Food Groups

 

 Food Groups

As we have got past the why eat 5 a day it is known that you are interested in healthy eating and having a balanced diet. So now you'll want to learn more about food groups.
You may have grown up with the "Basic 4": dairy group, meat group, grain group, and the fruits and vegetables group. As nutrition science has changed, so have these food groups.

What are the basic food groups?

Foods are grouped together when they share similar nutritional properties.

Food Groups	Examples
Grains	Whole wheat bread and rolls, whole wheat pasta, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal, brown rice, unsalted pretzels and popcorn
Fruits	Apples, apricots, bananas, dates, grapes, oranges, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, raisins, strawberries, tangerines, and 100% fruit  juice
Vegetables	Broccoli, carrots, collards, green beans, green peas, kale, lima beans, potatoes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
Fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products	Fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk or buttermilk, fat-free, low-fat, or reduced-fat cheese, fat-free or low-fat regular or frozen yogurt
Lean meats, poultry, and fish	Beef, poultry, pork, game meats, fish, shellfish  Select only lean; trim away visible fats; broil, roast, or poach; remove skin from poultry
Nuts, seeds, and legumes	Almonds, hazelnuts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, kidney beans, lentils, split peas

How much protein, fat and carbs should I eat?

Your body needs a balance of carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables, grains etc), proteins (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, soya etc) and good fats (fish, meat, butter, olive oil, nuts, seeds etc), plus plenty of vitamins and minerals. 
To explain: your body tissues, including your joints, are primarily made of protein, but unless there is a balance of foods from all the above food groups, your body can’t use the protein to rebuild and maintain your joints in a healthy state.  Some of the nutrients needed to build joints and make glucosamine naturally come from carbohydrates. Sadly, as we get older our bodies become less efficient at producing the nutrients we need to keep us active. Bones need minerals such as calcium; while the fat known as Omega 3 is needed by every cell in the body.
So in order to have healthy joints you need to make sure you’re eating a combination of these food groups through the day.
While protein is important, you should avoid eating too much and try to balance it with plenty of vegetables (as the high fibre in the vegetables helps your body with the protein).  As a guideline, your meal should contain a high-protein food (e.g. a piece of meat or fish or a portion of eggs) the size of the palm of your hand.  Have up to twice that quantity of starchy food (e.g. rice, potatoes or pasta) and make up the rest of your meal with vegetables or salad.
What about the fat?  Until recently, many authorities have told us to cut down on our fats.  It is now being recognised that while some fats are bad for us, other fats are very important in our food.  Without fats our bodies don’t feel satisfied and will keep craving greater quantities of food.  If we eat a lot of carbohydrates, because we are too hungry, our bodies convert the excess carbs into fats anyway!  Many high-protein foods contain plenty of fat (e.g. fish, meat, nuts and seeds), but if we do want to increase our fat intake, a salad dressing made with olive oil, or a little butter on our vegetables are good options.