When we held our last contest, we were bowled over by the fantastic responses we got from nutrition educators. It was terribly hard to choose a winner, but we thought we shouldn't end there. Instead, we wanted to share a few of our very favorite class ideas, so that you can get inspired too!

This summer has been an especially busy one here at Food and Health Communications, and I want to make sure that you don't miss a single thing that could make your life easier! We've been researching, recipe testing, and starting new projects all summer long, devoting ourselves to exciting products that can breathe new life into nutrition education. So, what have we been up to?

MyPlate is a fantastic guide to balanced eating, but did you know that it can help with portion control too? Yes, balancing your plate is important, but if that plate is the size of a football field, the meal won't be as healthful. It's just too much food. Serving size matters, and moderation is key.

It seems like it was just yesterday when we announced the report from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Committee. And now the next committee is working on the report for 2015. Here is a list of members and fun things you can do while you wait for the next report.

Here are 10 lessons we learned about fiber while creating our latest video. We know you will enjoy reading them and we have shared the best video excerpts from our YouTube channel. Fiber is a nutrition superstar and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans calls for 14 grams per 1,000 calories each day.

While everyone is talking about exciting new buzzwords like sustainability, local sourcing, and many flavor trends, there is one huge consumer trend we cannot ignore that is changing many industries and consumer habits. And that is the mobile use of the internet!

Here at Food and Health Communications, we just love to cook. Lately, we've been thinking about the most important cooking lessons for a healthful lifestyle, which led us to create our Top Seven Cooking Lessons for Health series. This free set of nutrition handouts is chock full of useful information. It covers everything from crafting the best bowl of oatmeal to steaming vegetables perfectly.

Newspapers, magazines, and the evening news are filled with calls to eat less of this and more of that, but is simply subtracting certain foods from the diet the way to a healthful lifestyle? Find out in today's post!

Too much sodium is bad for your health. Today's article explores the impact of sodium consumption on health and then offers a variety of strategies to help reduce sodium intake.

Who doesn't love the Fourth of July? The food, the fireworks, the fun with friends and family -- all of these elements combine to make this holiday fun and memorable. However, in all the hullabaloo, it can be difficult to make healthful decisions. Luckily, MyPlate is full of great tips and tricks for having an exciting and healthful celebration.

MyPlate's birthday is here! It was exactly one year ago today that the USDA released its new food icon. How are you going to celebrate MyPlate's birthday?

Today we want to celebrate the strawberry. Did you know that the strawberry is the most popular berry in the United States? According to the California Strawberry Commission, California produces enough strawberries to go around the world side by side 15 times!

Earlier this week, we explored the importance of vitamin D in osteoporosis prevention, as well as cancer prevention and health improvement. Many different products contain vitamin D, but not all of them are good for you. In this article, we'll explore some healthful -- and not-so-healthful -- sources of this vital vitamin.

Salsa isn't the only thing on the agenda this month, because May is also Osteoporosis Awareness month. This week we will be discussing the ins and outs of bone health, especially as it relates to nutrition.

Potassium is great for your heart, but many people aren’t getting nearly enough of it. On the flip side, most Americans are consuming way too much sodium, and we mean waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much sodium. Take a look at our strategies for balancing sodium and potassium intake!

Here are many ways to use a plate for portion control. After all, size matters. What you put on the plate matters. Using a plate to visualize how much you are eating is a great idea. We like to think of a plate as a reverse piggy bank. The smaller it is, the more you save!!

Our latest MyPlate creation is great for the heart! Barley, salmon, walnuts, vegetables, olive oil and more are made into a quick 30-minute meal that you will want to serve over and over again. Enjoy!

2011 was a banner year for nutrition education. Here's our summary of the highlights, as reported in our Communicating Food for Health newsletter. Basically, the Dietary Guidelines were updated, MyPlate replaced MyPyramid as the USDA's new food guide, supplement news kept piling high, sodium news supported earlier assessments, and much more.

Our trip through the food hall at the annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo was full of learning opportunities. In this post, we review the top 33 things that we picked up on our visit. We even found a general rule of thumb for most displays and marketing efforts. These elements were neat, engaging, and beautiful, and the focus was on the flavor of food, with a few nutrient benefits sprinkled in for marketing. Marketing efforts extolled offers of more nutrients for fewer calories in many of the featured products.

Food and Health Communications is proud to be a National Strategic Partner for MyPlate. For Labor Day, we are bringing innovative yet easy ways to serve fruits and veggies so that they will make up half of everyone's plates! We have recipes for a Veggie Face Salad, Ice Bucket Fruits, and our best Fresh Fruit Cobbler, among other ideas.