What Food Group Is Coffee In?

It is important for you to eat a well-balanced diet. If you are a regular coffee drinker, you might be wondering, “what food group is coffee in?”

If you are anything like me, then you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning unless you have your morning cup of coffee. Everyone has their personal preferences when it comes to coffee; however, it is important for everyone to eat a healthy diet. Therefore, it is a good idea to take a look at the relevant food groups and make sure that you are eating a well-rounded diet. 

You are probably familiar with starches, protein, fruits, and vegetables. At the same time, where exactly does coffee fit on this list? What food group is coffee in? Take a look at some of our helpful information here. 

Make Sure to Check the MyPlate Guide

When you were growing up, there is a good chance that you were looking at the food pyramid on a regular basis. Recently, the food pyramid was removed and replaced with something called MyPlate. This is a helpful resource that will provide you with simple guidelines for everything that you consume. 

As the name suggests, you are going to be looking at a plate that has been broken up into various parts. This will help you figure out how much of your plate should be filled with fruits, vegetables, meat, and grains. Of note, the plate shows dairy in a cup on the side. 

Before getting into where coffee falls on this list, you should take a look at how much of every food group you should be consuming. These include: 

• Fruit: You should aim to consume about two cups of fruit per day, with a 4-oz piece of whole fruit (such as oranges, pears, apples, and bananas) counting as a single cup. Even though one 8-oz serving of 100 percent juice will also count as a cup of fruit, you will not get as much fiber from fruit juice. Furthermore, you will consume a lot of extra sugar. 
• Vegetables: About half of your plate should be filled with vegetables at every meal. This is going to fall somewhere between 2.5 and 3 cups. Remember that some vegetables, such as spinach, are going to shrink quickly when they are cooked. Therefore, you might not be consuming nearly as many vegetables as you think. 
• Grains: Ideally, you should be eating whole grains instead of refined grains. You should aim for somewhere between three and four oz of grains every day. 
• Protein: You should be consuming about six oz of protein every day. Some forms of protein are relatively easy to calculate, such as one 3 oz serving of chicken. On the other hand, if you are eating plant-based protein, you should measure this out closely. For example, ¼ of a cup of cooked beans count as one oz of protein. 
• Dairy: Dairy is important because it provides you with calcium that keeps your bones strong. 8 oz of milk, one cup of yoghurt, and 1.5 oz of hard cheese all count as a cup of dairy. Try to aim for low-fat or skim varieties. You don’t want to go overboard on Dairy calories. 

Now that you are familiar with how much of each food group you need to consume, where does coffee fall on this list? 

The Coffee Plant Itself Is a Fruit

When you use coffee grounds to make your morning cup of coffee, you are using beans that have been ground up into their current form. Coffee beans are specifically the seed of the coffee plant. The coffee plant itself is a fruit.

Now, this does not necessarily mean coffee counts as fruit for the day. Nutritionally, coffee is nothing like oranges, apples, or bananas. Furthermore, even though coffee itself is a bean, this does not necessarily mean that it is anything like lima beans, string beans, or even edamame. 

Even though the coffee plant falls into one category, for the purposes of your diet, you are best lumping coffee in with your “other” calories. For example, you may have calories that you have allotted for alcohol, tea, or sugar. This is where coffee should fall. 

Like anything, coffee is something that is best enjoyed in moderation. Make sure that you are consuming a well-rounded diet. It is also important for you to pay close attention to what you are adding to your coffee, as it can quickly drive up your fat, sugar, and calorie content.

The Final Word on What Food Group Is Coffee In

In the end, the coffee plant is a fruit. It is a plant that has seeds on the inside of it, meeting the definition of a fruit. On the other hand, the coffee that you consume in the morning is not fruit.

It is important for you to pay close attention to the guidelines provided by MyPlate so that you can make sure you are eating a healthy diet. There is nothing wrong with drinking coffee in the morning; however, you should do so in moderation. 

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