the FOOD Pyramid

Steps to a healthier you

Eating Right Every Day A healthful meal includes a variety of foods. Eating a variety of

foods gives your body the nutrient it needs. The food guide pyramid is a tool to help you choose foods for a

healthful diet. It tells how many servings you should eat from each group each day.

The six groups of the food pyramid are:• Grains• Vegetables• Fruits• Milk• Oil• Meat and beans

The Food PyramidSteps to a healthier you

GRAINS VEGETABLES FRUITS OILS MILK MEAT &

BEANS

Grains The widest from the group, it contains whole and

processed grains The grain food group is further divided into two

categories: whole grains and refined grains. Grain recommendations vary from six to 11 servings.

Vegetables The vegetable food group is divided into five separate

categories based on vegetable color. These categories are:

* dark green vegetables,* orange vegetables, *dry beans and peas,* starchy vegetables *other vegetables.

- Servings of vegetables are measured in cups and recommended intake ranges from 2 to 3 cups

Fruits Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the Fruit

Group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and

may be whole, cut-up, or pureed Children should have 1 to 2 cups per day

Oils Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, like

the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants and from fish. Oils are NOT a food group, but they provide essential

nutrients

Milk Milk, fluid milk products and foods made from milk

that still contain significant calcium make up the milk food group on the food guide pyramid.

Examples of foods that are contained in this category are cheese, yogurt and milk-based dessert, such as pudding and ice cream.

Meat and Beans

The meat and beans category is made up of meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts and seeds.

Dry beans and peas belong to both the meat and beans group and the vegetables group