Fun With Food Groups

What does it mean to be healthy?

You might’ve said things like “eat more fruits and vegetables”, “drink more water”, ”eat less”, or “try to avoid junk food”. All great answers!

To be healthy means that we eat healthily and get enough physical activity. A tool that’ll help you eat healthily is called MyPlate. MyPlate divides foods into 5 food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. MyPlate also shows us how much of each vegetable we’re eating. The larger food groups on MyPlate tell us that we should be eating more of these foods. Eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy can help us be healthier.

There are some foods that do not fit into a MyPlate food group because some of our foods are combination foods, which means that they go into more than one food group. For example, a chicken taco has a vegetable, the lettuce, a grain, the taco shell, a protein, the chicken, and if you chose to add cheese on top, a dairy.

My Plate Pasta Salad Recipe:

Serves 6

½ lb. (8 oz.) whole wheat pasta (vegetable)
1 red pepper (fruit)
1 cucumber (fruit)
1 large carrot (vegetable)
1 can of chickpeas (protein)
¼ cup of parmesan cheese (dairy)

To dress: ½ cup of your favorite low-fat or light dressing

You’ll also need: a pot and a strainer, a cutting mat/board and a knife, a can opener, a grater, a large bowl, a pot, a strainer, and a mixing spoon!

*have an adult help cook the pasta ahead of time

Wash vegetables and fruit with cold water
Using a cutting board and knife while paying attention very carefully: dice the red pepper, slice the cucumber into circles, and grate your carrot
In a large bowl combine your cooked pasta, chopped vegetables, and chickpeas. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Mix in the dressing, serve, and enjoy!

Learn how to eat healthy with our helpful videos!

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Learn how to save time with our helpful tip sheets!

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