An Intro to the Food Groups

To live a healthy lifestyle seek a combination of foods from the five food groups. The five food groups in addition to oils include grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and proteins. Focus on eating unprocessed whole grains and vary vegetable and protein sources.



Choose low fat and no-sugar-added selections from each food group to ensure you are selecting the most nutritious foods with the optimal amount of calories.

Grains

• Foods consisting of wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or other grain cereals are considered grain products. Examples of grains include grits, tortillas, bread and pasta. Grains are divided into two groups -- refined and whole.

  Refined grains have their germ and bran removed by the process of milling while whole grains contain the entire kernel. Examples of refined grains are white bread and white flour. Whole grains include oatmeal and brown rice.

  The USDA suggests eating 3 oz. of whole grains per day.

Vegetables

• Vegetables include both 100 percent vegetable juice along with whole vegetables. The five subgroups of vegetables include dry beans and peas such as lentils and pinto beans, orange vegetables such as butternut squash and sweet potatoes, starchy vegetables such as lima beans and corn, dark green vegetables including broccoli and spinach and other vegetables like okra, beats and turnips. Vary vegetable consumption by eating more vegetables of the orange and dark green variety.

Fruits

• Fruits consist of 100 percent fruit juice or fruits in whole form. Concentrate on eating whole fruits over drinking fruit juice. Some fruits include melons such as honeydew and cantaloupe, berries such as raspberries and blueberries and others -- bananas, papaya and raisins.

  Fruits can be fresh, canned or pureed.

Dairy

• Foods made from milk and milk products comprise the dairy group. Milk is a calcium rich food. If you are lactose intolerant or choose not to drink milk select lactose-free products or other calcium sources such as orange juice or soy beverages. Milk-based desserts including ice cream and pudding, cheddar or American cheeses and yogurt make up the dairy food group.

  Choose dairy of the low-fat or fat-free variety.

Protein Foods

• Protein-based foods such as meat, fish, nuts and seeds make up this group. Examples of meats include lamb, beef and giblets. Chicken and turkey are sources of poultry. Nuts and seeds contain almonds and peanuts while fish sources are herring, crab and tuna.

  Aim for low-fat or lean protein foods. Grill, broil or bake meats. Choose varied proteins focusing more on peas, fish and beans.

Oils

• Liquid fats that are derived from fish and plants comprise the oil group. Examples include olive oil, sunflower oil and canola oil. Mayonnaise, margarine and salad dressings are high in oil. Seek out foods with zero trans fat on the nutrition facts label. Oils originating from plant sources are cholesterol free.

  Solid fats such as lard, butter and stick margarine should be limited.