30 Missions

Mission #13: New Four Food Groups

Dear Vegan at Heart,

Today’s mission is to read about the New Four Food Groups.

Remember coloring sheets of the four food groups when you were a kid? Remember trying to decide whether to color the meat red (for raw flesh) or brown (for cooked flesh)? No need to worry about that in the NEW Four Food Groups for vegans! Here’s the rundown.

1. Read the following descriptions.
2. Print it out, if you like, and put it on your fridge or another place where you can refer to it easily.

VEGETABLES
4 or more servings a day
Vegetables are packed with nutrients; they provide vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, fiber, and other nutrients. Dark green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip greens, chicory, or bok choy are especially good sources of these nutrients. Dark yellow and orange vegetables such as carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin provide extra beta-carotene. Include generous portions of a variety of vegetables in your diet.
Serving size: 1 cup raw vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables.

WHOLE GRAINS
5 or more servings a day
This group includes bread, rice, tortillas, pasta, hot or cold cereal, corn, millet, barley, bulgar, and buckwheat. Build each of your meals around a hearty grain dish -- grains are rich in fiber and other complex carbohydrates, as well as protein, B vitamins, and zinc.
Serving size: 1/2 cup rice or other grain • 1 ounce dry cereal • 1 slice bread

FRUIT
3 or more servings a day
Fruits are rich in fiber, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. Be sure to include at least one serving each day of fruits that are high in vitamin C—citrus fruits, melons, and strawberries are all good choices. Choose whole fruit over fruit juices, which do not contain very much fiber.
Serving size: 1 medium piece of fruit, 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 4 ounces juice.

LEGUMES
2 or more servings a day
Legumes -- which is another name for beans, peas, and lentils -- are all good sources of fiber, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins. This group also includes chickpeas, baked and refried beans, soy milk, tempeh, and texturized vegetable protein.
Serving size: 1/2 cup cooked beans, 4 ounces tofu or tempeh, 8 ounces soy milk.

Hope this is helpful!

All the best,
Marisa

 

How helpful is this mission? Rate it now!

How about nuts/seeds? Hmm... Nuts and seeds are an important source of protein and energy for vegans. I think they need to go in there somewhere, no?

Oya (Mon, 7th Nov, 2011)

too grain heavy I think this is too grain heavy More and more researh is showing us that fruits and veggies should be the mainstay with grains on the side. Check out DrFuhrman.com - he writes with a ton of references to back up his nutritional info.

Stephanie (Tue, 4th Nov, 2008)

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