Healthy Kids Diet

Foods and Nutritions

5 Food Groups

The key to healthy eating is to enjoy a variety of nutritious foods from each of the 5 foods groups. The Australian Guide Healthy Eating displays the 5 foods groups on plate, in the proportion that you should be eating them throughout your day. If you eat a variety of foods from each of these groups, your body will receive all the nutrients and vitamins it needs to function.

The Five foods groups are :

• Dairy : the foods in this groups are excellent sources of calcium, which is important for strong, healthy bones. Not many other foods in our diet contain as much calcium as dairy foods.
• Fruit : fruit provides vitamins, minerals, dietary (nutrients naturally present in plants), that help you body stay healthy.
• Grain foods or cereal foods : always choose wholegrain and/or high varieties of breads, cereals, rice, noodles, etc. Refined grain products (such as cakes or biscuits) can be high in added sugar, fat and sodium.
• Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, and seeds : our body uses the protein we eat to make specialized chemicals such as hemoglobin and adrenalin. Protein also builds, maintains, and repairs the tissues in our body. Muscles and organs (such as your heart) are made of protein.
• Vegetables, legumes and beans : vegetables should make up a large part of your daily food intake and should be encouraged at every meal (including snack times). They povide vitamis, minerals, nutrients naturally present in plants) to help your body stay healthy.

Source : Healthy-kids.com