Food Groups for Kids Learn about the five food groups and their benefits

laughs food groups for kids have you ever thought of food as being like fuel to your body the foods we eat can have huge impact on our health in lots of interesting ways which is why today we are going to learn all about something called food groups so what exactly are food groups food groups are way to organize the food you eat to help maximize the energy and the nutritional value you get from eating meals there are five food groups fruits vegetables grains proteins and dairy healthy diet includes little bit from each group every day let's break it down first up are fruits fruits contain important vitamins like vitamin which helps control infections builds healthy bones teeth and blood vessels and decreases the risk of illness another helpful nutrient is potassium which helps your heart and muscles stay healthy examples of fruits are everything from apples and bananas to pineapples and nectarines fun fact raisins are considered fruits because they are dried grapes cool up next vegetables although generally not as sweet as fruits they are chock full of nutrients to fuel your body here's tip the more colorful vegetables are the more vitamins and minerals they have like vitamin which helps your eyes white blood cells and skin so the next time you wrinkle your nose at piece of broccoli remember that it is super good for your eyes fun fact broccoli has more protein than steak wild right if broccoli is not your favorite you can Channel your inner bunny rabbit and feast on carrots spinach and other leafy greens next let's talk about grains what food do you think of when you think of the grains group probably bread right bread bread is definitely part of the grains group other foods that are included in this group are cereals pasta tortillas pitas oatmeal popcorn and many many more remember to make sure at least half of your grains come from whole grains grains provide your body with fiber which helps protect your heart and helps your digestive system work properly and the vitamin in grains helps with your nervous system the production of blood and can help protect you from getting sick wow our next Food Group proteins proteins might make you think of things like meat and fish but eggs nuts tofu lentils and beans are also part of this group protein helps with the formation of Bones muscles blood and other tissues other nutrients found in this food group include vitamin iron zinc and more these things can help with the healing of your body and the production of energy our final food group is dairy which like proteins goes beyond just milk cheese and yogurt Dairy Alternatives like soy are also part of this group Foods in this group provide calcium mineral good for strong teeth and bones and vitamin which helps your body absorb the calcium reduces risk for diseases like heart disease and cancer and helps your muscles work correctly to get an idea of what you should eat every day let's play The Food Group game show here are some general guidelines on how much to eat from each group every day fruits one and half servings per day vegetables two servings per day grains five servings per day proteins five servings per day Dairy three servings per day some foods have multiple food groups in one like pizza pizza can actually have all the food groups together in one place for example the sauce and veggie toppings come from the vegetables group pineapple as topping comes from the fruits group the cheese is from the dairy group meat toppings are from the proteins group and the crust is from the grains group impressive right the most important thing to remember is to eat all things in moderation or in balanced way that way you are not having too much of good thing literally treats like candy and soda are okay to have sometimes but they do not have the same kinds of vitamins and nutrients as other Foods so try and limit how much candy and soda you eat eating well is all about balance and fueling your body some of you might even have dietary restrictions or allergies that prevent you from eating some of these foods that is totally okay always check in with trusted adult to help you now that we have learned about the five food groups it is time to review name the five food groups did you get fruits vegetables grains proteins and Dairy fill in the blank tofu is part of the blank group protein true or false the more colorful the vegetable the more vitamins and minerals they have true nice job Foodies every body is different and has slightly different needs but in general it is always great idea to start with the five food groups to help guide you to the foods that will help fuel your body so that you can stay healthy and happy for years to come hope you had fun learning with us visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and TurnKey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers