Nutrition: Different Food Groups

What is nutrition?

Nutrition is the fuel that our body’s extract from the food and drink we consume. If we obtain more fuel than we require our body stores it in fat cells that the body uses as a backup. when you don’t have enough energy then our bodies will use the stored-up energy in the fat cells.

What are the Different Food Groups?

There are Five main food groups: Fruit, Vegetables, Dairy, Grain and Protein (meat). There are some other small food groups such as Treats and Oil these you only have a little bit or every now and then.

Dairy

Dairy is a milk product; milk can be used to make things such as butter, cream and yogurt. Alternatives to milk such as low- fat milk or skim milk are also counted as included in the dairy food group. Dairy products can be consumed on their own or used in cooking.

Fruit

Fruit is a byproduct of a plant and is also how that plant spreads its seed. Fruit can be sweet like berries, watery like watermelon and sour like lemons. Fruit contains natural sugars therefore it is better as humans to not eat to much and to have more veggies than fruit.

Lean meats

Lean meats consist of things such as egg, fish, chicken, beef, pork and even a various selection of beans and peas such as kidney beans, chick peas, mixed nuts and lentils. Lean is often a very important part of Australian diets and sometimes Australians need to eat less red meat.

Vegetables

Vegetables often come from lots of different parts from plants such as the roots, leaves, flowers, seeds, and stems. Many Australians don’t eat enough vegetables around about half of the recommended vegetables. Eating vegetable’s has fantastic benefits like lowering your risk of heart disease, Stroke and weight gain when eaten consistently.

Grain

Grain consists of things like bread, rice, noodles, oats and almost everything you would find in a bakery. The food found in the grain food group is mostly made with high fiber ingredients including Wheat, Oats, Rice, barley and corn. The benefits of eating grains are very positive as it can reduce the risk of many disease like coronary heart desires and Diabetes

Why is this important to us?

Eating the right foods is extremely important as it can make you feel more active and aware which can lead to feeling happier and more productive. Different moods will impact your choices of what you eat due to your gut having its own nervous system which can detect an irritated gut and can affect your mood.

Why is water important to us?

Water is important since it is used to hydrate and regulate our body temperatures it is also used to lubricate our joints. Our body’s use water to make everything run smoothly our cells, organs and tissue consume water. Our bodies only last 3 days without water compared to the three weeks you can survive without foods meaning that water is used more and more important to keep your bodily functions running.