Not Sure What You Should Be Eating? Examples of what counts as a serving.
- Eat foods from all 5 food groups daily.
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Eat the appropriate number of servings from each food group daily.
- Choose lower-fat foods more often.
- 'Other foods’. Taste and enjoyment can also come from ‘other foods’ that are not in the 5 food groups. These can be high in fat or calories and low in nutrients, so eat them in moderation e.g. soda, cakes, chips, sweets. Limit or avoid most of the time if you want to lose weight.
- Plan your meals to ensure that you get the balance and variety of foods you need each day.
Whole Grain Breads, Cereals, Rice and Pasta
| ½ cup of cooked pasta or rice |
½ cup of cooked cereal |
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Milk, Yogurt and Cheese
| 1 cup of milk, yogurt, calcium fortified soy milk |
1½ to 2 ounces of cheese |
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Vegetables
| ½ cup of chopped raw or cooked vegetables |
1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables |
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Fruit
| 1 small piece of fruit or melon wedge |
½ cup of juice |
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| ½ cup of canned fruit (in own juice or light syrup) |
¼ cup of dried fruit |
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Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts
| 2½ to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish |
Count ½ cup of cooked beans, 1 egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (choose unhydrogenated) as 1 ounce of meat |
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Women and some older adults |
Kids, teenage girls, active women, men |
Teenage boys and active men |
| Calorie level |
1500 - 1800 |
About 2200 |
About 2800 |
| Bread group |
6 |
9 |
11 |
| Vegetable group |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| Fruit group |
2 |
3 |
4 |
| Milk group |
2-4 |
2-4 |
2-4 |
| Meat group |
2 for a total of 5 oz. per day |
2 for a total of 6 oz. per day |
2 for a total of 7 oz. per day |
For personalised information go to: www.mypyramid.gov , www.webmd.com/diet , www.eatwell.gov.uk
