The Six (6) Food Groups

Now let us view a video on the Six Food Groups of the Caribbean

There are six food groups used in the Caribbean. They are as follows:

• Staples•Legumes &Nuts•Foods from animal source•Fruits•Vegetables•Fats & Oils

Staples consists of the following:

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, eddoes, cassava.

Staples

Legumes & Nuts consists of:

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

Legumes & Nuts

Foods from animal source is made up of:

Meat, poultry, fish (fresh, canned, pickled, dried), milk, cheese, yoghurt, egg, liver, heart, kidney.

Foods from animal source

Fruits consists of:

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

Fruits

Vegetables includes the following:

Dark green leafy and yellow vegetables: Callaloo/spinach, dasheen leaves, cabbage, pakchoy, string beans, pumpkin, carrot.

Other vegetables:Squash,christophene, cucumber,tomato, aubergine/eggplant.

Vegetables

Fats & oils includes:

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

Fats & Oils

The following shows the portions of foods that should be used when preparing meals from the Caribbean food groups:

A perfect breakfast to begin the day with is:

Scrambled eggs French toast with a few slices of fresh fruit

at the side. This can be accompanied with a glass of

milk.

Breakfast

A simple and easy lunch may consist of:

Pelau Fresh salad A slice of avocado A glass of fruit juice

Lunch

A simple and nutritious dinner can include:

Coconut bake and saltfish buljol A glass of coconut water

Dinner