The basic food groups

While Googling to find some information on food, I came across several sites that described the basic food groups.  Stopping at the United States Department of Agriculture website, I came across “the five food groups,” which they call the “building blocks for a healthy diet.”  The site says that you should “think about what goes on your plate or in your cup or bowl” and then goes on to outline those food groups.  They are: 1. fruits; 2. vegetables; 3. grains; 4. protein foods; and 5. dairy.  In addition, there is another grouping summarized as “oils.”

As the site suggested, I started to contemplate what goes on, and in, my dishes.  In the meantime, I continued with my surfing.  Then, I happened to come across a site on food humor, and one of the cartoon strips jumped out such that I couldn’t help but laugh.  It reminded me of the fact that nothing is really what it seems!  Let me explain…

Although I cannot speak to all of your situations, whenever at the supermarket, do you ever stop and take a look at what is in your shopping cart when you’re at the check-out?  What I’m referring to is what the food comes in.  When I reflected on my own purchases, I had the proverbial “ah-hah” moment.  What a revelation!

Based on how we shop for food, we should reconsider the food groupings.  Coming back to the site on food humor, the cartoon strip that I referred to earlier depicts how Aunty Acid goes about cooking using the “Four Food Groups”: canned, boxed, bagged, and frozen.  In essence, this really does describe our reality!  Everything is packaged in varying layers of cardboard or plastic!  And the food is supposed to be fresh and natural?!  Doesn’t seem that way to me!  And who’s at the heart of all of this wasteful and unnatural packaging?  Easy: Blame it on fast foods!

- B. J. T. Pepin