Keeping healthy, staying strong Getting started

Content Page The six food group Why foods are placed into groups? Food groups and paired nutrient Importance of a healthy diet Benefits of eating healthy Do you want to test your knowledge? Additional Information

The six food groups are: Staples Food from animal sources Fats and oils Green leafy vegetables Fruits Legumes Back to main menu

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. Back to main menu

Food groups and paired nutrient Food groups Food nutrients Staple Food from animal sources Vegetables Legumes Fruits Fats and oils Back to main menu Carbohydrate Protein Vitamins and minerals Protein Water, vitamin Fat Click here for more information

Importance of a healthy diet To eat a healthy diet: eat enough food from each group every day. choose different kinds of foods from each group every day. eat plenty of plant foods. eat some animal foods (meat and dairy products). drink lots of WATER!WATER! get plenty of exercise. Back to main menu

Benefits of eating healthy foods Healthy 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. To learn more click hereTo learn more click here Back to main menuBack to main menu

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. Back to six food groups

Food from animal sources Meat, poultry, fish (fresh, canned, pickled, dried), milk, cheese, yoghurt, egg, liver, heart, kidney, tripe (offal), trotters, feet, tail, head Back to the six food groups

Fats and Oils Cooking and salad oils, butter, margarine, shortening, ghee, coconut cream/milk, meat fat, nuts, avocado pear, Jamaican ackee. Back to six food groups

Green leafy vegetables Dark 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 Back to six food group

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

Legumes Kidney beans, gungo/pigeon peas, black-eye peas, cow peas, other dried peas and beans, peanuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds. Back to six food groups

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 information For more information click on one of the links below: &id=379&Itemid=212 &id=379&Itemid= Back to main menuBack to main menu Back to getting startedBack to getting started