What Food Group Does That Go In?
What Food Group Does That Go In?
I recently was in a discussion group with fellow dietitians when someone asked, “when did corn become a grain?”
Many people may be confused by this and other food group classifications. So it is telling when a dietitian asks this question.
You see, not all foods fit nicely into one specific food group. Some foods don’t fit into the classic five food groups that we have today. And that is OK.
In the past, I have written about the difference between nutrients and food groups.
We have six classes of essential nutrients:
Carbohydrates
Protein
Fat
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
And then, separately, we have the five food groups:
Grains
Fruits
Vegetables
Protein
Dairy
I won’t go into the differences again here, since you can reference that article or podcast for all the details. However, I want to acknowledge that some foods fit into more than one group. And some foods don’t fit nicely into a single food group.
Continuing with the example of corn: depending on when the corn is harvested and how we use it, it is considered a whole grain or a starchy vegetable.
For example, corn on the cob, corn kernels like frozen or canned corn, and hominy are considered starchy vegetables. While popcorn, cornmeal, polenta, and grits would be considered a grain (in most cases, a whole grain).
Another example of a food that fits into more than one food group is beans and legumes. Beans and legumes traditionally go into the protein food group because they are protein foods. [Note the protein food group is formerly the meat and egg group, but we now consider it the protein food group so it can include non-animal sources of protein like beans and legumes.] However, beans and legumes can also go into the vegetable food group because they fall into a qualification of a vegetable.
And in other cases, I remind people not to get hung up on whether something is a fruit or vegetable. Many foods that we refer to as a vegetable are botanically fruits. I encourage people not to get bogged down in those details and eat more of both.
Then some foods don’t fall into any food group category (recall the food groups include grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy. So, which food group do mushrooms belong to? They are not a vegetable. They are not a protein, even though some people will use them as a meat alternative or meat extender. So, what food group do they go in? I tend to put them in the vegetable category even though they technically are not a vegetable.
Another example is olives. Olives are fat. On average, a single olive is low in calories at nine calories for olive, and it is pretty much all fat (that is one gram of fat). It is a healthy fat, but it’s still fat. Olives are a fruit, but most people don’t treat them like fruit.
Plenty of other foods don’t fit into a specific food group.
For example, what food group do candy, chips, and other snack foods belong to?
People would put candy into the carbohydrate group, but “carbohydrate” isn’t a food group.
It isn’t a grain, and it isn’t a fruit. It isn’t a vegetable. And yes, chocolate is a bean, but to be honest, we don’t consider it a vegetable or a protein.
What about fruit juice blends which are often under 20% fruit juice? That doesn’t go into the fruit category. Again, people may put this in the carbohydrate category, but carbohydrate is not a food group.
There are dairy alternatives that don’t belong in a food group unless you’re considering soy products. Items like almond, oat, cashew, and coconut milk aren’t in the dairy category, nor do they fit into any of the other types. They’re not a protein considering that these dairy alternatives, except soy milk, don’t have adequate protein. In most cases, it’s less than one gram per cup. So, oat milk is a grain? Not really. Cashew milk and almond milk, is that a nut? Nope.
Are potato chips a starchy vegetable? Or are they fat? Is Fritos a whole grain due to whole grain corn?
What about mixed foods? For example, a pizza with multiple food categories, including grain, dairy, and vegetables, and depending on the toppings, could be more vegetables, a protein with the meats, and even some fruit.
What about items like alcohol? Plenty of people consume alcohol, but no matter the type, it doesn’t fall into a specific food group either. For example, some people may consider beer a grain. Yes, is is made with grain, but it would not be considered a grain. Wine is fruit, but it is certainly not something that would go into the fruit category. Distilled spirits use grains or starchy vegetables, yet we still don’t consider them grain or a vegetable.
While alcohol is a source of calories, irrespective of any carbohydrates contained, it is certainly not a food group. And, it is acceptable for responsible adults to consume it appropriately in moderation based on individual choice. Alcohol isn’t a food group.
While we would love to have every single food that we have fit nicely into a food group or have several food groups (like pizza), there are just some foods we eat daily that don’t work well into any food group. And that’s OK. We don’t need to be rigid with everything. Instead, we acknowledge that, like people, not every food fits nicely into a single category.
I thank my colleagues who brought up this topic and specifically asked me to address this.
