What’s a balanced diet?

Doris and Samuel are having dinner in a restaurant.

Samuel: I think I’ll have a hamburger, some chocolate cake and a large cola. How does that sound to you?

Doris: That sounds terrible! I’ll have a chicken sandwich, a salad, an apple and a glass of lemon tea. I’ve decided to stay from fried food and soft drinks.

Samuel: Since when?

Doris: Since I had my medical examination. The doctor said that I needed to lose a bit of weight by avoiding fat, oil and sugar. He also stated that it’s necessary for me to have a more balanced diet.

Samuel: What’s a balanced diet?

Doris:  A balanced diet means having different kinds of healthy food every day. Research shows that each day you should have plenty of fruit, vegetables and grain products such as noodles and bread. And, in general you should have fewer dairy products and eggs, and less meat. 

Samuel: But I believe my diet is balanced.

Doris: Really? Do you remember what you had today?

Samuel: Oh, the usual things. For breakfast, I had fried eggs and a large cup of coffee with a lot of milk and sugar. Then I treated myself to some ice cream for a snack.

Doris:  And for lunch?

Samuel: For lunch, I had six chicken wings and a cola.

Doris: I don’t understand how that is a balanced diet.

Samuel:  Well, I have many different kinds of food every day.

Doris:  But all of these kinds of food are unhealthy for you.

Samuel:  Ok, you’re right. I’ll change my diet ...... tomorrow. Here comes my hamburger and chocolate cake!

 

A poem

The rice farmer

by Saoirse McCann

The Sun is setting low, the red sky a welcoming sight;

The farmer stands silently in the fading light.

The fields are watered and planted, the buffaloes are fed;

The only thing he thinks of now is finding home and bed.

A gentle wind is whispering of hope and dreams of life;

Every grain of rice requires such effort and such strife.

Remember, when you sit and eat with family or friends,

All the many hours he works, as his fields he tends.

 

The tale of the tomato

Tomatoes were first grown in Central and South America. They were unknown to the rest of the world until the 16th century. In the beginning, many people in Europe refused to eat tomatoes because they thought the fruit was dangerous.

Tomatoes first became common in the US in the 1820s. In one story, a man named Robert Johnson ate some tomatoes in public. Everyone in the town crowded around him to watch him die. When he did not die, they realized that tomatoes were safe to eat and no longer avoided them.