What Are the Different Food Groups?

The six major food groups are grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and beans, milk and oils.

Grains

Foods found in the whole grains group include whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and brown rice. The refined grains group is made up of white flour, white rice and white bread.

Vegetables

All vegetables, regardless of how they are prepared, are included in this group. Some examples are broccoli, bok choy, green peas, carrots and vegetable juices.

Fruits

All fruits, regardless of how they are prepared, are included in this group. Some fruits include bananas, apples, oranges, raisins, grapefruit and pineapple. Fruit juices are also included in the fruits group.

Meat and Beans

The meat and beans group houses beef, poultry, eggs, seeds, dry beans and nuts.

Milk

Anything made from milk falls into this food group, with the exception of products that retain little calcium content, such as cream and butter. Cheese and yogurt both fall into this group.

Oils

All cooking oils are part of this food group. Some of these include canola, olive, soybean and safflower.

References

• My Pyramid: Inside the Pyramid
• University of Massachusetts: Food Groups