THE SIX FOOD GROUPS
What is food? Food is anything that is safe to eat or drink and is good for our body. All food do not look the same. Food comes in different forms and shaped and can be solid or liquid. Some foods can be eaten raw like cucumbers and tomatoes, but other foods like chicken, yam and rice have to be cooked first.
Where do we get food?
We get food from plants and animals. We can buy food in the supermarket, from the school canteen or from the vendor. We can grow food in our backyard garden to eat.
Why do we need food?
We need food because it gives us energy, help us to grow, develop properly, play and work well and keeps us healthy.
Ways we eat
We eat differenttypes of food at different times. How we may choose to eat food is based on many things: whether we are hungry, what we like, our culture, religion, family and friends. On some special occasions we may buy food like pizza from restaurant. At celebration times we may eat party foods/special treats like ice-cream and cake.
Foods Working together
Foods in Groups
We can put food in six groups. The foods in each food group are somewhat alike. The Caribbean Six Food Groups are:
Where do we get food?
We get food from plants and animals. We can buy food in the supermarket, from the school canteen or from the vendor. We can grow food in our backyard garden to eat.
Why do we need food?
We need food because it gives us energy, help us to grow, develop properly, play and work well and keeps us healthy.
Ways we eat
We eat differenttypes of food at different times. How we may choose to eat food is based on many things: whether we are hungry, what we like, our culture, religion, family and friends. On some special occasions we may buy food like pizza from restaurant. At celebration times we may eat party foods/special treats like ice-cream and cake.
Foods Working together
Foods in Groups
We can put food in six groups. The foods in each food group are somewhat alike. The Caribbean Six Food Groups are:
- Staples
- Food from animals
- fats and Oils
- Legumes and Nuts
- Fruits
- Vegetables
Staples
Staple foods come from plants.Rice, bread, flour,oats, cornmeal and provision are types of staple foods. These foods are starchy, high in energy and are usually served as a part of every meal.
Food From Animals Food from animals include animal flesh, milk, and milk products. Cheese, eggs, milk, fish, chicken, turkey, mutton, goat, pork and sausages are all types of foods from animals
Fats and Oils Fats and oils come from both plants and animals. Vegetable oil, margarine, ghee, butter, avocado and shortening are examples of fats and oils.
Legumes and Nuts Legumes and nuts are peas and beans and many different types of nuts and seeds. Red beans, lentil peas, black eye peas, peanuts, cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds are all types of legumes and nuts
Fruits Some types of fruit include banana, orange, pineapple, mangoes, pommerrac, cherries, sour-sop, sapodilla, watermelon, kiwi, and paw paw.
Vegetables
We eat vegetables like carrots, cabbage, broccoli,lettuce, cauliflower and spinach
We eat vegetables like carrots, cabbage, broccoli,lettuce, cauliflower and spinach
Getting it Right If we do not eat right we can get sick and become unhealthy. Our bodies use the food we eat to get nutrients to give us energy and make us healthy. We need to eat food in the correct way so that our bodies can get all the nutrients needed to be healthy.
Eating would never be fun if we ate the same foods everyday. So every week we could have a wide variety of different foods from the food groups, for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack times. It is especially important for us to have lots of fruits, vegetables and water if we are to grow healthy and strong!
Try to eat less foods and snacks that are sweet, salty and oily.
Eating would never be fun if we ate the same foods everyday. So every week we could have a wide variety of different foods from the food groups, for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack times. It is especially important for us to have lots of fruits, vegetables and water if we are to grow healthy and strong!
Try to eat less foods and snacks that are sweet, salty and oily.