Lesson 1- FOOD GROUPS AND FOOD PYRAMID

LESSON 1:
FOOD GROUPS AND
FOOD PYRAMID

INTRODUCTION
A food group is a collection of foods that share similar nutritional properties or biological
classifications. List of nutrition guides typically divide foods into food groups.

A balanced diet includes a variety of foods from each of the five food groups, and offers a
range of different tastes and textures. It is important to choose most of the foods we eat each
day from these food groups.

The Food Pyramid is a visual representation of how different foods and drinks contribute
towards a healthy balanced diet. The Food Pyramid allows individuals the flexibility to
choose foods and drinks from each shelf depending on their food preferences.

Nutrition information? What's healthy eating? How much should I eat, and of what food?
Which healthy foods are packed with which nutrients? All the information coming at through
various platforms makes it pretty difficult to figure out what food is really part of a healthy
and balanced diet. Thankfully, models like food pyramids and plates make it easier because
they turn the basic rules into visual overviews.

Time Frame: 14 hours

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

1. describe food groups;

2. identify the different food groups;
3. determine the contents of the food pyramid;
4. understand the importance of food pyramid in ensuring healthy body.

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 Lesson 1- FOOD GROUPS AND FOOD PYRAMID

ENGAGE

If you are given this set of foods,

which one would you pick and eat
first?

What are your bases of choosing that

food?

EXPLORE

List down the foods you have eaten in a day and identify the nutrients present in those foods. (from
breakfast to dinner and include snacks if there is any)

EXPLAIN
1. What are the different food groups?
2. What are the different groups which belong to the food groups?
3. What is a food pyramid?
4. Where was food pyramid first established?

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FOOD GROUPS

GO FOODS
Go Foods are the type of food that provide fuel and help us 'go' and be active. Examples of
'Go' foods include bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potato. These foods give our muscles fuel
to run, swim, jump, cycle and our brain fuel to concentrate.

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 Lesson 1- FOOD GROUPS AND FOOD PYRAMID

GROW FOODS
Grow Foods help our body grow bigger and stronger. 'Grow' foods help build our body's
bones, teeth and muscles. Examples of 'Grow' foods include chicken, meat, fish, eggs and
milk, cheese and yoghurt. All of these foods help to keep us feeling full so that we don't get
hungry straight away.

GLOW FOODS

GLOW Foods contain the Vegetables and the Fruits Group foods that supply the body with
vitamins and minerals to keep the body healthy and functioning properly.
GROW Foods contain the Milk and the Meat & Beans Group foods that help the body grow
and develop strong bones and muscles.

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 Lesson 1- FOOD GROUPS AND FOOD PYRAMID

THE MOST COMMON FOOD GROUPS

• Dairy, also called milk products and sometimes categorized with milk alternatives or
meat, is typically a smaller category in nutrition guides, if present at all, and is sometimes
listed apart from other food groups. Examples of dairy products include milk, butter,
ghee, yogurt, cheese, cream and ice cream. The categorization of dairy as a food group
with recommended daily servings has been criticized by, for example, the Harvard School
of Public Health who point out that "research has shown little benefit, and considerable
potential for harm, of such high dairy intakes. Moderate consumption of milk or other
dairy products—one to two servings a day—is fine, and likely has some benefits for
children.

• Fruits, sometimes categorized with vegetables,

include apples, oranges, bananas, berries and lemons. Fruits contain carbohydrates,
mostly in the form of sugar as well as important vitamins and minerals.

• Grains, beans and legumes, sometimes categorized as cereals, is often the largest
category in nutrition guides. Examples include wheat, rice, oats, barley, bread and pasta.
An example of beans would be baked beans and soy beans, while an example of legumes
would be lentils and chickpeas.

Grains are a good source of starch and are often categorized with other starchy food such
as potatoes.

• Meat, sometimes labelled protein and occasionally inclusive of legumes and

beans, eggs, meat analogues and/or dairy, is typically a medium- to smaller-sized
category in nutrition guides. Examples include chicken, fish, turkey, pork and beef.

• Confections, also called sugary foods and sometimes categorized with fats and oils, is
typically a very small category in nutrition guides, if present at all, and is sometimes listed
apart from other food groups. Examples include candy, soft drinks, and chocolate.

• Vegetables, sometimes categorized with fruit and occasionally inclusive of legumes, is

typically a large category second only to grains, or sometimes equal or superior to grains,
in nutrition guides. Examples include spinach, carrots, onions, and broccoli.

• Water is treated in very different ways by different food guides. Some exclude the
category, others list it separately from other food groups, and yet others make it the

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 Lesson 1- FOOD GROUPS AND FOOD PYRAMID
center or foundation of the guide. Water is sometimes categorized with tea, fruit
juice, vegetable juice and even soup, and is typically recommended in plentiful amounts.

FOOD PYRAMID

Before the Food Pyramid was a Pyramid or when Butter was its Own Food Group, before
food was organized into cohesive groups or placed into a pyramid or a plate, the United States
Department of Agriculture introduced the Basic 7 Food Chart.

The first pyramid was published in Sweden

in 1974. The 1992 pyramid introduced by
the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) was called the "Food
Guide Pyramid" or "Eating Right Pyramid".
It was updated in 2005 to "MyPyramid",
and then it was replaced by "MyPlate" in
2011.

The original food pyramid was created in Sweden in 1974. Other food advice had been
presented earlier to the public, both in Sweden and elsewhere, but often as text or as a food
circle. This first pyramid, which both grouped different types of food and showed the relative

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proportions in which they should be consumed, gained national and international attention. It
was praised as easily understandable by everyone, including people with a low literacy.

Today, 90 countries worldwide have developed food-based dietary guidelines, or healthy food
guides, for their populations. Some messages are nearly universal, such as consuming a
variety of foods (including ample amounts of fruits and vegetables and water as the beverage
of choice) and limiting intake of sugar, fat and salt. There are, however, some variations from
country to country, as the guidelines are adapted to local situations. For example, in the
Middle Eastern countries, legumes (like chickpeas and lentils) are commonly given in a food
group of their own as they are a culturally important part of the diet in this region. Some
Mediterranean countries, such as Croatia, Cyprus, Greece and Spain, highlight the importance
of choosing olive oil in the diet.
Traditionally, advice was only given on food consumption, but some have evolved to also
include advice on food safety and lifestyle (e.g. physical activity or social settings). More
recently, many countries have added advice on sustainability, where they advise choosing
local and seasonal, or otherwise sustainably sourced foods (Table 1).

The REAL Food Pyramid has been created as a meal planning guide for individuals
with eating disorders. It is ideal if it is used in collaboration with a dietitian, as every person
is unique, and there may be foods or amounts that need to be adjusted for you.

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The original Food Guide Pyramid debuted in 1992. It was built on shaky scientific ground.
Over the next few years, research from around the world chipped away at the healthy eating
message in the pyramid's base (refined carbohydrates), the middle (meat and milk), and the
tip (fats)

A food pyramid or plate is a good foundation for a better understanding of a balanced diet.
Although these different food models have slight variations, in essence they're pretty similar
in their approach to healthy eating. As a rule of thumb, remember the foundation is always
that you get enough liquids in the form of water or unsweetened drinks. This is followed
by vegetables and fruit in plentiful quantities: you can eat as many vegetables as you like,
because we tend to eat fruit that's somewhat acidic and vegetables that are basic, but to a
lesser extent. Consume animal products in moderation, the same goes for unhealthy foods.
The food pyramid for vegan diets takes essential nutrients such as Vitamin B12 into account.

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FOOD-BASED DIETARY GUIDELINES - PHILIPPINES

Official name

Nutritional guidelines for Filipinos (Filipino: Mga Gabay sa

Wastong Nutrisyon Para sa Pilipino).

Publication year

The Philippines published its first dietary guidelines in 1990.

They were revised in 2000 and again in 2012.

Process and stakeholders

The Food and Nutrition Research Institute – Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-
DOST) initiated and chaired the inter-agency and multidisciplinary Technical Working
Group on the 2012 guidelines.

The guidelines were approved by the National Nutrition Council. The communication and
dissemination is spearheaded by the National Nutrition Council and endorsed by various
government agencies.

Intended audience

The guidelines are directed at the general population and also include messages on the
feeding of infants and children.

Food guide

The Philippines uses the daily nutritional guide pyramid and has developed pyramids for
different population groups. The pyramid is divided into levels of recommended
consumption. Messages about exercise and personal and environmental hygiene serve as
support messages for the pyramid.

The healthy food plate for Filipino adults (Pinggang Pinoy) completes the messages of the
pyramid by showing adequate distribution of nutritious foods in a meal.

Messages

• Eat a variety of foods every day to get the nutrients needed by the body.
• Breastfeed infants exclusively from birth up to 6 months, then give appropriate
complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding for 2 years and beyond for
optimum growth and development.
• Eat more vegetables and fruits every day to get the essential vitamins, minerals and
fibre for regulation of body processes.
• Consume fish, lean meat, poultry, eggs, dried beans or nuts daily for growth and
repair of body tissues.
• Consume milk, milk products and other calcium-rich foods, such as small fish and
shellfish, every day for healthy bones and teeth.

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• Consume safe foods and water to prevent diarrhoea and other food and water-borne
diseases.
• Use iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders.
• Limit intake of salty, fried, fatty and sugar-rich foods to prevent cardiovascular
diseases.
• Attain normal body weight through proper diet and moderate physical activity to
maintain good health and help prevent obesity.
• Be physically active, make healthy food choices, manage stress, avoid alcoholic
beverages and do not smoke to help prevent lifestyle-related non-communicable
diseases.

Pinggang Pinoy is a new, easy to understand food guide that uses a familiar food plate model
to convey the right food group proportions on a per-meal basis, to meet the body’s energy
and nutrient needs of Filipino adults. Pinggang Pinoy serves as visual tool to help Filipinos
adopt healthy eating habits at meal times by delivering effective dietary and healthy
lifestyle messages.

Will Pinggang Pinoy replace the FNRI Daily Nutritional Guide (DNG) Pyramid

The “Pinggang Pinoy” can be used side by side with the existing DNG Pyramid for Filipinos but
it will not replace it. According to FNRI, Pinggang Pinoy is a quick and easy guide on how
much to eat per mealtime, while the DNG Pyramid shows at a glance the whole day food
intake recommendation.

Both the “Pinggang Pinoy” and the DNG Pyramid for Filipinos are based on the latest science
about how our food, drink, and activity choices affect our health.

The DNG Pyramid is a simple, trustworthy guide in choosing a healthy diet. It builds from the
base, showing that we should eat more foods from the bottom part of the pyramid like
vegetables, whole grains and less from the top such as red meat, sugar, fats and oils. When
it’s time to eat, most of us use a plate. So it is just appropriate to use the “Pinggang Pinoy”
as a guide for a typical balanced meal.

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ELABORATE

Interview a neighbour on the different food intake in a day. (Indicate the date of consuming
the foods) List down the foods and identify the nutrients present. Then make a pyramid of
the consumed food in a day. Lastly, make another food pyramid based from what you have
learned which represents your suggested food to be taken for them to be healthy. (if you
discovered that your neighbour is taking in correct and complete food, kindly suggest other
alternative foods in case the foods which were eaten are not available in the future)

EVALUATE
A. Answer in not less than five (5) sentences.

1. Is food pyramid important? Why/Why not?

2. If you are one of the food groups, which one are you? Why?

B. Research on the newest Food Pyramid if there is. If none, look for the latest and discuss
the content in not less than 5 sentences. Cite your references.

PROJECT:

Create a 1- and 1/2-minutes advertisement wherein you can encourage small children to eat
healthy foods. Have it documented through a video.

References:

https://www.google.com/search?q=grow+foods&oq=gROW+FOODS&aqs

https://www.google.com/search?q=glow+foods&oq=gLOW&aqs

https://www.google.com/search?q=go+foods&oq=gO+FOODS&aqs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_group

https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/gug-family-toc

https://www.google.com/search?q=oRIGINAL+FOOD+PYRAMID+IN+sWEDEN&oq

https://doh.gov.ph/node/223

https://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-based-dietary-guidelines/regions/countries/philippines

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