A food group
A food group can be referred to as a collection of food that has similar nutrient value or biologically equal. The daily food guide divides nutrition in the form of five food groups, which is recommended as daily serving for a healthy diet. The five food groups consist of grains/ cereals, lean meat and poultry/ proteins, vegetables, fruits, and dairy. These primary food groups are essential for growth and survival. Thus, the paper will discuss different types of foods found in each category and their functions to development of healthy body.
The first category consists of grains, also known as cereals, and regarded as the largest group among the other four. It consists of foods such as rice, wheat, millet, corn, oat, and barley, among others. Food that is prepared from these cereals also fall in the same category, such as bread, pasta, and the ready to eat breakfast cereals. Thus, the cereal group can be divided into four other subgroups, which are bread, grains, breakfast cereals, and other products. The nutritionist recommends 4 to 6 serves a day for adults, while in children, the number of serves will depend on age and sex. This group has several benefits to physical healthiness such as the generation of energy, increase immunity, maintain a sound digestive system, and help in the reduction of weight.
The second category, according to the daily food group, is the protein/lean meat and poultry. This is the most important group among the other four types. It consists of different kinds of food such as beef, pork, chicken, eggs, fish, nuts, beans, legumes, and nuts, among others. Not only does this group provide a human being with protein nutrients but also iron, zinc vitamins (B12), and fatty acids. Interestingly, men are required to eat less red meat compared to children and women. Serves ranging one to three are recommended in a day and a maximum of seven in a week. Among the numerous benefit of this group include enhancement of body tissue repairment and regeneration, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and stroke when eaten in an acceptable amount. Inadequate consumption of proteins may lead to weight gain, heart diseases and strokes, fast-aging, among other complications.
Consequently, there is the vegetable group, which consists of different parts of a plant. Vegetable foods include the edible leaves, roots, stems, seeds, shoots, flowers, and tubers of a plant. These foods include kales, spinach, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, sugarcane, carrots, among others. Adults are recommended to eat, such as 5 serve a day as well as children. Vegetables, regardless of subgroups, have high levels of vitamin C, which is essential in boosting our immunity against many pathogens that causes diseases. Likewise, the vegetables help one to fight and reduce the risk of cancer as well as colorectal cancer.
Nonetheless, fruits like vegetables have various colors and shapes, as well as nutrients. Fruits are subdivided into citrus- oranges, lemon and grape, stone fruits- peaches and plums, tropical fruits-mangoes, apples, pineapples, pawpaw, and other fruits such passion fruits. Generally, each meal of the day should have one serve of fruit. Children and old people are recommended to take as much variety of fruits as possible to increase the immunity of their bodies. Like vegetables, fruits consist of vitamin c and e, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, lowers the blood pressure, and loss of weight. Different colors of the fruits signify different vitamins.
The last category consists of dairy products. There is simply the fatty foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and their alternatives. Children below the age of 2 should not be given this category of food due to its fatty nature. The milk in this group consists of everyday, flavored, powder, soy beverages, and cream milk. Two to three serves per day are recommended but highly dependent on the age of the consumer. Milk and its alternatives, consist of high calcium nutrients which are essential in the growth of bones and teeth