Healthy foods are found in every major food group, including grains, vegetables, dairy, fruits, beans and meats, and even fats and oils. Most dietary recommendations like those from the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Heart Association promote eating a wide variety of foods from each food group every day to get all your essential nutrients.
Grains & Vegetables
Grains and vegetables are two of the major food groups that you should include in a healthy diet. Although any food made from barley, cornmeal, rice, oats wheat and other cereal grains is considered a type of grain, whole grains include foods that aren't refined, processed or milled, like whole wheat flour, oatmeal and brown rice. Whole grains are rich in dietary fiber, iron and B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, folic acid, thiamin and niacin. Refined grains like white flour and white rice are typically enriched with these nutrients after the milling process, but they don't add back in the fiber.
Dark-green, starchy and other types of vegetables, as well as dried peas and beans, are rich in nutrients. Like grains, eating a variety of vegetables is the key to a healthy diet, providing vitamins C, E and K, as well as most B-complex vitamins and fiber .
Milk & Fruit
The healthiest, most nutritious foods in the milk group are milk, cheeses, yogurts and other dairy products that are fat-free or low-fat. Avoid some full-fat or whole-milk dairy products, which often the highest amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and calories. In addition to calcium and other minerals, milk and most milk products typically contain vitamins A and D, as well as the B-complex vitamins niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, thiamin and vitamin B12. Fruits are also a major food group in a healthy diet, typically providing fiber and the essential amounts of vitamin C, thiamin and some minerals. Fresh, canned, dried or frozen fruits and 100-percent fruit juices count as part of the fruit group.
Beans & Meats
Foods like meats, poultry, fish and eggs, as well as dried beans or peas, nuts and seeds are part of the protein group. In addition to protein, nuts and seeds are rich in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids. Oily fish like tuna, salmon, herring, trout and mackerel are also rich in heart-healthy omega-3s. Avoid foods in this category that contain added sodium, high cholesterol levels and saturated fats like processed meats, organ meats, fatty meats and poultry with skin. Eggs, meats and fish contain vitamin A, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B12, while fish and oysters are rich in vitamin D. Dried beans, peas, fish and lean meats contain thiamin, while soybeans are especially rich in vitamin K.
Fats & Oils
Avoid solid fats containing cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fat like butter, lard, shortening and stick margarine, as well as coconut and palm oils. Replace these fats with foods containing "healthy" monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like soybean, sunflower, corn, canola, cottonseed, olive and safflower oils, as well as nuts, certain fish, avocados and olives. Vegetable-based oils are also rich in vitamin E.
References
- University of Michigan Health System: American Heart Association Healthy Diet Guidelines
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamins -- Food Sources
- MyPyramid.gov: Inside the Pyramid -- What Foods are in the Grain Group?
- MyPyramid.gov: Inside the Pyramid -- What Foods are in the Vegetable Group?
- MyPyramid.gov: Inside the Pyramid -- What Foods are Included in the Milk Group?
- MyPyramid.gov: Inside the Pyramid -- What Foods are in the Fruit Group?
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