While there are a number of food pyramids from which to choose, the basic guidelines are quite similar. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the five primary food groups are; milk, cheese and yogurt; meat, poultry, fish and dry beans, eggs and nuts; vegetables; fruits; and bread, cereal, rice and pasta. The Mayo Clinic says since one food cannot meet all of your body's nutritional requirements, it's important to eat a number of foods from multiple food groups. However, there are certain combination foods that satisfy more than one food group.
Soups and Stews
The USDA says that since a number of stews and soups contain foods from multiple food groups they satisfy a good share of your daily nutritional needs. The assortment of ingredients in these kind of meals may include beans, meat, vegetables and noodles.
Dips and Toppings
According to Access to Healthy Foods.com, combination foods contain ingredients from at least two of the primary food groups. For example, adding low-fat dip to fresh vegetables or fruits can help you to meet your daily dairy requirements. Another healthy choice might be yogurt with a granola topping.
Trail Mix
Trail mix is a good example of a ready-made snack that contains food from multiple food groups. Trail mixes often contain granola, nuts, seeds and/or dried fruits
Combination Snacks
A little creativity may go along away in consuming an appetizing diet that is also balanced with important nutrients from more than one food group. A simple snack of crackers and peanut butter satisfies both nuts and bread requirements while cheese and crackers or cheese and breadsticks can help increase your dairy and bread intake.
Other Combinatons
There are a number of other combination foods that can tastefully satisfy multiple food groups. These include fruit and nut bars, pretzels and soy nut butter, and fresh vegetables or bread with hummus (a thick sauce of mashed chickpeas seasoned with garlic, lemon juice and olive or sesame oil.)
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