Use the Food Guide Pyramid to help you choose your portions and to learn what you need from each food group every day!
The amount listed is considered one portion:
- Dairy:
- 1 cup of milk or yogurt
- 1½ ounces of natural cheese
- 2 ounces of processed cheese
- Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts:
- 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
- ½ cup of cooked dry beans
- 1 egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 oz. of lean meat
- Vegetables:
- 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
- ½ cup of cooked or chopped raw vegetables
- ¾ cup of vegetable juice
- Fruit:
- 1 medium apple, banana or orange
- ½ cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit
- ¾ cup of fruit juice
- Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta:
- 1 slice of bread
- 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
- ½ cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
What Americans are eating:
A comparison of the number of portions in two different popular meals:
| |
Dairy |
Meats |
Veggies |
Fruit |
Breads |
Fats/
Sweets |
| Smaller size portioned meal: |
| Hamburger |
0 |
1½ |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| Small fries |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 fats |
| Small soda |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 sweets |
| Super-size portioned meal: |
| Big Mac |
0 |
2½ |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 fats |
| Super-size fries |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
6 fats |
| Super-size Coke |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7½ sweets |
No servings from the Dairy or Fruit food groups!
Reminder: Meat and dairy products contain hidden fats!
Super-sizing your meal may satisfy your appetite, but it adds fat, sugar and calories to a meal and leaves out other important food groups such as fruits, and dairy products that are all components of a healthy daily diet.
What to do now:
- Know the amount of a healthy portion size.
- Pay attention to portion sizes when making food choices.
- Satisfy your appetite by eating smaller portion sizes of foods from various food groups.
|
MEALS
