Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Exercise Your Options


Description

Middle school students assess their nutrition and physical activity knowledge in this curriculum that aligns with education standards and is based on a behavior-change model. The program helps students apply decision-making skills to real-life issues that influence their health. The nutrition lessons are skills-based to help students apply problem-solving, reasoning, and critical thinking techniques, making them successful in the classroom and beyond. Ideas for extension activities, questions, and projects for students are included. The media disk provides common scenarios faced by students, such as making choices from food court menus in shopping malls and choosing realistic portion sizes. Other lesson topics include eating disorders, sports nutrition, bone health, and body image.

What’s Inside

A teacher guide, student activity booklet, and a media disk with eight video segments that introduce the key issues in each lesson.

Activity Highlight

In lesson 5, Keep Moving, Keep Fit, students recall the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity recommended daily, classify a variety of activities as moderate or vigorous or low levels of physical activity, evaluate a record of their physical activity, and make a plan to increase their physical activity levels to meet the recommendations.

  • Key Content Areas: After School, Cafeteria Connections, Integrated subjects, MyPlate, and Physical Activity.  
  • Originator of Resources: Dairy Council of California
  • User of Resource: Teachers and Physical Education Teachers
  • Audience: Grades 6–8
  • Languages: English
  • Number of lessons: 8
  • Amount of time per lesson: 45–60 minutes
  • Format: Downloadable and Supplemental DVD

Resource

To access the curriculum, visit the Dairy Council of California Healthy Eating Made Easier web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Contacts

If you have any questions, please visit the Dairy Council of California Contact Us web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Related Content
Recently Posted in Nutrition

  • National Nutrition Month 2026 Letter (added 10-Feb-2026)
    The Nutrition Services Division encourages program operators to participate in the National Nutrition Month and National School Breakfast Week.
  • Availability of the 2026-27 Breakfast Grant (added 06-Feb-2026)
    The final reminder for School Breakfast Program (SBP) and Summer Meal Programs (SMP) Start-up and Expansion Grants, administered by the California Department of Education, provide schools with funding to start-up or expand their SBP and SMP.
  • 2026 SUN Bucks Implementation Webinar (added 05-Feb-2026)
    Register for the 2026 SUN Bucks Implementation Webinar.
  • Availability of the 2026-27 Breakfast Grant (added 02-Feb-2026)
    The School Breakfast Program (SBP) and Summer Meal Programs (SMP) Start-up and Expansion Grants, administered by the California Department of Education, provide schools with funding to start-up or expand their SBP and SMP.
  • Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 (added 30-Jan-2026)
    Key updates to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 such as fluid milk requirements, fluid milk substitutes, and dietary specifications for saturated fat.