Groups of the Food Guide Pyramid

The Food Guide Pyramid provides a visual for healthy eating. There are six food sections in the pyramid. Benefits to using the Food Guide every day include learning which nutrients are important to a balanced diet and choosing how much to eat from each group to maintain a healthy weight. There also are diagrams for children as depicted below.

The Grains Group

• This is the largest section and base of the pyramid. It includes bread, cereal, rice and pasta. The USDA recommends that you eat six to 11 servings from this group daily. Half of your grains should be whole grains rather and refined grains.

Fruit Group

• The fruit group includes all fruit--fresh, frozen, cooked, canned or dried. Eat two to four servings per day. Choose from a wide variety of whole fruit produce, and keep processed fruit juices at a minimum.

Vegetable Group

• With a wide variety of vegetables to choose from, you easily should be able to eat three to five servings a day. It is important to choose the dark green and orange veggies for the most health benefit. Vegetables can be raw or cooked, fresh, frozen, canned or dried.

Milk and Dairy Group

• Add two to three servings from the milk group. Milk and milk byproducts that retain calcium content (milk, yogurt and cheese) are included. Foods made from milk but having little to no calcium (cream cheese, cream and butter) are not. It is best to stick with low-fat and fat-free choices.

Meat and Beans Group

• The USDA recommends two to three servings of all foods made from meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts and seeds. Eat meats that contain more healthy essential oils (fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, and nuts) more often than lean or low-fat meats.

Fats and Oils Group

• This group is the tip and smallest section of the pyramid. It includes fats, oils and sweets. Use these products sparingly. Most of the healthy fat sources come from fish, nuts and vegetable oils. Sweets and solid fats such as butter, lard and shortening should be limited.