Every Food Group Every Day

by | Jun 29, 2016 | 2016, Nutrition

What’s the best way to enjoy a variety of the nutrients and other substances needed for good health? Eat from every food group every day.

Foods are put into food groups because they provide key nutrients, in about the same amounts. For example, the milk, yogurt, and cheese in the Dairy Group provide about the same amount of the nutrient, calcium. You don’t have to eat from every food group at every meal. However, to get all the nutrients you need for good health, it’s best to eat a variety from each of the five food groups throughout the whole day.

To get that variety, choose different foods within each food group. Oranges are a great source of Vitamin C, but if the only fruit you ever eat is oranges, you’re probably missing out on lots of nutrients in all of those other yummy fruits.myplate_blue[1]

Fruits like blueberries, apples, and watermelon are high in the nutrients vitamin C, folate, and fiber, which help to maintain the health of your body and decrease some chronic diseases.

Vegetables like kale, squash, and onions offer potassium, fiber, and vitamin A, which can help to maintain healthy blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease, and keep eyes and skin healthy.

Grain Foods, especially the “whole grain” variety like oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and brown rice, are great sources of several B vitamins and minerals – like iron. These and other nutrients in the grains group help the body to release energy, aid in digestion, and form red blood cells.

Dairy foods, like milk, yogurt, and cheese, are excellent sources of calcium, which is important for building and maintaining strong, healthy bones.

Protein foods, including lean meats and poultry, fish, nuts and seeds, eggs, and tofu, provide the protein needed to build, maintain, and repair tissues in our body. Muscles and organs, like your heart, are made of protein.

You don’t have to and probably shouldn’t eat the exact same thing every day. You should, however, Eat Every Food Group Every Day. It’s a brand new day, go ahead…get started…right now!

For more information on ways to get variety in all the food groups, check out this site from the United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA): http://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate

 

Angela Hinkle
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