Sunday, November 7, 2010

Eating to Survive - Jamaica's Six Food Groups

"Healthy eating is defined as the daily consumption of foods from the six food groups in their correct portions."

A dinner spread with salmon, salads and vegetables


This post and a series of others to follow will focus on the components of the diet that we consume here in the Caribbean as well as how to use the available information to correctly plan the meals you and ultimately your families will consume. I will attempt to make this information as simple as possible for my readers who do not have a heavy science background.

 

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition from the University of Technology here in Jamaica. This degree program although very well rounded still skewed towards very highly technical scientific courses, and I had to complete a research thesis to be awarded my degree.


Our research thesis was to determine if people would jeopardize their nutrition and use their limited funds on phone credit and of course, almost all our respondents denied doing so.  However, while analyzing our data, we noticed a pattern, most of the respondents said that they had a balanced diet, but were unable to identify the components of a balanced diet. They figured that their ability to eat at appropriate intervals and not being 'hungry' meant that they had a balanced diet. 


Healthy eating is defined as the daily consumption of foods from the six food groups in their correct portions. In order to achieve this balance, you will have to first be taught this information. Below is the diagram used in the Caribbean of the six food groups we eat in the region.  


The CFNI Caribbean's Six Food Groups, a guide to meal planning and healthy eating


For a healthy individual, you are recommended to consume three meals per day: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. These meals should consist of at least 3 of the 6 food groups that we have here in the Caribbean. Your requirements will change based on many things, e.g. pregnancy, illness, increased physical activity, reduction in physical activity, etc. So someone living with diabetes should have three additional snacks in addition to the usual three meals per day.    


1. STAPLES2. FOODS FROM ANIMALS3. LEGUMES
Bread
Bammy
Biscuits
Noodles
Cornmeal
Breakfast Cereals
Breadfruit
Sweet Potato
Irish Potato
Green bananas
Yams
Rice
Pasta
Chicken
Ham
Liver
Fish
Shrimps
Cheese
Goat
Beef
Pork
Egg
Milk
Yogurt
Almonds
Dried Peas and Beans
Green peas
Baked Beans
Peanuts
Textured Vegetable Protein
4. VEGETABLES5. FRUITS6. FATS & SUBSTITUTES
Cabbage
Cucumber
Lettuce
Okra
Tomato
Carrot
Pumpkin
Onion
String Beans
Grapefruit
Orange
Banana
Guava
Mango
Papaya
Watermelon
Apple
Peaches
Margarine
Avocado
Ackee (Jamaican)
Peanuts
Olives
Butter
Oil
Salad Dressing
Lard
Shortening
Coconut

To prepare a meal, we usually automatically combine foods from different food groups. However, we sometimes combine two different foods from the same food group, e.g Fried Ripe Plantains, and Bread (two staples), or we have only two food groups e.g Bread and Butter (staples+fats). The rule of thumb is that your meal should have at least three food groups. Here are some common meal combinations that we consume in Jamaica.


Breakfast :

Callaloo(Veg) and Saltfish (FFA) + Green bananas and Dumplings (Staples) + Orange (Fruit) + Milo with Milk (FFA)


Lunch:

Stewed Chicken (FFA) + Rice and Peas (Staples and Legumes) + Steamed cabbage and carrots (Veg) + Orange Juice (Fruit).


Dinner:

Vegetarian Stewed Peas (Legumes) + Steamed white rice (Staples) + Steamed cabbage and carrots (Veg)


As you can see, we are able to put together balanced meals while using regular affordable foods that are readily available, which makes eating healthy a matter of knowledge and not finance. In addition to having three balanced meals, you can add two extra snacks to round out your day. These snacks can be a handful of cashews, some grapes, a banana, etc. 


In my next blog entry, I'll address the issue of portion control and answer the question, How much food is too much?


What are some popular food combinations that you have in your country?