When Planning your Thanksgiving dinner with kids, it can be fun to think about what Jack Sprat and his wife could eat. The story, “Jack Sprat Learns About Food” helps children to learn about the different categories of food that we should include in our meals. The resources from myplate.gov are helpful too.

Food at Thanksgiving Dinner

If you are curious how we graduated from the “basic four food groups” to a “food pyramid” and then finally arrived at “myplate”, check out this blog for more information.

In the traditional nursery rhyme about Jack Sprat, the lyrics go like this:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.

His wife could eat no lean.

And so between them both, you see,

They licked the platter clean

-Mother Goose

The lyrics in the Mother Goose Meets Mother Nature resource continue the story so that Jack’s wife learns the importance of having protein in her diet.

Jack Sprat would eat no fat; his wife would eat no lean.

They always said please to milk and cheese; for each meal they served leafy greens.

Jellies were spread on slices of bread, And fresh fruit at each meal is keen.

Though candy and sweets make tasty treats, These foods should be rarely seen.

Without any meat, Your meal’s incomplete Jack said, I’ll show you what I mean.

Your diet still lacks what red meats all pack. For strong muscles you need protein

“So for a healthy life,” Jack told his wife, “Replace meat with nuts and beans.”

Mr. and Mrs. Sprat have both learned that a balanced diet keeps you happy, healthy, and lean.

Jack Sprat Learns About Food by Michael Kessler and Dawn Stephens

This version is available in a downloadable guided reading book available here. It also comes with a teacher’s guide packed full of activities and worksheets. In addition, the guide has sections for spiritual, social, and academic growth. You children will learn about the five categories every meal should include. Therefore, you’ll be able to jplan a healthy Thanksgiving dinner. Here are a few ideas for each category.

1. The Fruit Category – Jack Sprat Could Eat Fruit

The first type of food that Jack and his wife need for their Thanksgiving dinner is fruit.

Foods that are in this category include any fruit or 100% fruit juice. The fruit can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. Most people will not have fruit juice for dinner. But, a fruit salad makes a colorful addition to a Thanksgiving meal.

2. The Vegetable Category – Jack Sprat Could Eat Vegetables

The second category that Jack and his wife could eat is vegetables. This category includes any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice. Vegetables can be raw or cooked, canned, frozen, or picked fresh. They can be cut up, mashed, or whole. All vegetables are not the same, however. You can put them in sub-categories of:

• Green
• Red and orange
• Beans, peas, and lentils
• Starchy
• Other vegetables

For examples in each group and serving amounts for specific age groups go here. And, because we are talking about a Thanksgiving meal, it is ok to go overboard and try to serve a vegetable from each sub-category. Jack Sprat might include a green bean casserole, a sweet potato casserole, broccoli, and corn.

3. The Grains Category

The third category is grains. This category includes wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, and barley. The foods in this category are divided into 2 subgroups: Whole Grains and Refined Grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel. Refined grains are crushed to create a finer texture and longer shelf life. But, refining the grain removes fiber, iron, and some vitamins. Refined grain is white flour, corn grits, white bread, and white rice. You can, however, find refined grains that are enriched with certain vitamins and iron.

Jack could include dinner rolls, bread, or pasta at his Thanksgiving meal so he and his wife would have an adequate serving of food from the grains category.

4. The Dairy Category

The dairy category provides us with calcium. It includes products made from milk. Examples are milk itself, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese. Lactose-free milk and fortified soy milk are good options too. Plant-based milk like almond or oat milk is not a part of the dairy category. However, these “kinds of milk” can be a good source of calcium. Foods that are made from milk, but have little calcium and high-fat content, such as cream cheese, sour cream, cream, and butter would not be good choices of food in this category.

Jack’s Thanksgiving dinner might include Mac and Cheese, and a large glass of milk. I am sure he’d enjoy a scoop of ice cream on his pumpkin pie too.

5. The Protein Category

The protein category might be a little tricky for Jack and his wife. We tend to think of protein as something we get from meat. Back in the day, we referred to this category as “the meat group.”

Seafood, meat, poultry, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products are all a part of the Protein Category. Even though beans, peas, and lentils are also part of the Vegetable Category. And just like Jack Sprat, (who ate no fat) our meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat too. But remember Jack’s wife? She would not eat even lean meat. We might, therefore, assume that Jack’s wife was a vegetarian (a person that does not eat meat). In the little book, “Jack Sprat Learns About Food“, Jack helps his wife by presenting her with nuts and beans, so she will have a source of protein. Vegetarian options in the Protein Category include beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products.

If you are looking for other books to help teach your children about healthy eating, these might be a great option:

Disclosure: The Amazon links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, the author earns a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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By Dawn Steohens