Serving Size of Common Foods

To say that our society has portion distortion is putting it mildly, but there are simple ways to apply sensibility to our portion choices. When eating packaged foods, this choice is relatively simple. Make sure to read all food labels, looking for the amount of calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates. For other foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat, you'll need to do the measuring yourself to make the proper serving.

Whole Grains

According the food pyramid, our daily requirement for whole grains is between six and 11 ounces. This could be one small slice of bread, one half-cup of oatmeal or one half-cup of cooked pasta or rice.

Vegetables

Our bodies need three to five cups of vegetables daily. We can achieve this through eating two cups of green leafy vegetables, one small potato, or a half-cup of broccoli.

Fruits

We need two to four cups of fruit daily. This can be achieved by eating a medium-size apple, a banana and one orange a day. You can also have a three-fourths cup of fruit juice or one half-cup of fruit cocktail.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Dried Beans, Eggs and Nuts

We need two to three ounces from this group per day. One ounce per meal of meat, poultry or fish will suffice. One half-cup of cooked beans and two tablespoons of peanut butter can also fulfill this daily need.

Dairy

The dairy group's daily requirement of two to three ounces can be fulfilled by having one cup of skim milk, one cup of yogurt and two ounces of cheese.

Fats and Oils

Fats and oils should be used with restraint. Two tablespoons of salad dressing or olive oil should be the limit.

References

• The Food Pyramid
• PBS: It's My Life
• University of Illinois Extension: Thrifty Living