here.
Download RealPlayer

Copyright © 2005 CastleWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.