March is National Nutrition Month. Everywhere you look you’re being told to eat less. But do you really know what to eat, or how much of it?

 

The USDA uses the Food Guide Pyramid as its guideline of what and how much people should eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a list from the top of the pyramid down. We’ve also listed serving sizes for each category.

 

Fats, oils and sweets. Use sparingly. There is no daily allotment for this group because you should have very little in your diet.

 

Milk, yogurt, cheese. 2-3 servings a day. A serving is 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of process cheese.

 

Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts. 2-3 servings a day. A serving is 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish. A half cup of cooked dry beans, 1 egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 ounce of lean meat.

 

Vegetables. 3-5 servings a day. A serving is 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables; ½ cup of other vegetables cooked or raw chopped; or 3/4 cup of vegetable juice.

 

Fruit. 2-4 servings a day. A serving is 1 medium apple, banana or orange; ½ cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit; or 3/4 cup of fruit juice.

 

Bread, cereal, rice and pasta. 6-11 servings a day. A serving is 1 slice of bread; 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal; or 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta.

 

Published 02/27/09