Top Food Groups & My Plate

Hi there today we're going to learn all about food groups and my plate food groups are what they sound like a collection of foods that share similar nutritional properties which means they do similar things for your body there are five food groups fruit vegetables grains protein and dairy let's take a closer look at each group fruit group includes things like apples oranges grapes and bananas along with lots of other types of fruit vegetable group will contain plants that provide lots of great nutrients important for your body vegetables can be any part of the edible plant leaves like lettuce stalks like celery roots like carrots tubers like potatoes bulbs like onions and flowers like broccoli that you didn't realize that broccoli was a flower food that come from the grains group are made from grains that start off as plants like what you see here these are plants like wheat rice and corn the grains off the plant can be eaten or ground into flowers that we can use for baking foods like bread bagels or pasta even cereals made of oats or wheat are a part of this group what belongs in the protein group foods that come from animals like meat poultry eggs and seafood are apart you can also find protein from plants in the form of nuts beans and tofu dairy is the last food group when something is made from cow's milk or a milk alternative like soy milk or almond milk it counts as a dairy foods like milk yogurt cheese and butter are a part of this group ice cream counts in this group too but can you guess what food group the cone belongs to if you guessed the grain's food group you're right so let's take a minute to test your knowledge spend a few seconds thinking about which food groups these foods belong to how about oatmeal if you guessed the grain's food group you're right what about cheese sticks cheese is a part of the dairy group so if you guessed that good job and peanut butter remember peanuts are a plant-based protein so peanut butter is a part of the protein food group how about orange juice yes you probably guessed the fruit food group since fruits oranges are fruits but be careful with this one it only counts as a part of the fruit food group if it's made with 100 fruit juice many juices are not what about candy sweet treats like candy don't fit into any food group because they're mostly made of sugar and finally how about this cheeseburger you might have guessed the protein group since we mostly think of it as the burger, and you're right that it's a part of the protein food group, but foods can have components from different food groups the bun is a part of the grain group and the cheese is a part of the dairy group you could even add lettuce and tomatoes from the vegetable group it's important to eat foods from all of these groups because they all provide important nutrients that are essential for our growth and our health not only do we want to have all of these food groups, but we want to have them in the right proportion to help us see the appropriate portions let's take a look at something called my plate is kind of like a puzzle we can fit the different food groups together to complete a full meal with just the right balance of foods and the right mix of these foods will help us to be healthier to take a look at my plate for a moment what do you notice not all food groups are meant to be eaten in the same amount you'll see here that half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables here are some other tips try to eat fruits of all colors aim to eat your fruits whole and limit fruit juice has less fiber and extra calories compared to whole fruit aim to eat vegetables with a variety of colors too try to get mostly non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens broccoli and peppers starchy vegetables are those like potatoes and corn half of your grain should be whole grains you can tell if they're whole grains by looking at the packaging and at the nutrition facts label or by baking yourself with whole wheat flour or other whole grain flours refined grains like white bread and white rice have less of things like fiber iron and vitamins for protein a palm sized amount of protein is all you need for a meal choose leaner options most of the time like chicken fish beans and nuts for dairy aim for skim or one percent products like milk and yogurt using my plate as an example of how your plate should look for lunch and dinner will help you to build meals that will keep you energized help you grow and keep you healthy