Overview
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Family Recipe
Author: This unit was researched, authored, and edited by the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, California Indian Education for All, and the San Diego County Office of Education. Key writers and researchers of this unit are Nicole Lim, Jayden Lim, and Dr. Staci Block. The unit resources were designed and created from funding through the California Department of Education’s Native American Studies Model Curriculum grant and contract.
Grade(s): 6th-8th Grades
Suggested Amount of Time: Two 60 minute Class Periods
Curriculum Themes
- History
- Relationship to Place
Learning Goals
Analyze the nutritional content of Indigenous and introduced foods.
Understand how food traditions connect to culture and family history.
Create a modified version of a family recipe using Indigenous ingredients.
Reflect on the role of whole and processed foods in promoting health.
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students compare the nutritional qualities of Indigenous and introduced foods, interview a trusted adult about food traditions, and adapt a family recipe to include local Indigenous ingredients. Through these activities, students will deepen their understanding of nutrition, cultural connections to food, and the importance of incorporating healthy, whole foods into their diets.
Teacher Background
The understanding of nutrition and Native foods by exploring nutrition labels for introduced and Indigenous foods. Comparing the nutritional content of Indigenous and introduced foods emphasizes the differences specifically in cholesterol, saturated fat, added sugar, and fiber content. Comparing Introduced and Indigenous foods prepares students to further explore their relationship with food and consider the role models in their lives that can support healthy eating habits. While Native peoples’ relationship with food has dramatically changed over time, the state of Westernized foods has also changed. To highlight this change, students will choose a trusted adult or mentor in their lives (preferably from their family), to interview about their food history.