Health and Nutrition

 

THE MAJOR FOOD GROUPS

What are the Food Groups?

The Caribbean Food groups consists of:

Staple Foods

Staple foods are foods regularly consumed in a community and from which people obtain a significant proportion of their calorie requirement.

Examples:

Cereals: Bread (from wholegrain or enriched flour), flour, cornmeal, cooked and ready to eat cereals, macaroni, spaghetti and rice.

Starchy fruits, roots, tubers and their products: Banana, plantain, breadfruit, yam, Irish potato, sweet potato, dasheen, coco/cassava.

Nutrients contributed:

Carbohydrate

Vitamins

Minerals

Fiber

Recommended number of servings per day: Four or more

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     Legumes/ Nuts

Legumes are an ideal food for people who want to help protect cardiovascular health. Data show that a diet low in meat and high in legumes and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Examples:

Red peas, gungo/pigeon peas, black-eyed peas, cowpeas, split peas, peanuts, other dried peas, beans, and nuts.

Nutrients Contributed:

Protein

Carbohydrate

Calcium

Iron

Fiber

Recommended number of servings per day: One or more

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     Dark Green Leafy, Yellow, and other Non-Starchy Vegetables

Examples:

Callaloo, spinach, watercress, pak choy, string beans, pumpkin, carrot.

Nutrients contributed:

Vitamins A, and C, B complex vitamins

Minerals

Fiber

Recommended number of servings per day: Two or more.

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      Fruits

The sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food.

Examples:

Mango, guava, orange, pineapple, West Indian cherry, pawpaw.

 

Nutrients contributed:

Carbohydrate

Vitamin C

Vitamin A (yellow fruits)

B complex vitamins

Minerals

Fiber

Recommended number of servings per day: Two or more.

Importance of fruits in your diet

The health benefits of consuming fruit are — it is possible that people who consume more fruit and vegetables as part of a healthier diet are at decreased risk of certain chronic illnesses. Fruit contains essential nutrients for your body's protection and preservation.

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     Foods from Animals

Examples:

Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, ham, sausages. Sardines, liver, heart, kidney, tripe, etc.

Nutrients contributed:

Protein

Iron

B complex and fat-soluble vitamins

Fat

*Red meats and organ meats are excellent sources of haeme iron.

Other Examples:

Milk-fresh, evaporated, skimmed, yogurt, cheese.

Nutrients contributed:

Calcium

Protein

Vitamins A and D

Thiamine

Riboflavin

Carbohydrate

Fat

Recommended number of servings per day: Two or more.

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     Fats and Oils

Fats are substances that help the body use some vitamins and keep the skin healthy, they are also the main way the body stores energy.

Oils

Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature. They provide essential nutrients and come from many different plants and from fish. Many oils are rich in fats that are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, and low in fats that are saturated. No cholesterol is contained in oils from plant sources (vegetable and nut oils). Cholesterol is not found in any plant foods. However, a few plant oils, including coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, are high in saturated fats and should be considered solid for nutritional purposes. Strong fats are fats that, like butter and shortening, are solid at room temperature. Strong fats come from many animal foods and, by a method called hydrogenation, can be made from vegetable oils.

Examples:

Polyunsaturated: Vegetable oils (except coconut oil).

Saturated: Butter, margarine, bacon, salt pork, coconut oil, fat on meat, fat in whole milk.

Nutrients contributed:

Fat

Vitamin E

Butter and fortified margarine provide vitamins A and E.

*Most oils do not contain vitamin A.

Recommended number of servings per day: Three or more.

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6 CARIBBEAN FOOD GROUPS

Why we need these food groups?

Nutrients are compounds in foods essential to life and health, providing us with energy, the building blocks for repair and growth and substances necessary to regulate chemical processes.

Proteins

Protein is the major cell component and important for survival. Protein is used for the building and protection of our body.

·      Muscles - Those responsible for movement and the muscles around our organs and our heart.

·      Collagen - Provides strength and structure to tissues (e.g. cartilage in joints).

·      Skin, hair and nails - These are mainly composed of protein.

·      Haemoglobin - Transports oxygen around the body.

·      Hormones - Act as your body’s chemical messengers.

·      Enzymes - Regulate metabolism - they support important chemical reactions that allow you to digest food, generate energy to contract muscles, and regulate insulin production.

·      Antibodies - Play a role in your immunity.

Different types of protein

Meat

Poultry

Fish

Eggs

Dairy

Grains

Beans

Vegetables

Nuts

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Grains

A grain is a small, hard, dry seed harvested for human or animal consumption, with or without an attached hull or fruit layer. A grain crop is a plant that grows grains. Cereals and legumes are the two leading types of commercial grain crops. They are healthy, yummy, and add variety to a diet.

Why we need grains

A vital role in the function of the immune system and in the promotion of hepatic health. The benefits of fiber are abundant, including helping you feel more complete (which helps control weight), revitalizing metabolism and keeping baths regularly visited.

 

Essential Nutrients in Grains

Fibre: Whole grains contain fiber which, in healthy eating patterns, reduces the risk of coronary arteries and constipation. High-fibre food also gives you a feeling of fullness that can help to maintain weight.

 

Minerals: Iron is used to deliver oxygen to the blood. Magnesium is a mineral that is used to create bones and release muscle energy. For a healthy immune system, selenium is essential.

B vitamins: assist the body in the release of protein, fats and carbohydrates energy.

Phytochemicals: These nutrients naturally occur in plants and are being studied for their ability to protect against disease.

Different types of grains

·      Teff

·      Wheat

·      Oats

·      Rice

·      Corn

·      Barley

·      Sorghum

·      Rye

·      Millet

·      Triticale

·      Amaranth

·      Buckwheat

·      Quinoa

Nutrients

Naturally, the bulk of fruit is low in fat, sodium and calories. None have cholesterol

Fruits are a source of many essential nutrients that are under-consumed, including potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate.

Potassium-rich diets can help maintain healthy blood pressure.

Dietary fiber from fruit, as part of a balanced overall diet, helps lower blood cholesterol levels and can reduce the risk of heart disease. Fiber is essential for the proper function of the intestine. It helps to minimize constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods, such as fruit, help to give you a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.

Vitamin C is essential to the regeneration and reparation of body tissues, to treat and treat cuts and wounds and to preserve healthy teeth and gums.

Folate (folic acid) allows red blood cells to develop in the body. 

Health benefits

As part of the overall balanced diet, eating foods such as fruits that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other high-calorie foods can be effective in reducing calorie intake.

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will minimize risk of heart disease like heart attack and stroke as part of a healthier overall diet.

A diet rich in certain fruits and vegetables will protect against certain cancers as a part of an overall balanced diet.

The addition of fruit will help increase fiber and potassium intakes, a major nutrient

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Dairy

The Dairy Group includes all liquid milk products and many milk-based foods which retain their calcium content, such as yogurt and cheese. Calcium soy milk is also included (soy drink). milk foods containing little to no calcium

Nutrients

Calcium is used to build bones and teeth and to retain bone mass.  milk products are the key source of calcium. 

Potassium-rich diets can help keep your blood pressure healthy

Vitamin D works to keep calcium and phosphorus in good condition and helps build and keep bones

Milk products in their fat-free or non-fat form give little or no solid fat

Health benefits

Intake of calcium-containing milk products is related to improved bone health in children and adolescents and can decrease the risk of osteoporosis.

The Dairy Group supplies a wide variety of dietary nutrients including calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, protein, zinc, magnesium, choline and selenium.

During childhood and adolescence, consumption of dairy products is particularly important for bone health as bones build up.

Different types of dairy

·      Milk.

·      Butter.

·      Cheese.

·      Yogurt.

·      Cream (heavy cream, sour cream, etc.)

·      Ice cream.

·      Whey.

·      Casein.

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Benefits of oils in a diet

·      A rich source of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid

·      Which can help prevent heart attacks and stroke," says Norris. 

·      An excellent source of omega-6 fatty acids

·      Alpha-linolenic acid helps prevent stroke and skin problems such as acne

Different types of ways to consume oils

·      nuts

·      fish

·      cooking oil

·      salad dressings