Food Pyramid

I know we all know what the food pyramid is but how many know what it means?  How to use it?  What is included in the 4 basic food groups?  What is a serving?  I am going to help you be able to answer these questions.

Servings

Bread and grains: 6-11 servings

• 1 slice of bread
• 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal
• rice or pasta (about the size of a 1/2 baseball).

Vegetables: 3-5 servings

• 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables (about the size of a small fist)
• 1/2 cup of other vegetables
• 1/2 cup of vegetable juice.

Fruit: 2-4 servings

• 1 medium fruit (medium is defined as the size of a baseball)
• 1/2 cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit
• 1/2 cup juice.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans and Nuts(Protein)2-3 servings 

• 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish
• 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Dairy 2-3 servings

• 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt
• 1 1/2 ounces fat-free or low-fat cheese.

Before you decide that you can’t eat as many servings of ANYTHING as suggested, think small fist, baseball, hockey puck and a computer mouse. These are all things that describe a “serving size.” The comparisons will help you eat more of the things you need and less of the things you don’t.

• One serving of raw leafy vegetables or a baked potato should be about the size of a small fist. A serving is a lot smaller than most people think.
• A cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt, or a medium fruit should equal about the size of a baseball.
• A half a bagel is about the size of a hockey puck and represents a serving from the grains group.
• Three ounces of cooked lean meat or poultry is about the size of a computer mouse. Three ounces of grilled fish is about the size of a checkbook.
• A teaspoon of soft margarine is about the size of one die.
• An ounce of fat-free or low-fat cheese is about the size of six stacked dice.

                                                                                                        americanheart.org