Think about your lunchbox on a school day. What kinds of food usually go in it? Hands up if you often pack fruit. Hands up if you often pack bread or a sandwich. What do you think those different foods do for your body?

Food groups are families of foods that do similar jobs in the body. Here are the six groups we will use all lesson:

• Fruit & veg: e.g. apple
• Bread, cereal & potato: e.g. wholemeal sandwich
• Milk, yogurt & cheese: e.g. plain yogurt
• Meat, fish, eggs, beans & nuts: e.g. boiled egg or hummus
• Treats: e.g. crisps
• Drinks: e.g. water

Which group do you think carrot sticks belong in? What about a boiled egg?

In your group, sort the lunchbox food cards under the six food-group headers. Talk about why each food belongs where you put it. If you disagree, say what made you choose that group.

On your Investigation Journal page, record how your group sorted the lunchbox foods. Show which foods went into each food group. Note one food you found tricky and why. Keep the page open: later you will design your own balanced lunch on the same page.