Understanding Food Groups
A healthy diet contains a variety of foods from the following food groups:
Fruits and Vegetables
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is recommended by cancer experts as well as registered dietitians. The American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research recommend eating five or more servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits each day to ensure that your cancer risk is as low as it can be. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend nine servings of fruit and vegetables each day. This sounds like a lot, but it's really only about two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables.
Nutrition experts say that variety is key, because different fruits and vegetables have different nutrients. Plus, if you eat too much of one thing, you'll get bored. One way to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables is to eat foods with all the colors of the rainbow. Green is broccoli. Red is peppers. Yellow is a banana. Purple is eggplant. Orange is an orange. Or try to eat dark green vegetables (think spinach, collard greens, or kale) at one meal, and orange (carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash) the next. Cut up an apple into your morning cereal and have a peach with your lunch. Frozen raspberries or blackberries are a yummy dessert. Be creative!
Whole Grains
USDA guidelines recommend three ounces or more of whole grains per day. Whole grains still have the bran and the germ (the core of the grain kernel) attached and have more fiber, minerals, and vitamins than refined grains. The refining process removes the bran and germ from the grain.
You can't tell if a food is made from whole grain by looking at its color—you have to read the label. The ingredients should say "whole" or "whole grain" before the grain's name, "whole grain wheat," for example. Brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal, and barley are other examples of whole grains that are eaten on their own. Both the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society recommend choosing whole grains over refined grains. To be considered high in whole grains, bread must have two to three grams of fiber per slice, and cereals must have at least six or more grams of fiber per serving. Some examples are Multi-Bran Chex cereal by General Mills (seven grams of fiber per serving) and Flax and Fiber Crunch cereal by Back to Nature (nine grams of fiber per serving).
Meat and Beans
Meat is a good source of the protein and fatty acids you need for energy and health. Red meat also contains iron, which is especially important for women. But meat also has high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol and, according to one study, eating more than 1.5 servings of red meat per day may increase breast cancer risk. Red meats include beef, pork, lamb, and many processed meats. The USDA guidelines recommend five and a half ounces of meat (defined to include chicken and fish) per day, or meat substitutes (vegetable protein products) or beans if you prefer not to eat meat. If you do eat meat, poultry, or fish, try to choose lean cuts and opt for chicken or fish most of the time. If you don't eat meat, you may need to add nuts, seeds, or dry beans to your diet to ensure that you're getting enough protein and iron.
Eggs are also included in this category. One egg equals a one-ounce serving of meat.
Milk/Dairy
The USDA recommends that you eat one of these options every day:
- three cups of low-fat/fat-free milk or yogurt (that's a little more than 3 6-ounce containers of yogurt)
- four and a half ounces of low-fat/fat-free natural cheese, such as cheddar (about 4 slices)
- six ounces of low-fat or fat-free processed cheese, such as American (about 6 slices)
Processed cheese has less calcium than natural cheese. That's why you need to eat more of it per day. Processed cheese is made from natural cheese and other ingredients. It is pasteurized and has more moisture so it can be stored longer and melts easier.
Eating these recommended amounts of dairy foods each day will give you the amount of calcium you need.
If you don't like or can't drink milk or milk products, make sure you get enough phosphorus, vitamin A, calcium, and vitamin D from other food sources. If you are lactose intolerant, you might want to try lactase supplements.
Oils
Butter, canola oil, olive oil—you need some of these, but not very much. The USDA guidelines recommend two to three teaspoons of these high-calorie but oh-so-tasty flavorings per day.
Oils are fats. There are three main types of fats.
Saturated fats are the "bad" fats that raise your cholesterol levels. These fats include trans fat, found in shortening, stick (or hard) margarine, cookies, crackers, snack foods, fried foods, doughnuts, pastries, baked goods, and other processed foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils.
Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fats are the "good" fats that help lower your LDL cholesterol.
These five food groups can supply you with all the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and strong. You may be wondering where chocolate and some of your other favorite treats fit. Don't worry, they do. You just have to think about when you eat them and how much of them you eat.
But first, let's look at how your body uses the foods you eat.