Introducing the New Food Pyramid!

GRAINS:

What foods are in the grain group?

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products.

Grains are divided into 2 subgroups, whole grains and refined grains.

• Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel — the bran, germ, and endosperm. Examples include:
• whole-wheat flour
• bulgur (cracked wheat)
• oatmeal
• whole cornmeal
• brown rice
• Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Some examples of refined grain products are:
• white flour
• degermed cornmeal
• white bread
• white rice

Most refined grains are enriched. This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing. Fiber is not added back to enriched grains. Check the ingredient list on refined grain products to make sure that the word “enriched” is included in the grain name. Some food products are made from mixtures of whole grains and refined grains.

VEGETABLE:

Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the vegetable group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.

Vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups, based on their nutrient content. Some commonly eaten vegetables in each subgroup are:

Dark Green Vegetables:

• bok choy
• broccoli
• collard greens
• dark green leafy lettuce
• kale
• mesclun
• mustard greens
• romaine lettuce
• spinach
• turnip greens
• watercress
• Orange Vegetables:

• acorn squash
• butternut squash
• carrots
• hubbard squash
• pumpkin
• sweetpotatoes

Dry Beans and peas:

• black beans
• black-eyed peas
• garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• kidney beans
• lentils
• lima beans (mature)
• navy beans
• pinto beans
• soy beans
• split peas
• tofu (bean curd made from soybeans)
• white beans

Starch Vegetables:

• corn
• green peas
• lima beans (green)
• potatoes

Other Vegetables:

• artichokes
• asparagus
• bean sprouts
• beets
• Brussels sprouts
• cabbage
• cauliflower
• celery
• cucumbers
• eggplant
• green beans
• green or red peppers
• iceberg (head) lettuce
• mushrooms
• okra
• onions
• parsnips
• tomatoes
• tomato juice
• vegetable juice
• turnips
• wax beans
• zucchini

FRUIT:

Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed. Some commonly eaten fruits are:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Avocado
• Bananas

Berries:

Melons:

Mixed Fruit:
fruit cocktail

• orange
• apple
• grape
• grapefruit

OILS:

Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, like the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants and from fish. Some common oils are:

• canola oil
• corn oil
• cottonseed oil
• olive oil
• safflower oil
• soybean oil
• sunflower oil

Some oils are used mainly as flavorings, such as walnut oil and sesame oil. A number of foods are naturally high in oils, like:

• nuts
• olives
• some fish
• avocados

Foods that are mainly oil include mayonnaise, certain salad dressings, and soft (tub or squeeze) margarine with no trans fats. Check the Nutrition Facts label to find margarines with 0 grams of trans fat. Amounts of trans fat will be required on labels as of 2006. Many products already provide this information.

Most oils are high in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, and low in saturated fats. Oils from plant sources (vegetable and nut oils) do not contain any cholesterol. In fact, no foods from plants sources contain cholesterol.

A few plant oils, however, including coconut oil and palm kernel oil, are high in saturated fats and for nutritional purposes should be considered to be solid fats.

Solid fats are fats that are solid at room temperature, like butter and shortening. Solid fats come from many animal foods and can be made from vegetable oils through a process called hydrogenation. Some common solid fats are:

• butter
• beef fat (tallow, suet)
• chicken fat
• pork fat (lard)
• stick margarine
• shortening

MILK:

All fluid milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group, while foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not. Most milk group choices should be fat-free or low-fat.

Some commonly eaten choices in the milk, yogurt, and cheese group are:

*Selection Tips

Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you choose milk or yogurt that is not fat-free, or cheese that is not low-fat, the fat in the product counts as part of the discretionary calorie allowance.

If sweetened milk products are chosen (flavored milk, yogurt, drinkable yogurt, desserts), the added sugars also count as part of the discretionary calorie allowance.

For those who are lactose intolerant, lactose-free and lower-lactose products are available. These include hard cheeses and yogurt. Also, enzyme preparations can be added to milk to lower the lactose content. Calcium-fortified foods and beverages such as soy beverages or orange juice may provide calcium, but may not provide the other nutrients found in milk and milk products.

Milk* All fluid milk:

Milk-based desserts*
Puddings made with milk
ice milk
frozen yogurt
ice cream

MEAT & BEANS:

All foods made from meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered part of this group. Dry beans and peas are part of this group as well as the vegetable group. For more information on dry beans and peas click here.

Most meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat. Fish, nuts, and seeds contain healthy oils, so choose these foods frequently instead of meat or poultry. (See Why is it important to include fish, nuts, and seeds?)

Some commonly eaten choices in the Meat and Beans group, with selection tips, are:

Meats* Lean cuts of: beef ham lamb pork veal Game meats: bison rabbit venison Lean ground meats: beef pork lamb Lean luncheon meats Organ meats: liver giblets Poultry* chicken duck goose turkey ground chicken and turkey Eggs* chicken eggs duck eggs Dry beans and peas: black beans black-eyed peas chickpeas (garbanzo beans) falafel kidney beans lentils lima beans (mature) navy beans pinto beans soy beans split peas tofu (bean curd made from soy beans) white beansbean burgers: garden burgers veggie burgers tempeh texturized vegetable protein (TVP) Nuts & seeds* almonds cashews hazelnuts (filberts) mixed nuts peanuts peanut butter pecans pistachios pumpkin seeds sesame seeds sunflower seeds walnuts Fish* Finfish such as: catfish cod flounder haddock halibut herring mackerel pollock porgy salmon sea bass snapper swordfish trout tuna Shellfish such as: clams crab crayfish lobster mussels octopus oysters scallops squid (calamari) shrimp Canned fish such as: anchovies clams tuna sardines

Don’t Just Be Fit, Be Gamer Fit

Leave your comments below and add to this discussion. Like what you saw, follow us on Twitter @GamerFitNation, like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ GamerFitNation!