Let’s eat healthy. Enjoy a variety of natural and safe foods every day.
This guideline encourages us to include foods from the 6 food groups as shown in the newly revised food-based dietary guidelines for Grenada. The food groups are; staples, peas, beans and nuts, vegetables, fruits, food from animals and fats and oils.
Staples include sweet potato, Irish potato, dasheen, yam, tannia, breadfruit, corn, green banana, rice, bread, pasta among others. You are advised to choose more local produce within this group. Buy fresh local produce or grow your own in your home garden. Key nutrients from this food group are carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre.
The food group peas, beans and nuts include lentils, split peas, red beans, pigeon peas, green peas, blackeyed peas, nuts like cashew, and peanuts. Key nutrients from this food group are protein, carbohydrates, B Vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, fibre and fat.
The vegetable group includes dark green leafy, yellow and other non-starchy veggies like lettuce, spinach, callaloo, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, carrot, pumpkin and cucumber. Key nutrients from this food group are Vitamins C & A, B complex, minerals, fibre and water.
The other food group shown in our dietary guideline is fruits, which includes watermelon, cashew, soursop, pineapple, mango, oranges, banana, papaya, tamarind, sapodilla, and guava. Key nutrients from this food group are carbohydrates, vitamins C & A, fibre, potassium and water.
Food from animals includes milk, meat like chicken, pork, beef, fish and eggs; while fats and oils cover oil, butter, coconut and avocado. Key nutrients from this food group are Vitamins E & A, essential fatty acids.
The first dietary guideline emphasises 3 words; healthy, safe and natural. To eat healthily, include foods from all 6 food groups mentioned earlier. Eating safe would help protect our bodies from harmful substances and when we eat natural we avoid highly process foods and enjoy foods with no preservatives or additives. It is important to eat a healthy, varied diet to ensure that your body gets the proper balance of carbohydrate, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.
Grenada Food and Nutrition Council
