Major Food Groups

Human body functions as a machine and require food as a fuel for itself. So if you are fueling your body with wrong stuff than you are completely destroying it. So a good selection of food are very important in order to prevent your body from adverse effects of food. As food selection is a quite complex method and nobody can itself select a suitable food for it until or unless they have a proper knowledge about food and its impact on human body. For the ease of making food selections for general public the food is divided into categories so that people can easily select healthy food for itself.

MAJOR FOOD GROUPS

Foods are broadly classified into six groups according to the nutrient it contains and the function it performs in human body. The major six classifications of food are:

1. Cereals
2. Vegetables
3. Fruits
4. Meat, milk and eggs
5. Dairy products
6. Fats, oils and sweets

Cereals and Grains:

The major nutrient in cereals and grains are carbohydrates and fibers. It accounts for the highest ratio in food pyramid. A person has to intake about 55-65% of its energy from carbohydrates. A person has to make at least ½ of grains whole day. Carbohydrates are considered as the cheap source of energy for a person body 1 grams of carbohydrates provides 4 kilo calories of energy. Without sufficient carbohydrates our body systems do not function properly. As there are certain body organs which requires only carbohydrates for its proper functioning like brain and heart.

This group of carbohydrates are further divided into two groups:

• Simple carbohydrates
• Complex carbohydrates

Simple Carbohydrates:

Simple carbohydrates are those which are made up of one or two saccharide units. These are further divided into monosaccharaides and disaccharides.

Monosaccharaides are structurally the simplest form of carbohydrates which are made up of only one saccharide unit. These are also known as the simplest sugars as it does not undergo hydrolysis further.  These include glucose, galactose and fructose. In these saccharides glucose is most important nutritionally and also one of the most abundant carbohydrates in nature.

Disaccharides are those type of carbohydrates which are made up of two monosaccharide units. These carbohydrates may include Lactose, Sucrose and Maltose.

Lactose= Glucose + Galactose

Sucrose= Glucose + Fructose

Maltose= Glucose + Glucose

Within this group sucrose consisting of one glucose and one fructose is considered as nutritionally most significant and accounts for about one third of total dietary carbohydrates in an average diet.

Complex Carbohydrates:

Complex carbohydrates are those which are made up of more than three saccharide units.  These are further divided into oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.

Oligosaccharides are made up of short chains of monosaccharide units that are joined by covalent bonds. According to the number of units these are designated by prefixes tri, tetra, penta and so on followed by the word saccharide. Among the complex carbohydrates disaccharides are most abundant in nature.

Polysaccharides are also the long chains of monosaccharide units that may numbered from several into hundred or even thousands. The major polysaccharides in nutrition are glycogen of animal origin and starch and cellulose of plant origin. All these polysaccharides are consisting of only glucose units.

Dietary Fibers are also included in the list of complex carbohydrates which are considered as too much nutritionally important.  Even specific amount of Dietary fibers re recommended for a person each day.

Glycemic responses to Carbohydrates:

The rate at which glucose is absorbed from the intestinal tract appears to be an important parameter in controlling the homeostasis of blood glucose, insulin release, obesity and possibly the weight loss. The intense research in the last few years appears to give the concept of glycemic index.

Glycemic index is considered as an alternative method to clarify the carbohydrates by their ease of absorption and their effect on the blood glucose levels. The implications of consuming high glycemic index food for chronic disease and obesity have recently been reviewed. The effect that carbohydrate containing food have on blood glucose concentration are called the glycemic response of food. Some food causes a rapid elevation in the blood glucose levels while some causes a very slow increase in blood glucose levels. So, Glycemic index can be defining as the increase in blood glucose level over the baseline level during a 2-hour period following the consumption of a define amount of a define amount of carbohydrate compared with the same amount of carbohydrates in a reference food.

Glycemic load considered both the quantity and quality of carbohydrates in a meal.

Vegetables and fruits:

The second group in a food pyramid are vegetables. It is highly recommended that paint your plate with some variety vegetables. Fill ½ of your plate with vegetables and fruits. Any vegetable fresh, frozen or canned has its own importance. Blue or purple color vegetables and fruits helps in preventing heart diseases by preventing clot formation and maintains healthy blood pressure. Blue berries, black berries, prunes, eggplant, plums etc. are examples of blue and purple color fruits and vegetables. Red color fruits and vegetables have anti-oxidant properties that protects against some form of cancers and heart attacks. Dark green leafy vegetables contain anti-oxidants that remove cancer-causing toxins. Orange color are important for skin and bone health.

Protein Foods:

Proteins accounts for ¼ of a person plate. Proteins act as a building blocks of our body tissues including the lean body mass, skin of body, cartilage, blood, enzymes, hormones and vitamins. It also act as a source of energy 1 grams of proteins provides 4 kilo calories. For better health a person have to choose low fat or lean meat and vary protein choices.

Fats, Oils and Sweets:

The calories a person intakes from fats should not need to exceed from 25-30%. Saturated fats are that type of fats have no double bonds and tends to be solid at room temperature while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. The recommended amount of calories from saturated fats are 10%. A person has to intake low calories from saturated fats and prefer the unsaturated fats over it. Monounsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats are too much necessary for health.

These are the five main food groups through which a person can select a balance diet for itself. A diet high in nutrients and low in calories are considered as the best diet for health.