GENERAL NUTRITION: THE 5 FOOD GROUPS
Section Overview
This section discusses the benefits of proper nutrition for you and your family, reviews the MyPlate guidelines for the 5 food groups, provides family nutrition tips and discusses macro and micronutrients.
Benefits of Proper Nutrition
Proper nutrition is essential for optimal health and well-being. Adults and children alike require adequate nutrients for their bodies to function properly and to prevent acute and long-term illnesses. Proper nutrition is especially important in childhood to promote adequate cognitive and physical growth & development.
Benefits of Proper Nutrition for Adults & Children
- Boosts your immune system
- Helps maintain and support bone health
- Supports and maintains muscle
- Helps digestion system function properly
- Keeps skin, hair, and eyes healthy
- Helps to achieve and maintain a healthy weight
- Lowers risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, & certain cancers
- Improves energy levels, feeling less sluggish and tired
- Improves cognitive performance
- Increases concentration, problem solving, and reasoning skills
MyPlate & The 5 Food Groups
The USDA MyPlate can be used to determine what food groups to serve at each meal or snack, and the serving size of the selected foods. Following MyPlate nutrition guides will help your family maintain a healthy and well-balanced diet, maintain a healthy bodyweight, and help prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders and type 2 diabetes.
- MyPlate is a great resource to use to learn about general nutrition
- It illustrates the five food groups that make up a healthy diet in the recommended proportions
- Breakfast should consist of at least 3 different food groups
- Lunch and dinner should consist of at least 4 different food groups
- Snacks should consist of at least 2 different food groups
Fruits
Fresh fruits contain many vitamins and minerals including folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
Benefits of Fruits:
- Low in fat, sodium, and calories. Fruits also do not contain cholesterol
- Contain many essential nutrients that are important to reduce risk for heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and obesity
- Contain dietary fiber, which is part of a healthy diet
Tips:
- Vary your fruits! Fruits can be consumed fresh, frozen, canned, or dried
- Try to limit packaged fruits with added sugars and syrup
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals including magnesium, potassium, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, and Vitamin E. Vegetables can be categorized as: dark green vegetables (ex. collard greens, spinach,), red and orange vegetables (ex. pumpkin, carrots), starch vegetables (ex. yams, potatoes), beans and peas (ex. lentils, pinto beans), and other vegetables (ex. celery, cauliflower).
Benefits of Vegetables:
- Contain nutrients that are importance for overall health
- Low in fat and calories, and do not contain cholesterol
- Contain fiber, which is part of an overall healthy diet
- May help reduce blood pressure
- Can help reduce the risk for heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and obesity
Tips:
- Limit vegetables that contain solid fats or added sugars such as baked beans, French fries, coleslaw, and candied sweet potatoes
Protein
Proteins function as the building blocks for bones, muscle, cartilage, skin, and blood. Along with other nutrients, they allow your body to grow and stay healthy. Proteins can be found in all animal products (pork, poultry, beef, seafood, eggs), nuts, and many vegetables, beans, and legumes.
Benefits of Protein:
- Function as the building blocks for bones, muscle, cartilage, skin, and blood
- Increases muscle mass and strength
- Boosts metabolism
- Can help you feel satisfied longer, thus reducing late night cravings
- Rich in vitamins and minerals that keep you healthy!
- Lean proteins such (chicken, pork, & beef) are an excellent source of zinc, selenium, magnesium, vitamin B12, Thiamine, Niacin, and vitamin B6.
- May help reduce the risk of heart disease
Tips:
- Be aware of proteins high in saturated fat and cholesterol!
- Eat a variety of protein sources throughout each week!
Grains
Grains contain essential vitamins and minerals including folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, iron, magnesium, selenium, and fiber. There are two types of grains: whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel (ex. whole wheat flour, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa) while refined grains undergo a process which removes dietary fiber, iron, and B vitamins (ex. white flour, white bread, white rice)
Benefits of Grains:
- May reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes
- Contains fiber which helps to keep you full longer and reduce constipation
- Fiber from whole grains may help to lower blood cholesterol
- Helps with weight management
Tips:
- Limit grains that contain solid fat or added sugars such as biscuits, cakes, cookies, croissants, and sweetened cereals
- Half of your daily serving of grains should be whole grains!
Dairy
Dairy products include those which contain milk such as food made from milk (ex. yogurt, cheese), fluid milk products, and calcium-fortified soymilk.
Benefits of Dairy:
- Improves bone health and reduces risk for osteoporosis
- Provides nutrients such as calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein
- Vital for health and maintenance of your body
Tips:
- Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium are not a part of the dairy group. These foods include cream cheese, cream, and butter.
- Switching to low-fat or fat-free dairy options can improve your health!
Macronutrients & Micronutrients
| Macronutrients | Micronutrients |
| Macronutrients include carbohydrates (4 kcal/g), fats (9 kcal/g), and protein (4 kcal/g) | Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals |
| These nutrients provide energy that the body needs to fuel our bodies | Micronutrients do not provide energy but they help facilitate a variety of activities needed to support good health |
| The amount of energy a food contains depends on the amount and distribution of carbohydrates, fat, and protein in that food item | Vitamins and minerals are most commonly found in fresh and unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains |