Five Major Food Groups example essay topic

431 words
Health and Diet There are two major factors that determine the way a person looks, feels, and their weight. Diet and exercise is a great mediator in the way person looks, weighs and feels. Your diet will greatly impact on the way you look, the way you approach things and the amount you will be able to do physically. A good balanced diet consists of the five major food groups. No single food can provide all the essential nutrients needed for good health and well being.

The five major food groups are; Bread and Cereal, Fruit, Vegetables, Meat and Meat Alternatives and the Milk Group. Bread and Cereal are recommended for six or seven serves per day. Fruit is recommended for two to three serves per day. Vegetables are recommended for four serves per day. Meat and Meat Alternatives are recommended for one serve per day. The Milk Group for a young or still growing person is of much greater importance than when the person has stopped growing.

The reason for this is because while growing your body needs fats and dairy products for energy and nutrients. After growing has stopped your body will store this as fat because the need for energy and nutrients is not as great. If you follow these plans to eat [above and below] you will look and feel great, you will also be able to participate in more physical activities such as running, skipping and swimming. The food groups are broken up into three other groups: Eat Most, Eat Moderately and Eat Least [as seen in chart below]. The eat most food group consists of foods such as: wholegrain cereals, bread [preferably whole-grain], pasta, rice, vegetables and fruit. The eat moderately food group consists of foods such as: milk, cheese, yog hurt, lean meat, poultry, fish, nuts, eggs and pulses [e.g. soy a beans].

The eat least food group contains foods like: butter, margarine, oils and sugar. Also to compensate for the fluids lost through perspiration, expiration and urine and feces we should drink two to three liters of water per day. These ideas may contribute to general health and well-being if put into practice. Exercise will also help you lose weight and have higher self-esteem by burning kilo joules that will in turn make you thinner. Exercise will also work your muscles and make you more flexible and agile. By participating in sport and exercise you develop physical skill and group loyalty.