A Guide to the Five Main Food Types

Highlights

• The key to a balanced diet is to eat a variety of nutritious foods from each of the five food groups.
• Eating a variety of foods from each of these groups helps your body receive the range of nutrients and vitamins it needs to function well.
• Your child does not need to eat from each food group at every meal — check what they are eating over the course of a day or a week to decide if they are getting a good balance of nutrients.
• As well as the five food groups, it’s important to drink plenty of water.

In This Article

• Why Variety in the Five Food Groups Matters
• Understanding the Five Food Groups
• Vegetables, Legumes and Beans
• Fruit and Its Benefits
• Protein Sources: Meat, Fish, Poultry and Alternatives
• Grains and Cereals for Energy
• Dairy and Calcium-Rich Alternatives
• Tools And Assistance

Why Variety in the Five Food Groups Matters

Each of the five food groups has important nutrients that contribute to a healthy diet. The best way for your child to eat healthy is to serve a variety of foods from each of the five food groups every day.

Children need healthy and nutritious food for growing minds and bodies. Eating a variety of foods from the five food groups provides them with nutrients that are essential for good health, growth and development.

Understanding the Five Food Groups

The five food groups are made up of:

• vegetables, legumes and beans
• fruit
• lean meat, poultry, fish and meat alternatives
• grains and cereals
• milk, cheese, yoghurt and dairy alternatives

Vegetables, Legumes and Beans

Vegetables and legumes contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and other nutrients. They are essential for keeping your child’s body healthy.

As different types of vegetables, legumes and beans help nourish your body in different ways, it’s important to choose a variety in your diet. An idea is to choose vegetables that are in season and are different colours:

• green — beans, peas, broccoli and spinach
• red, orange or yellow — capsicums, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin
• purple — red cabbage and eggplant
• white — cauliflower, mushrooms or potatoes

In a healthy diet, vegetables can be eaten raw or cooked.

What are legumes?

Legumes include cannellini beans, chickpeas, lentils, tofu and soybeans. Legumes can be used in a variety of different ways, such as in salads, baked beans, stir-fries, pasta sauces and soups.

How many vegetables does my child need?

Vegetables are a great snack and easy to pack when you go out for the day.

By age 2 years, your child should have 2 to 3 serves a day of vegetables, legumes and beans.
From age 4 years, they should have 4½ serves a day.
From the age of 9 years onwards, aim for 5 serves daily.

A serve is equivalent to ½ cup of cooked veggies or one cup of raw vegetables.

Tips for serving vegetables

The reality is that not all kids enjoy vegetables. Fussy eaters can make mealtime difficult, so here are a few tips to help make eating vegetables more interesting for your kids:

• Eat the rainbow. Focusing on a variety of vegetables of different colours can be a fun way to encourage eating more vegetables.
• Lead by example. Show your kids you enjoy reaching for a healthy snack. Cherry tomatoes, snow peas, green beans, red capsicum, and carrot sticks with dip all make great snacks.
• Add vegetables into other foods to increase their nutritional value, for example, add chopped tomatoes, onions or zucchini into a bolognaise sauce.

Fruit and Its Benefits

Fruit is a good source of vitamins, dietary fibre, minerals and many nutrients that are naturally present in plants and help your child’s body stay healthy. There is a large variety of fruit grown in Australia and choosing in-season fruits means better value and quality.

It’s best to eat fresh fruit rather than juices. Juices lack dietary fibre and can also damage tooth enamel due to high acidity. Dried fruit can stick in the teeth and increase risk of dental decay.

What fruit should children eat?

Children should eat fruit in a variety of colours:

• green — apples and kiwi fruit
• orange — oranges and mangoes
• yellow — bananas
• red — strawberries
• purple — blueberries and grapes

How much fruit does my child need?

Fruit is a great snack to have when you’re out and easy to pack in a lunchbox.

• 2 to 3-year-olds should have 1 serve of fruit a day.
• 4 to 8-year-olds need 1½ serves a day.
• Children over the age of 9 years should have 2 serves of fruit a day.

A serve is equal to:

• 1 medium apple, banana, orange or pear
• 2 small apricots, kiwi fruit or plums
• a cup of diced or canned fruit

Tips for serving fruit

There are many things you can do to make eating fruit a bit more fun for kids:

• Chop up their favourite fruit into a healthy fruit salad.
• Serve fruit with some yoghurt.
• Slice some fruit to add flavour and colour to breakfast cereal.

Protein Sources: Meat, Fish, Poultry and Alternatives

The protein food group offers lots of variety when it comes to preparing and eating healthy foods. It includes lean meat, fish, chicken and vegetarian protein sources — such as eggs, beans (legumes), tofu and nuts.

These foods give your child iron, zinc, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids and protein for growth and brain, nerve and muscle development. These include:

• lean meat — beef, lamb, pork, veal, kangaroo and lean sausages
• poultry — chicken, turkey and duck
• seafood — fish, prawns, crabs, mussels and scallops

Alternatives to meat

There are non-meat foods that are a healthy source of protein. These include:

• eggs
• legumes — beans, lentils, chickpeas and tofu
• nuts — almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and walnuts
• seeds — pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds

Legumes, nuts and seeds also have dietary fibre, so it’s a good idea to choose a variety of foods from this group.

How much protein does my child need?

• 2 to 3-year-olds should have 1 serve a day.
• 4 to 8-year-olds should have 1½ serves a day.
• Children over age 9 should have 2½ serves a day.

Tips for serving protein

• Add legumes such as red lentils to pasta and stir-fry dishes.
• Use lean meats and poultry in soups, stews, stir-fries, bakes and pasta dishes.
• Include eggs at any time of day, as part of breakfast, lunch or dinner. They can be scrambled, fried, boiled, poached or in a quiche or an omelette.
• Choose nuts as a snack (never give whole nuts to children under 5 years of age) or add them to salads, main courses or breakfast cereal.

Grains and Cereals for Energy

Grains give your child the energy they need to grow, develop and learn. They include a variety of vitamins and nutrients as well as protein and fibre.

Healthy options include wholegrain or high fibre varieties, such as wholemeal and wholegrain breads, brown rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, rolled oats, quinoa, barley and breakfast cereals like muesli or bran.

Wholegrains have protein, dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins. Some of these nutrients are lost when grains are processed. Cakes or biscuits can be high in added sugar, fat and salt, so be careful about how often you offer these to your child.

How much grain should my child be eating?

• From the age of 2 years, young children should be having 4 serves of grain each day.
• From the age of 9, children will need 5 daily serves of grain (and this will increase to 7 by the time they are 18 years).

A serve is equal to:

• 1 slice of bread or ½ medium roll or flatbread
• 1 crumpet or small English muffin
• ½ cup cooked rice, oats, pasta or other grain
• 3 rye crisp bread
• ⅔ cup (30g) of breakfast cereal flakes or ¼ cup muesli

Tips for serving grains

Grains come in many different varieties, so kids would usually have some type of grain for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks throughout the day. Examples include:

• baked beans on toast
• peanut butter on a muffin
• small bowl of breakfast cereal with milk
• sandwich, wrap, rice cake or wholegrain cracker
• wholemeal rice in sushi or poke bowl

Dairy and Calcium-Rich Alternatives

Toddlers and children 2 years and older should have dairy products (or non-dairy alternatives) every day. Milk, cheese and yoghurt give your child protein, vitamins and calcium. Calcium helps build strong and healthy bones and teeth.

Babies up to 12 months of age should not be given cow’s milk as a main drink. Breast milk or specially prepared infant formula is best for babies up to 1 year old as the main milk source.

Until the age of 2 years, children should have full-cream milk. Low or reduced fat milk, yoghurt and cheese choices are recommended for most people 2 years and over.

Soy beverages with added calcium can be used in place of milk for children over 12 months of age.

Rice, nut or oat milks do not have enough protein, vitamins or iron or the right balance of nutrients for young children. Always discuss your child’s diet with a doctor or qualified dietitian before using them.

Alternatives to dairy

If you need an alternative to dairy, there are some foods that contain the same amount of calcium as a standard serve of milk, cheese or yoghurt:

• 100g almonds with skin
• 100g firm tofu
• 60g sardines (canned in water)
• ½ cup canned pink salmon with bones

How much dairy does my child need?

• 2 to 3-year-olds should have 1½ serves a day (for example, a cup of milk and a slice of cheese).
• 4 to 5-year-olds should have 1½ to 2 serves a day (for example, a tub of yoghurt and 2 slices of cheese).

A serve is equal to:

• 1 cup of cow’s milk. If you give your child a plant-based milk alternative, check it has at least 100mg of calcium in every 100mL of drink.
• 2 slices (40g) of hard cheese such as cheddar
• a tub of yoghurt

Tips for serving dairy

Try these tips to add dairy to your child’s daily diet:

• grated or grilled cheese on veggies or pasta for lunch or dinner
• yoghurt on cereal or with freshly cut fruit
• cottage cheese or ricotta on wholegrain toast
• smoothies with milk or yoghurt and fresh fruit

Tools And Assistance

• Healthy eating charts and food pyramids. Use visual tools to help your child understand what a balanced plate looks like and which food groups should be included.
• Weekly meal planners. Planning meals ahead of time ensures a good mix of foods from all five food groups and helps reduce stress during busy days.
• Child food diary. Keeping a simple record of what your child eats over a day or a week can help you spot any nutritional gaps or patterns.
• Serving size guides. Having reference portions for each age group can help you better understand how much of each food group your child needs.
• Creative recipe ideas. Look for inspiration to prepare meals in fun and colourful ways that encourage children to try new foods.