The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate
For residents of the United States, the most familiar food guidance system is the USDA's MyPlate, which was introduced in 2011 to replace the food pyramid. It uses a visual representation of a balanced meal to organize food into five core groups.
The 5 Core MyPlate Food Groups
- Fruits: Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts, whether fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. Examples include apples, bananas, oranges, and strawberries.
- Vegetables: This group includes fresh, frozen, canned, or dried vegetables and 100% vegetable juice. It is further broken down into subgroups like dark-green, red and orange, and starchy vegetables.
- Grains: Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain. The MyPlate model emphasizes choosing whole grains, which contain more fiber and micronutrients than refined grains.
- Protein Foods: This group includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, and beans/peas.
- Dairy: This includes milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soy milk. Calcium-fortified alternatives are also included.
MyPlate also addresses Oils, but it emphasizes that they are not a food group. Instead, they are an important component of a healthy diet that provides essential fatty acids and Vitamin E and should be consumed in moderation.
The UK's Eatwell Guide
In the United Kingdom, the official dietary advice is represented by the Eatwell Guide. It also uses five main food groups to demonstrate the proportions needed for a healthy, balanced diet.
The 5 Eatwell Guide Food Groups
- Fruit and vegetables: This combined group should make up over one-third of the diet, highlighting its importance for vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates: Another third of the diet should come from this group, with an emphasis on wholegrain options.
- Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins: This provides an important source of protein.
- Dairy and alternatives: A key source of calcium.
- Oils and spreads: Unlike MyPlate, the Eatwell Guide includes oils and spreads as a distinct category, emphasizing that consumption should be in small amounts.
Global Variations in Food Group Systems
Looking beyond the U.S. and UK reveals that the number of food groups is far from universal. Australia's Eat for Health guide, for instance, also features five groups but has its own unique categorization, combining vegetables with legumes/beans while separating fruits and dairy with alternatives. Historically, the U.S. used the 'Basic Four' food groups (milk, meat, vegetable-fruit, and bread-cereal) for decades before its evolution into more complex systems. These differences reflect the advancement of nutritional science and the specific dietary priorities of different public health bodies.
Comparing Different Food Guide Systems
| Feature | USDA MyPlate (USA) | Eatwell Guide (UK) | Eat for Health (Australia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Groups | 5 (plus oils) | 5 | 5 |
| Fruits | Separate group | Combined with vegetables | Separate group |
| Vegetables | Separate group | Combined with fruits | Combined with legumes/beans |
| Grains | Grains | Starchy carbohydrates | Grain (cereal) foods |
| Protein | Protein Foods | Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat... | Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds, and legumes/beans |
| Dairy | Dairy | Dairy and alternatives | Milk, yoghurt, cheese, and/or alternatives |
| Fats/Oils | Separate note, not core group | Separate group (Oils and spreads) | Handled outside the 5 core groups |
Why the Number of Food Groups Matters
Beyond the numerical difference, understanding the rationale behind each classification is what's truly important. The primary purpose of food groups is to simplify the complex field of nutrition into an actionable guide for the public. For example, classifying foods by their nutrient profile—like grouping fruits and vegetables together because they are both rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber—makes it easier to ensure variety in your diet. The key takeaway, regardless of the specific system, is that a healthy diet consists of variety and proportionality across all the major food categories. For the USDA perspective, you can explore the MyPlate resources further at the official website https://www.myplate.gov/.
Conclusion
So, how many food groups are there? The answer is not a single number, but a dynamic figure that changes based on geographical region and the specific dietary guidance being used. Whether it's the five groups of the USDA's MyPlate and the UK's Eatwell Guide, or a different national model, the core message remains constant: consuming a wide variety of foods from all the recommended categories is the key to maintaining a balanced and healthy diet. Instead of focusing solely on a single number, prioritize understanding the different types of nutrients and food sources your body needs.
