Free Nutrition Articles and Handouts by Food and Health Communications
You're already here for the free content — this is just a small taste of what members get. A full library of 650+ handouts, 240+ PowerPoint presentations, 900+ recipes, cooking video lessons, a monthly newsletter and white label version customizable in Canva, a health observances calendar, and eight interactive health calculators — all organized, searchable, and ready to use the moment you join.
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Free Printable Nutrition Worksheets (PDF) for Educators
Ready-to-print nutrition worksheets for every age group: kids MyPlate activities, adult worksheets, and a full MyPlate teaching workbook. Download the free PDFs and use them in your next lesson.
The 2026 Food Pyramid vs MyPlate, What Changed (and a Free Printable)
A plain-language guide to the new 2026 food pyramid, how it compares to MyPlate, and what it means for your lessons. Includes a free printable handout in English and Spanish.
Low-Sodium Food List, Free Printable PDF
A dietitian-made low-sodium food list you can download, print, and hand out: the best low-sodium foods by group, plus a simple label-reading guide.
Handout: What Are The Pros and Cons of Functional Ingredients?
Functional foods can provide meaningful health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Consider fermented items such as kefir or sauerkraut, which deliver live probiotics that support gut health, or colorful berries that supply a concentrated source of antioxidants and phytochemicals. Making functional foods a regular part of your daily eating pattern is a practical and effective strategy to support digestion, immune function, and long‑term overall health.
Why MyPlate Still Matters: A New Research Report Worth Your Time + Handout
MyPlate was the longest-running food guide icon in US history, and a new open-access research report makes the case that its process and resources should guide what comes next. We think every nutrition educator should read it.
Free Handout & Counter: Count Your Plant Foods With This Handy Counter: Can You Hit 30?
People who eat 30 or more different plant foods each week have a more diverse gut microbiome than people who eat 10 or fewer. That is the finding from the Microsetta Initiative at UC San Diego, published in the journal mSystems.
Handout: Time Swaps & The Screen Time Tsunami: How to Compete
If you've ever wondered why it feels harder than ever to get someone's full attention for a nutrition class, a cooking demo, or even a five-minute conversation about their health — it's not you. It's math.
Cheese Comparison Chart: Sodium, Fat & Cholesterol PDF
Here’s a sample comparison chart for popular types of cheese, focusing on calories, saturated fat, and sodium per 1-ounce (28g) serving:
5 Fast and Easy Cooking Demonstration Ideas
Putting together an engaging and informative cooking demonstration is much harder than it looks. Don't worry, though, because our chefs and presenters have tons of wonderful cooking demonstrations under their belts and share their tips, ideas, guides, and a printable PDF here.
Protein Comparison Charts & Handouts
Here is a chart of common animal and plant protein sources, with a few surprises. Plant protein is lower in calories and higher in fiber, and in most cases it costs less. Download the printable PDF handout and the original Excel file so you can make changes.
Coffee Creamer Comparison Chart
Anne Linge, RDN, CD, CDE asked if we have any hacks to make coffee healthier... and we were so inspired by her question that we're launching a whole coffee series!
New Food Pyramid 2026: Dietary Guidelines Resources for Professionals: References and Need to Know
The U.S. federal government has released the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, marking one of the most significant updates to national nutrition guidance in decades. These Guidelines, available through realfood.gov and the official Dietary Guidelines website, put an emphasis on whole, nutrient-dense foods and offer a clear framework for helping people make healthier choices every day.
Free My Plate Materials
Free MyPlate handouts, posters, and an interactive Build-a-Plate tool for dietitians, WIC, and schools: everything to teach the healthy plate.
12 Salad Presentation Ideas for Cooking Demos & Displays
Here are 12 plated salad presentation ideas from a professional chef whose passion is to cook healthy and make a lot of salads.
How to Make an Engaging Nutrition Poster
A great nutrition poster does one job: it stops someone in a hallway, cafeteria, or clinic waiting room and delivers a single healthy idea before they've even finished walking by. The good news is you don't need to be a designer to make one that works. You just need a clear message and a few simple principles, and this guide walks you through both.
Handout: 3 Things I Like Right Now: The Power of Positive
Our brains are remarkably good at finding what isn't working. If you give them the opportunity, they'll happily come up with five, ten, or twenty reasons to quit.
But over the years, I've discovered a simple habit that changes the conversation.
Find three things you like right now.
Not tomorrow.
Not after you've reached your goal.
Right now.
Handout: Potassium: A Powerful Mineral for Better Health
Potassium is an essential mineral that helps regulate fluid balance, maintain healthy blood pressure, support muscle contractions, and keep nerves functioning properly. It also helps counteract some of the effects of excess sodium in the diet. Most adults need about 2,600 mg per day for women and 3,400 mg per day for men. Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy foods, and fish can help you meet your daily potassium needs while supporting heart, muscle, and overall health.
Handout: Micro-Prepping: The Easy Way to Eat Well Without Spending Hours in the Kitchen
But I am always micro-prepping, not just cooking a la minute!
It’s a simple, flexible strategy: whenever I cut up a head of kale or a watermelon, I process the whole thing and store the rest for later. I also prepare large batches of soups, pasta, chili, lentils, or pizza dough, freezing the leftovers for future busy days or keeping them in the fridge for a quick meal the next day. This method of prepping allows you to be a bit spontaneous and creative but you are always using your time wisely. Prep once and serve twice!
More handouts and resources from our Nutrition Education Store