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Content PageThe six food group

Why foods are placed into groups?

Food groups and paired nutrient

Importance of a healthy diet

Benefits of eating healthy

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Additional Information

The six food groups are:StaplesFood from animal sourcesFats and oilsGreen leafy vegetablesFruitsLegumes

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Why are foods placed into groups?

Food is placed into groups based on the nutrient that they contain. Each food contains more than one nutrient but it is placed in the group that has the most dominant nutrient.

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Food groups and paired nutrient

Food groups Food nutrientsStapleFood from animal

sourcesVegetablesLegumesFruits Fats and oils

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CarbohydrateProteinVitamins and mineralsProteinWater, vitaminFat

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Importance of a healthy diet

Benefits of eating healthy foodsHealthy food gives our bodies the tools they need to:

build bones and muscles

repair and replace worn out cells

keep all systems working

keep us healthy.

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Staple

Cereals: Bread (from whole grain or enriched flour), wheat flour, corn (maize), corn-meal, dried cereals, macaroni, spaghetti, rice, cereal porridges. Starchy fruits, roots, tubers/ground provisions:Banana, plantain, breadfruit, yam, potato, dasheen, coco/ eddoe, cassava .

Starchy fruits, roots, tubers/ground provisions:Banana, plantain, breadfruit, yam, potato, dasheen, coco/ eddoe, cassava.

Staples are divided into two groups.

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Food from animal sources

Meat, poultry, fish (fresh, canned, pickled, dried), milk, cheese, yoghurt, egg, liver, heart, kidney, tripe (offal), trotters, feet, tail, head

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Fats and Oils

Cooking and salad oils, butter, margarine, shortening, ghee, coconut cream/milk, meat fat, nuts, avocado pear, Jamaican ackee.

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Green leafy vegetablesDark green leafy and

yellow vegetables:Callaloo/spinach, dasheen

leaves, cabbage bush, pakchoy, string beans, pumpkin, carrot.

Other vegetables: Squash, cho-cho, (christophene, chayote), cucumber, tomato, garden egg/aubergine

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Fruits

Mango, guava, citrus (orange, grapefruit, limes, tangerine), pineapple, West Indian cherry, pawpaw/papaya, golden apple/Jew/June plum, sugar apple/sweet sop.

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LegumesKidney beans, gungo/pigeon peas, black-eye peas, cow peas, other dried peas and beans, peanuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds.

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Test your knowledge

What are food groups?

List the six food groups?

Why are foods placed into groups?

How is the six food groups linked to the six food nutrients?

End

Additional informationFor more information click on one of the links

below:

http://new.paho.org/cfni/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=379&Itemid=212

http://www.mamashealth.com/nutrition/

http://www.thecompletebear.com/MealPlanningwiththeBasicFoodGroups.php

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