Freshmen at my daughter's school take Health. The teacher is a friend and colleague. She is Type A and understands (but does not rigorously follow) the Blood Type Diet. Last year when they were studying nutrition, she took the class on a field trip to a grocery store. This year she thought it would be more interesting to take the students to a local health food market.

When she called the store, they were agreeable to the students coming. However they would never commit to having someone at the store show them around. The closer it got to the field trip date the more concerned the teacher became, so she asked if I would be her back up tour guide.

We took one group of students on Monday and another group on Tuesday. Before we left the school, I asked how many had never been in a health food store before. About half the class raised their hands.

We started in the produce department. Only one of the students (besides my daughter) ate 5 fruits or vegetables per day. When I told them I aimed for twice that number they were shocked. We talked about hormone and antibiotic-free meat at the meat counter and the difference between real cheese and processed cheese in the cheese section.

Most of the class had never heard of anything but wheat bread. It's hard to say whether they were more curious about the variety of grains or the idea that I didn't eat wheat. They asked lots of really good questions about vitamins, herbs, tofu, and sodas.

Our last stop was at the bulk bins. The teacher had told them to bring a few dollars to buy a snack. I encouraged them to be brave and try something new - a fig or a walnut or some tropical trail mix.

I did not try to talk about the Blood Type Diet. I doubt any of them would have known their blood type, and it would have been quite complicated explaining how four different food lists worked. This time I focused on introducing them to simple ways they could make healthier food choices.