Food Groups

CONTENTS
 Definitions
 Nutrition- Historical background & Changing concepts
 Food groups
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you
what you are”
(Antheime Brillat-Savarin, 1826)

INTRODUCTION
 Food is a substance that living beings eat to satiate their

hunger.
 Diet is the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community

habitually eats.
INTRODUCTION
 The word nutrition first appeared in 1551 and comes from the
Latin word nutrire, meaning “to nourish.”
 Today, nutrition is defined as the sum of all processes in-

volved in how organisms obtain nutrients, metabolize them,
and use them to support all of life’s processes.
SCIENCE OF NUTRITION
 Nutrition is defined as “the science of food and its relation-

ship to health”.
 The science of nutrition include:

1. The physiological and biochemical processes involved in
nourishment—how substances in food provide energy or are
converted into body tissues,
2. The diseases that result from insufficiency or excess of essen-
tial nutrients called (malnutrition).
3. Nutrition is also about why people choose to eat the foods they
do, even if they have been advised that doing so may be un-
healthy.
COMMUNITY NUTRITION & DIETICS
 Community nutrition is the “practical application of the nu-

tritional knowledge to promote health and wellbeing of in-
dividuals, groups or community”.
 Dietics is “the practical application of the principles of nu-

trition”; It includes the planning of meals for well and sick.
FOOD AND NUTRITION: CHANGING CONCEPTS
 Food has been recognized important for human beings, in

health and disease.
 It was early in 19th century, that fats, proteins, carbohydrate had

been recognized as energy yielding food.
 By the end of the 19th century the essential amino acids in pro-
teins had been mainly identified.
 The period 1890–1940 saw the discovery of 13 vitamins, or-

ganic compounds essential in small amounts.
DISCOVERY OF VITAMINS AND THEIR SOURCES
Year of discovery Vitamin Source
1909 Vitamin A (Retinol) Cod liver oil
1912 Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Rice bran
1912 Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) Lemons
1918 Vitamin D (Calciferol) Cod liver oil
1920 Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Eggs
1922 Vitamin E (Tocopherol) Wheat germ oil, Cosmetic and Liver
1926 Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) Liver
1929 Vitamin K (Phylloquinone) Alfalfa
1931 Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) Liver

1931 Vitamin B7 (Biotin) Liver
1934 Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Rice bran
1936 Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Liver
1941 Vitamin B9 (Folic acid) Liver

 Great advancement have been made in the knowledge of nutri-

tion and in the practical application of that knowledge.
 Specific nutritional diseases were identified and technologies

developed to control them.
 The science of nutrition has linked itself to epidemiology,

broadly known as Nutritional Epidemiology.
 This include assessment of community nutritional status, nutri-

tional surveillance, dietary surveys, growth monitoring, nutri-
tional interventions and rehabilitation.
 Another concept that has emerged in recent years is that

nutrition problem is not just medical problem, but are
“multifactorial”.
 Problems have their roots in many other sectors of devel-

opment such as agriculture, education, rural development.
 This lead to the concept of “intersectoral and integrated

approach” toward solving these problems.
FOOD GROUPS
FOOD GROUPS
1. Cereal & Grains

2. Vegetables
3. Fruits
4. Milk & dairy products
5. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs,
Nuts
& Legumes
6. Fats, Oils & Sweets
CEREALS & GRAINS
 Cereals, the ‘seeds of civiliza-

tion’ - food eaten by humans
for thousands of years and
provide more food energy
worldwide than any other type
of crop; they are therefore
“Staple Crops”.
 Cereals are grasses cultivated

for the edible components of
their grain composed of the
endosperm, germ, and bran.
GRAINS & CEREALS
 There are two types of grains:
1. Whole grains refer to grains that have all of the parts of the
grain seed, (bran, endosperm & germ).
2. Refined grains are processed grain when some of the dietary
fiber and other important nutrients are removed.
GRAINS & CEREALS
 Examples of two types of

grains include:
1. Whole grains (Brown bread

& rice, maize, oat, barley,
millet)
2. Refined grains (white bread
& rice, pasta, noodles)
TYPES OF GRAINS
 In their natural form (as in whole grain), they are a rich source
of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fats & oils and a wide range of
vitamins and minerals including folate, thiamin, riboflavin,
niacin and iron.
 However, when refined by the removal of the bran and germ,

the remaining endosperm is mostly carbohydrate and lacks the
majority of the other nutrients.
 Fortified grains” are enriched grain foods having extra nutri-

ents added to it.
VEGETABLES
 Vegetables comprise any plant part, other than fruit which is

used as food. They include;
i. Roots and tubers (potatoes, turnips, carrots)

ii. Bulbs s(onions)
iii. Stems (Celery)
iv. Leaves (Lettuce and cabbage)
v. Flowers (broccoli and cauliflower)
vi. Peas and beans are legumes but when immature and green are
treated as vegetables.
VEGETABLES
 Vegetables are a good source of dietary fibre.
 All vegetables contain negligible fat.
 Starch predominates in tubers, the other vegetables contain

sugars.
 Green leafy vegetables have a very high water content and are
exceptionally low in energy while relatively high in micronu-
trients.
FRUITS
 Fruit forms from the flower (ovary) of the plant and contains
the seeds of the plant.
 Fruit is a good source of vitamins, including vitamin C, folate,

carotenoids as well as useful amount of potassium.
 It also provides carbohydrates, in particular natural sugars

(fructose and/or glucose and/or sucrose) and fibre, especially
in the edible skins.
 The sugar that makes them sweet provides energy.

FRUITS
 Some vegetables like toma-

toes and pumpkin are the
fruit of the plant, but they
are used as vegetables.
MILK & MILK PRODUCTS
 Milk, yoghurt and firm cheeses are the three important foods
in this group.
 The foods in this group are an excellent source of calcium and

are also a good source of protein.
 Milk carries B group vitamins, particularly riboflavin & vita-

min B12, and the fat soluble vitamins A & D.
MILK & MILK PRODUCTS
 Milk also contains moderate amounts of potassium, sodium,

magnesium, and zinc but is low in iron.
 Lactose is the principal sugar in milk, and milk is the only

source of lactose in nature.
 The lactose enhances the absorption of calcium and phospho-

rus from the intestine.
 Yoghurt, cheese group can increase the fat content of your diet
if you choose full cream products.
MEAT, FISH, POULTRY, EGGS, NUTS &
LEGUMES
 The foods in this group are a

good source of protein, iron,
niacin and vitamin B12.
 Lean red meats are a particu-

larly good source of iron &
zinc.
 The iron in animal foods is

more easily absorbed by the
body than the iron in plant
foods.
NUTS
 Nuts are valued for their oils

as well as for their high con-
tent of energy, protein, vi-
tamins, and minerals makes
them a very nutritious food.
 The energy content of nuts

is mostly due to their high
fat content. Common types
of nuts include;
LEGUMES
 Legumes are the edible seeds and include dried peas, beans,
lentils, pulses and chick peas.
 Of all foods, legumes most adequately meet the recommended

dietary guidelines for healthful eating.
 They are high in carbohydrate and dietary fibre, mostly low in

fat, supply adequate protein while being a good source of vita-
mins and minerals.
LEGUMES
FATS, OILS AND SWEETS
 Fats, oils and sweets give us

calories, add flavor and va-
riety to our diets.
 When we eat them along

with foods like grains,
fruits, vegetables, milk and
meat products they are part
of a healthy diet.
FATS, OILS AND SWEETS
 Most of these foods do not

contain many vitamins or
minerals.
 So they are called "empty

calorie" foods.
WHAT TO EAT?
 One measurement of food quality is the amount of nutrients it

contains relative to the amount of energy it provides.
 High-quality foods are nutrient dense, meaning they contain

lots of the nutrients relative to the amount of calories they
provide.
 Nutrient-dense foods are the opposite of “empty-calorie”

foods such as carbonated sugary soft drinks, which provide
many calories and very little, if any, other nutrients.
WHAT TO EAT?

Food Groups

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CONTENTS

(Antheime Brillat-Savarin, 1826)

 Food is a substance that living beings eat to satiate their

 Diet is the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community

 Today, nutrition is defined as the sum of all processes in-

 Nutrition is defined as “the science of food and its relation-

 The science of nutrition include:

 Community nutrition is the “practical application of the nu-

 Dietics is “the practical application of the principles of nu-

 Food has been recognized important for human beings, in

 It was early in 19th century, that fats, proteins, carbohydrate had

 The period 1890–1940 saw the discovery of 13 vitamins, or-

1909 Vitamin A (Retinol) Cod liver oil

1912 Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Rice bran

1912 Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) Lemons

1918 Vitamin D (Calciferol) Cod liver oil

1920 Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Eggs

1922 Vitamin E (Tocopherol) Wheat germ oil, Cosmetic and Liver

1926 Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) Liver

1929 Vitamin K (Phylloquinone) Alfalfa

1931 Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) Liver

1934 Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Rice bran

1936 Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Liver

1941 Vitamin B9 (Folic acid) Liver

 Great advancement have been made in the knowledge of nutri-

 Specific nutritional diseases were identified and technologies

 The science of nutrition has linked itself to epidemiology,

 This include assessment of community nutritional status, nutri-

 Another concept that has emerged in recent years is that

 Problems have their roots in many other sectors of devel-

 This lead to the concept of “intersectoral and integrated

1. Cereal & Grains

 Cereals, the ‘seeds of civiliza-

 Cereals are grasses cultivated

 Examples of two types of

1. Whole grains (Brown bread

 However, when refined by the removal of the bran and germ,

 Fortified grains” are enriched grain foods having extra nutri-

 Vegetables comprise any plant part, other than fruit which is

i. Roots and tubers (potatoes, turnips, carrots)

 Vegetables are a good source of dietary fibre.

 All vegetables contain negligible fat.

 Starch predominates in tubers, the other vegetables contain

 Fruit is a good source of vitamins, including vitamin C, folate,

 It also provides carbohydrates, in particular natural sugars

 The sugar that makes them sweet provides energy.

 Some vegetables like toma-

 The foods in this group are an excellent source of calcium and

 Milk carries B group vitamins, particularly riboflavin & vita-

 Milk also contains moderate amounts of potassium, sodium,

 Lactose is the principal sugar in milk, and milk is the only

 The lactose enhances the absorption of calcium and phospho-

 The foods in this group are a

 Lean red meats are a particu-

 The iron in animal foods is

 Nuts are valued for their oils

 The energy content of nuts

 Of all foods, legumes most adequately meet the recommended

 They are high in carbohydrate and dietary fibre, mostly low in