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Nutrition Notes
Food Groups and the Food Pyramid
Note: The USDA has long promoted a food pyramid that is currently being challenged from many sides. One compelling alternative model (shown in comparison with the USDA pyramid) can be seen at this Harvard University site: www.intelihealth.com* (Compare the pyramids at the "nutrition" section.)
As newer nutrition models have yet to be validated, this teaching plan sticks with the USDA pyramid (revised 1996). The food groups in the USDA pyramid include: milk/dairy, meat, vegetable, fruit, grain, and others (fats, oils, and sugars).
USDA Recommended Servings for Children and Nutritional Benefits
- Milk/Dairy Group—4 servings
The milk/dairy group provides calcium for strong bones and teeth, and helps blood clot.
- Meat Group—2 servings
The meat group provides protein for building and repairing muscles, and aids growth.
- Vegetable Group—3 servings
The vegetable group provides carbohydrates for energy and vitamin A, which aids vision and promotes healthy skin.
- Fruit Group—2 servings
The fruit group provides carbohydrates, for energy, and vitamin C, which helps fight infection and promotes the healing of cuts and bruises.
- Grain Group—6 servings
The grain group provides carbohydrates, for energy, and fiber, which helps in digesting food.
- Fats and Refined Sugars—Scant amounts
Fat helps the body absorb vitamins, which regulate calcium absorption for strong bones. Fats help regulate hormone production, aid blood cell formation and clotting, provide energy, and support growth.
Food as Fuel: Calories
A calorie is defined scientifically as the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by exactly one degree Celsius. For nutritional purposes, a calorie is a standard measure of how much energy is delivered in the different foods you eat. When you eat, your body converts food to fuel, and burns it through bodily functions and activity. Vigorous exercise requires a lot of caloric fuel. When at rest your body needs fewer calories, but some energy is needed to keep your bodily systems going—digestion, respiration, and so on. To stay even (and not get too fat or too thin), you should consume the same number of calories you burn. If you consume many calories but aren't active, the energy has nowhere to go, and it is stored as fat. In primitive times, a store of fat was a helpful thing, because food could become scarce at times, and a body could draw on stores of fat to get through lean times. In these plentiful times, storing body fat isn't necessary, and in your diet fat should account for less than 30 percent of all the calories consumed.
USDA Recommended Daily Calories Based on Moderate Activity Levels
 |
| Person |
Age |
Daily Calories |
| Children |
1 to 3 |
1,300 |
| Children |
4 to 6 |
1,800 |
| Children |
7 to 10 |
2,000 |
| Boys |
11 -14 |
2,500 |
| Boys |
15 - 24 |
2,900 to 3,000 |
| Men |
25 - 50 |
2,000-2,500 |
| Men |
51+ |
1,800-2,000 |
| Girls & Women |
11 - 50 |
1,700-2,000 |
| Women |
51+ |
1,600 | |
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