This month I wanted to provide you with a fun nutrition education activity that can be used in the upper grades. Food Group Trivia Time can be used with students in Intermediate, Middle School and High School classes. (Watch the YouTube Video Walk Through)

I realize that the main educational outcomes for this activity are for grades 3-6. However, I also know from my work with college students that most young people have not yet met these important building-block outcomes.

With that being said, here are the essential questions that we want students to be able to answer after their participation in Food Group Trivia Time:

• What are the 5 basic food groups, and why is each group uniquely important?
• What nutritious foods from each food group can help me build a balanced meal?

These are the OPEN Priority Outcomes for Nutrition that these questions help us work toward:

• Grade 3: Identifies the 5 basic food groups.
• Grade 4: Identifies a variety of foods from each food group.
• Grade 5: Compares and contrasts the health benefits of different food choices.
• Grade 6: Identifies foods from each food group that can be combined to build balanced meals.

There are 5 categories on the trivia board, one for each food group. This visual reminder helps to answer and reinforce the first part of Question 1… What are the 5 basic food groups?

The second part of the question is a little more complex… Why is each group uniquely important? There are several answers to this single question and they’re built into the clues given for each food. Here is a very basic overview for each food group. However, it’s important to understand that each food group provides a very complex mixture of benefits to our bodies.

I’m over simplifying it to make it more presentable to school-aged kids. If and when your students are ready for and interested in learning more about nutrition, please encourage them to look for information from registered dietitian nutritionists, to ensure the information is accurate and evidence based.

FRUIT: Provides essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and is an important source of complex carbohydrates (our body’s preferred energy source).

VEGETABLES: Again, provides essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and is an important source of complex carbohydrates. We need both fruits and vegetables to get the ideal variety of nutrients that the body needs to be healthy.

GRAINS: When we eat whole grains we’re providing our body with complex carbohydrates along with an important mixture of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. Whole grains have been an essential part of human development for thousands of years.

PROTEIN: The name of this food group gives away the answer to what makes it so important. Protein is the building block of human cells. We need protein for growth as well as the repair of cells as we age. Understanding the importance of lean protein, including plant-based protein sources is important.

DAIRY: Some might argue that this group should be called the Calcium group. Calcium is uniquely important in a healthy diet and getting enough calcium can be challenging if we don’t consume the right foods. Although it is possible to get calcium from non-dairy sources, dairy products remain the most common source of calcium in the American diet. Foods in the dairy group also provide other minerals, vitamins, protein and carbohydrates.

We answer the second essential question with the answers to each clue. What nutritious foods from each food group can help me build balanced meals? Each answer is a food that fits into the food group with a brief explanation of that food’s nutritional benefit.

With only 25 clues and answers on this board, there are obviously many more foods that students can and should be introduced to. I selected common foods in the American diet. I hope you’ll use my Trivia Board Template to build additional clues and answers for your students. I’ve also included a CYO (Create Your Own) Trivia Board Template to allow you to create customized categories for trivia games in any subject area.

Thank you for supporting Nutrition From The Hart by sharing this resource with your colleagues and friends across all of your social media and email platforms.

FOOD GROUP TRIVIA TIME FILE LINKS Watch YouTube Walk Through
Food Group Trivia Time Game Board [Google Slides, PPT, PDF Answer Key]
DIY Food Group Trivia Time Game Board [Google Slides, PPT]
DIY Trivia Time Game Board with Custom Categories [Google Slides, PPT]