Food groups for kids! Have you ever thought of food as being like fuel to your body? The foods we eat can have a huge impact on our health in lots of interesting ways. Which is why today we are going to learn all about something called food groups.
So, what exactly are food groups? Food groups are a way to organize the food you eat to help maximize the energy and the nutritional value you get from eating meals. There are five food groups. Fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy.
A healthy diet includes a little bit from each group every day. Let's break it down. First up are fruits.
Fruits contain important vitamins like vitamin C, which helps control infections, builds healthy bones, teeth, and blood vessels, and decreases the risk of illness. Another helpful nutrient is potassium, which helps your heart and muscles stay healthy. Examples of fruits are everything from apples and bananas to pineapples and nectarines. Fun fact, raisins are considered fruits because they are dried grapes.
Cool, huh? Up next, vegetables. Although generally not as sweet as fruits, they are chock full of nutrients to fuel your body. Here's a tip.
The more colorful vegetables are, the more vitamins and minerals they have. like vitamin A, which helps your eyes, white blood cells, and skin. So, the next time you wrinkle your nose at a piece of broccoli, remember that it is super good for your eyes. Fun fact, broccoli has more protein than steak. Wild, right?
If broccoli is not your favorite, you can channel your inner bunny rabbit and feast on carrots, spinach, and other leafy greens. Next, let's talk about grains. What food do you think of when you think of the grains group? Probably bread, right?
Bread is definitely part of the grains group. Other foods that are included in this group are cereals, pasta, tortillas, pitas, oatmeal, popcorn, and many, many more. Remember to make sure at least half of your grains come from whole grains.
Grains provide your body with fiber, which helps protect your heart and helps your digestive system work properly. And the vitamin B in grains helps with your nervous system, the production of blood, and can help protect you from getting sick. Wow! Our next food group, proteins. Proteins might make you think of things like meat and fish, but eggs, nuts, tofu, lentils, and beans are also part of this group.
Protein helps with the formation of bones, muscles, blood, and other tissues. Other nutrients found in this food group include vitamin E, iron, zinc, and more. These things can help with the healing of your body and the production of energy.
Our final food group is dairy, which, like proteins, goes beyond just milk, cheese, and yogurt. Dairy alternatives, like soy, are also part of this group. Foods in this group provide calcium, a mineral good for strong teeth and bones, and Vitamin D, which helps your body absorb the calcium, reduces risk for diseases like heart disease and cancer, and helps your muscles work correctly. To get an idea of what you should eat every day, let's play the Food Group Game Show.
Here are some general guidelines on how much to eat from each group every day. Fruits, one and a half servings per day. Vegetables, two servings per day.
Grains, five servings per day. Proteins, five servings per day. Dairy, three servings per day. Some foods have multiple food groups in one. Like pizza.
A pizza can actually have all the food groups together in one place. For example, the sauce and veggie toppings come from the vegetables group. Pineapple as a topping comes from the fruits group.
The cheese is from the dairy group. Meat toppings are from the proteins group. And the crust is from the grains group. Impressive, right? The most important thing to remember is to eat all things in moderation or in a balanced way.
That way, you are not having too much of a good thing. Literally. Treats like candy and soda are okay to have sometimes, but they do not have the same kinds of vitamins and nutrients as other foods.
So try and limit how much candy and soda you eat. Eating well is all about balance and fueling your body. Some of you might even have dietary restrictions or allergies that prevent you from eating some of these foods. That is totally okay.
Always check in with a trusted adult to help you. Now that we have learned about the five food groups, it is time to review. Name the five food groups.
Did you get fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins? and dairy fill in the blank. Tofu is part of the blank group.
Protein. True or false? The more colorful the vegetable, the more vitamins and minerals they have. True.
Nice job, foodies. Every body is different and has slightly different needs. But in general, It is always a great idea to start with the five food groups to help guide you to the foods that will help fuel your body so that you can stay healthy and happy for years to come. Hope you had fun learning with us. Visit us at LearnBright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.