The 2005 Dietary Guidelines introduced the term "Food Groups to Encourage" (FGTE). Today, it's part of mainstream nutrition lingo. The reason — we all need to eat more often from these Food Groups — the Milk Group, Grain Group, Fruit Group and Vegetable Group. These FGTE are good sources of nutrients that fall short in most Americans' diets. Make sure your nutrition instruction content is in step with the FGTE, and use the unique, engaging activities from Arianna's Nutrition Expedition™ to grab students' attention.

Here's how:

Lessons Teach About the FGTE
Read adventures, such as Arianna Bones and the 'Great Mysteries-of-Nutrition' Pavillion (PDF) and Arianna's Mission Log (PDF) that introduce each group, its health benefits and nutrient profile. Extend these lessons with Going Further activities, including a hands-on, How Big Is a Serving? Lab or a game of FGTE Health Benefits Speedball. Discover how Combination Foods help kids eat more FGTE in Activity 6, Arianna's Combination Cookbook, and create a special, FGTE journal page and entry for the Adventures Remembered scrapbook in Activity 8.

FGTE for Parents, Too
Make sure that parents understand the FGTE benefits and encourage their children to consume these foods with our Healthier Eating: Getting Where You Need to Be fact sheet that you can download as a take-home handout for parents.

NEW Creative Writing Contest!
Fueling excitement about eating a nutritious breakfast is one more way you can encourage kids to eat more often from FGTE. Contact your School Nutrition Director about entering the School Breakfast: Fuel Your Imagination Writing Contest that challenges students to write stories about how eating a healthy breakfast will help them achieve their dreams. Read more about school breakfast and learning on pages 6 and 7 of Arianna's Nutrition Expedition™ Backgrounder.