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A Healthful Diet
Meeting Daily Nutritional
Guidelines - Tips
Servings and Serving Sizes
Calcium and Iron
Fruits and Vegetables
Grains
Fats
Alcohol
Daily
Servings from all Food Groups
The chart below explains how
many daily servings of each food group are required for
different ages and sexes, as well as the total daily caloric
requirements of each group.
|
Food Group |
Children 2-6, Women, Older
Adults |
Older Children, Teens Girls,
Active Women, Most Men |
Teen Boys, Active Men |
|
Daily Calories |
approximately 1,600 calories |
approximately 2,200 calories |
approximately 2,800 calories |
|
Grains Group |
6 |
9 |
11 |
|
Vegetable Group |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
Fruit Group |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
Milk Group |
2 or 3 |
2 or 3 |
2 or 3 |
|
Meat and Beans Group |
2 (total 5 ozs.) |
2 (total 6 ozs.) |
3 (total 7 ozs.) |
One of the most confusing things for people wanting to ensure
they are following daily, recommended nutrition guidelines is
deciding what counts as a full serving. The list below
gives some examples of what is considered a proper serving for
each food group.
1) Grains group
This group includes bread,
cereal, rice and pasta, and includes both whole grain and
refined grain. Examples of 1 serving can include:
-
1 slice of bread
-
About 1 cup of ready-to-eat
cereal
-
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice,
or pasta
2) Vegetable Group
Servings include:
-
1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
-
1/2 cup of other vegetables
cooked or raw
-
3/4 cup of vegetable juice
3) Fruit Group
Servings include:
-
1 medium apple, banana, orange,
pear
-
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or
canned fruit
-
3/4 cup of fruit juice
4) Milk Group
This group includes milk, yogurt
and cheeses. Servings include:
5) Meat Group
This group includes meats,
poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. Servings include:
-
2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat,
fish or poultry
-
1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or
1/2 cup of tofu equals 1 ounce of lean meat
-
2 1/2-ounce soy burger or 1 egg
equals 1 ounce of lean meat
-
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
or 1/3 cup of nuts equals 1 ounce of meat
The U.S. Government's Food and
Nutrition Information Center offers detailed information about
nutritional guidelines for Americans. The National Institute of
Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases offers excellent resources on
nutrition and
other health issues. |
