Basic Food Groups (Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Dairy, and Protein Foods) inspire healthy eating and a balanced diet.

Vegetables may be fresh, frozen, canned or dried/dehydrated and may be eaten whole, cut-up, or mashed.  100% Vegetable Juice is part of the vegetable group. Eat a variety of dark green, red and orange vegetables, along with beans and peas. Beans and peas are also considered part of the protein group.

Make ½ your plate fruits and vegetables.

5 Sub-Groups of Vegetables (Dark Green, Starchy, Red/Orange, Beans & Peas, Other)

Dark Green Vegetables:

• Boy Choy
• Broccoli
• Collard Greens
• Dark Green Leafy Lettuce
• Kale
• Mesclun
• Mustard Greens
• Romaine Lettuce
• Spinach
• Turnip Greens
• Watercress

Starchy Vegetables

• Acorn Squash
• Butternut Squash
• Carrots
• Cassava
• Corn
• Fresh Cowpeas, Field Peas, non-dry Black-Eyed Peas
• Green Bananas
• Green Lima Beans
• Green Peas
• Hubbard Squash
• Plantains
• Potatoes
• Pumpkin

Red and Orange Vegetables

• Red Peppers
• Sweet Potatoes
• Taro
• Tomato Juice
• Tomatoes
• Water Chestnuts

Beans and Peas (Part of the Protein Group)

• Black Beans
• Black-Eyed Peas – mature, dry
• Garbanzo Beans – chickpeas
• Kidney Beans
• Lentils
• Navy Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Soy Beans
• Split Peas
• White Beans

Other Vegetables

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Bean Sprouts
• Beets
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Green Beans
• Green Peppers
• Iceberg Lettuce Head
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onions
• Turnips
• Wax Beans
• Zucchini

Fruits can be fresh, canned, frozen or dried. Eat fruits whole, cut-up, or pureed. 100% Fruit Juices are included in the fruit group.

Common Fruits:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Bananas
• Cherries
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Kiwi Fruit
• Lemons
• Limes
• Mangoes
• Nectarines
• Oranges
• Papaya
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapples
• Plums
• Prunes
• Raisins
• Tangerines

Berries:

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Melons:

• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew
• Watermelon

Mixed Fruits:

• Fruit Cocktail

100% Fruit Juice

• Apple
• Grape
• Grapefruit
• Orange

Grain products are foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or a cereal grain. There are two Grain subgroups (Whole Grains and Refined Grains).

Half of your grains should be whole grains.

Whole Grains contain entire grain kernel, bran, germ, and endosperm:

• Amaranth
• Brown Rice
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur (cracked wheat)
• Millet
• Muesli – ready-to-eat cereal
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn
• Quinoa
• Rolled oats
• Sorghum
• Triticale
• Whole Grain Barley
• Whole Grain Cornmeal
• Whole Rye
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Whole Wheat Cereals Flakes – ready-to-eat cereal
• Whole Wheat Crackers
• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Whole Wheat Sandwich Buns and Rolls
• Whole Wheat Tortillas
• Whole-Wheat Flour
• Wild Rice

There are some grain products that may contain a significant amount of bran, which provides fiber. Products with added bran or have bran alone are not necessarily whole grain products.

Refined Grain products have been milled which removes bran and germ. The dietary fiber, iron, and a lot of B vitamins are removed from refined grain products when they are milled:

• Corn Flakes – Ready-to-eat cereal
• Corn Tortillas
• Couscous
• Crackers
• De-Germed Cornbread
• Flour Tortillas
• Grits
• Macaroni – Pasta
• Noodles
• Pitas
• Pretzels
• Spaghetti – Pasta
• White Bread
• White Flour
• White Rice
• White Sandwich Buns and Rolls

Check ingredient list for the words “whole grain” or “whole wheat”. Some refined grain products are made from a whole grain. Some products are made from a mixture of whole and refined grains.

Iron and certain B vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid are added back into refined grains after processing. This is considered enriched refined grains. Yet, fiber is not added back.

Dairy should be fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.

Change to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk

Fluid milks and calcium containing milk products are considered dairy:

• Cheeses
• Lactose-free products
• Lactose-reduced products
• Milk
• Soymilk – Soy Beverage
• Yogurt

Food that are made from milk yet they do not contain calcium or minimal calcium are not included in the dairy group. Some examples of these are butter, cream, sour cream and cream cheese.

The common eaten Dairy products:

Milk/Fluid Milk

• Fat-Free (skim)
• Flavored Milks – chocolate, strawberry
• Lactose-Free Milks
• Lactose-Reduced Milks
• Low Fat (1%)
• Reduced Fat (2%)
• Whole Milk

Milk-Based Desserts

• Frozen yogurt
• Ice Cream
• Ice milk
• Puddings

Calcium-Fortified Soymilk – soy beverage

Chesses

• Hard natural cheeses – Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss, Parmesan
• Processed Cheeses – American
• Soft cheeses – Ricotta, Cottage Cheese

Yogurt

• Fat-Free
• Low-Fat
• Reduced Fat
• Whole Milk Yogurt

 Protein foods are lean meats and poultry, seafood, beans and peas (vegetarian choice), processed soy products (vegetarian choice), unsalted nuts, and seeds (vegetarian choice). The meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat.

Make sure you eat minimum 8 oz. of seafood weekly (excludes vegetarians) young children normally requires less.

Protein Foods:

Meats (Lean Cuts)

• Beef
• Ham
• Lamb
• Pork
• Veal

Game Meats

• Bison
• Rabbit
• Venison

Lean Ground Meats

• Beef
• Pork
• Lamb

Organ Meats

• Liver
• Giblets

Poultry

• Chicken
• Duck
• Goose
• Ground Chicken and Turkey
• Turkey

Eggs

• Chicken Eggs
• Duck Eggs

Beans and Peas – vegetarian choices

• Bean Burgers
• Black Beans
• Black-Eyed Peas
• Chickpeas – garbanzo beans
• Falafel
• Kidney Beans
• Lentils
• Lima Beans – mature
• Navy Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Soy Beans
• Split Beans
• White Beans

Processed Soy Products

• Tempeh
• Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP)
• Tofu – bean curd made from soybeans
• Veggie Burgers

Nuts and Seeds – unsalted

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts – filberts
• Mixed nuts
• Peanut Butter
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Pistachios
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Walnuts

Seafood

Finfish

• Catfish
• Cod
• Flounder
• Haddock
• Halibut
• Herring
• Mackerel
• Pollock
• Porgy
• Salmon
• Sea bass
• Snapper
• Swordfish
• Trout
• Tuna

Shellfish

• Clams
• Crab
• Crayfish
• Lobster
• Mussels
• Octopus
• Oysters
• Scallops
• Squid – calamari
• Shrimp

Canned fish

• Anchovies
• Clams
• Sardines
• Tuna

Seafood’s that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, trout, sardines, anchovies, herring, Pacific oysters, and Atlantic and Pacific mackerel.

Processed meats with added sodium are ham, sausage, frankfurter, and luncheon or deli meats. Fresh chicken, turkey, and pork enhanced with salt-containing solution have added sodium.