Food Groups

Dietitians / Nutritionists often talk about the 5 main food groups: breads and cereals, vegetables, fruit,  dairy and meat or protein. This is where I often get myself in trouble or am not your standard nutritionist as I don't calorie count (or very rarely), I don't look at serve sizes or number of serves and I don't count my macro nutrients. My aim is to eat whole foods as often as possible and limit the processed stuff. However, for the point of this blog and for the February challenge we are going to do in my bootcamp I am going to talk about the 5 food groups as these are what we are going to use as a guide for the nutrition side of the challenge.

Firstly there are the grains, breads and cereals group. This was a group I struggled with the most during my uni days as part of our degree required us to follow the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) for 2 weeks consuming the recommended serves from each of the groups. Thankfully these guidelines have now been revised and the grains group has reduced what is now classified as a serve so I find it a lot easier if you want to follow the recommendations for number of serves. The AGHE currently recommend that the average Australian adult consume 6 serves everyday. An example of a serve is 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta or 1/4 cup muesli. It is important to note that when consuming foods from this group you should try and choose where possible options which have not been heavily processed, so wholemeal or wholegrain.

Next are the vegetables. This is my favourite group and the one I will be concentrating my recipes on as there is such a high percentage of Australian adults who are not consuming the recommended serves for vegetables. As a mum it is also the group which is hardest to get my son to consume. The average Australian adult should consume 5-6 serves everyday. An example of a serve is 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked beans, 1 cup salad vegetables or 1/2 medium potato. It is important when consuming foods from this group that you aim for a variety and a lot of people would have heard me say to EAT A RAINBOW!

Fruits, are probably the easiest for kids to meet and my son will happily consume fruit as a snack and would eat more that the recommended daily intake but as adults we sometimes struggle. The AGHE recommend that we consume 2 serves of fruit everyday. An example of a serve is 1 medium apple or banana, 2 apricots, 1 cup diced fruit or 1/2 cup fruit juice. While fruit juice and dried fruit are both included in the serves of fruit these should not be consumed on a daily basis as they are higher in sugar when compared to whole fruit such as an orange.

Dairy is often a food group which is cut out completely during weight loss as it is typically high in fat, however it is an extremely important group and one that should not be neglected. Yes it has fat in it but it also has protein and calcium which help our muscles and bones to stay strong and healthy. It is recommended that we consume 2.5 serves everyday, according to the AGHE we should also try to consume low fat options where possible, something I do not agree with but it is up to individual preference. Serve size examples include : 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 2 slices of cheese or 3/4 cup yoghurt. For those who are lactose intolerant but need to increase their calcium intake good options include 100g almonds, 60g sardines or 100g firm tofu.

The last food group is the meat or protein group. This is the group which is the most overconsumed group of all, especially among adult men. It is recommended that we consume 2.5 to 3 serves everyday. Examples of serve sizes are 65g cooked lean red meat, 80g cooked lean poultry or 100g cooked fish. Non meat alternatives include 2 eggs, 170g tofu or 1 cup cooked beans/peas.

Now most of this is just to refresh your memories as I know most if not all of you would know what the 5 food groups are and maybe even how much of each group to consume. Feb's challenge is not going to focus on serve sizes or number of serves from each group but more at consuming from these food groups as opposed to eating from the 'sometimes foods'. I look forward to going more into that on the bootcamp page closer to Feb.

Simone
xx