FOOD GROUPS AND FOOD PYRAMID

By

Dr. Mrs. O.K. Israel

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Outline

Introduction

Food Groups

Food Pyramid

MyPlate

Other Terminologies

Conclusion

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Introduction

Food is anything either solid or liquid which when ingested, provides the necessary raw materials for the structure & functions of life, thus enabling the body to carry out its life functions

Foods are grouped together because they provide similar amounts of the key nutrients of that food group

Food group is a collection of foods that shares similar nutritional properties or biological characteristics

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Food Groups

The following five major food groups are widely recognized

1. Milk & Milk products

2. Meat & Meat alternates

3. Cereals & Grains

4. Starchy/Tuber Group

5. Fruit & Vegetable Group

6. Others – Sweet, Fats & oils 6

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Milk and Milk products

Is made up of all dairy products

Milk, yoghurt and cheeses are the three important foods in this group

E.g. Milk of various types; (Fresh milk, Skim milk, Condensed milk, Powdered milk), Local and foreign cheeses, yogurt, Ice cream

The foods in this group are an excellent source of calcium

Milk contains B group vitamins, particularly riboflavin & vitamin B12, and the fat soluble vitamins A & D

They are also rich in Proteins 8

Meat & Meat alternates

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Meat & Meat alternates

The meat & alternative food group includes meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, legumes, nuts and some seeds such as sunflower and sesame seeds

The foods in this group are a good source of protein, iron, niacin, zinc, fat, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12

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Cereals and Grains

Cereals & Grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop; they are therefore called “staple crops”

Cereals and Grains are composed of the endosperm, germ and bran

Grains are divided into two subgroups, whole grains & refined grains

Whole Grains: refer to grains that have all of the parts of the grain seed (bran, germ & endosperm)

E.g. Whole-wheat flour, brown rice, maize, oat, barley, millet etc

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Cereals and Grains

Refined Grain is processed grain, when some of the dietary fiber and other important nutrients (bran & germ) are removed

This is done to give grains a finer texture & improve their shell life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron & many B vitamins

E.g. white bread, white rice, pasta, white flour, noodles etc.

Most refined grains are enriched with B vitamins & iron after processing

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Starchy/Tuber Group

These group of food are rich in carbohydrate

The members of this group include: Yams, Coco-yam, Cassava, Potatoes, Sweet potato, Plantain, Bread-fruit, etc

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Fruits & Vegetable Group

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Fruits & Vegetable Group Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and mineral

Fruit is a good source of vitamins, including vitamin C and folate, carotenoids as well as useful amount of potassium

The term ‘vegetable' is used to include green leafy vegetables & some

Fruits (e.g. Tomatoes and pumpkins)

Leaves (e.g. spinach, Lettuce and cabbage)

Roots and tubers (e.g. potatoes, carrots)

Bulbs (e.g. onions)

Stalks/stems (e.g. celery), and

Flowers (e.g. cauliflower)

They contain water-soluble vitamins, especially folic acid and ascorbic acid, carotene, and minerals

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Sweet, Fats & oils

Fats, oils and sweets give us calories

They add flavor and variety to our diets

Most of these foods do not contain many vitamins or minerals

So they are called "empty calorie" foods

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Food Pyramid

Eating healthy food is essential to have a healthy life and keep strong for our daily activities

There are different kinds or groups of food that help our body in different ways. It is important to eat all of them in different amounts every day, so we can get all the nutrients our body needs

In addition, we have to remember to drink plenty water every day. Water hydrates our body, helps our organs work properly and cleans our organism from the inside

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Food Pyramid

A food pyramid or diet pyramid is a triangular diagram representing the optimal number of servings to be eaten each day from each of the basic food groups

It is a chart that can be used to see how many servings of each food should be eaten each day

It is a nutrition tool, also called Food Guide Pyramid

The first pyramid was published in Sweden in 1974 19

Food Pyramid

It was shaped like a pyramid to suggest that a person should eat more foods from the bottom of the pyramid & fewer foods & beverages from the top of the pyramid

The pyramid is composed of four levels:

the tip represents fats & sweets (use sparingly)

The 2nd level emphasizes foods primarily from animals (milk & meat grps) 20

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Food Pyramid

the third level emphasizes food from plants (vegetables & fruit grps)

The bottom level emphasizes foods from grains (bread, cereals & rice)

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MyPlate

Food Pyramid was replaced by MyPlate

MyPlate emphasizes five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy products

MyPlate promotes fruits & vegetables, which cover half of the circle. Grains occupy an additional quarter, as do proteins such as meat, fish & poultry

It represents a visual feel for how they can fill up a plate at a meal

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Other Terminologies

Food fortification is the addition of micronutrients to food in other to improve the nutritional quality, usually with the goal to reducing or controlling a nutrient deficiency

Food fortification is a cost-effective public health intervention

It is an essential element in nutrition strategies to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies 25

Other Terminologies

Examples of food fortification include:

Addition of iodine to salt (to reduce the incidence of endemic goitre)

Addition of fluorine to water (to reduce the incidence of dental caries or tooth decay)

Addition of zinc to buiscuits

Milk fortified with vitamin D

Vegetable oil fortified with vitamin A

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Other Terminologies

The term fortification and enrichment are often use interchangeably

Enrichment is the addition of micronutrients which were lost during processing to food in other to restore it to its original nutritional value

When foods are processed, they often lose some of the important nutrients such as vitamins and minerals in the process

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Other Terminologies

Examples of enrichment include:

Bread, Pasta & other products made from white flour can have B vitamins added to them

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Conclusion

The phrase "we are what we eat“ signifies that the composition of our bodies is dependent in large measure on what we have consumed

Hence, let us be mindful of what we eat

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