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The food pyramid calls for a certain number of daily
servings from each category. But what is a serving? Probably
less than what we routinely put on our plates. What most
people would consider a dinner helping of spaghetti would
actually count as two or three servings of pasta. Generally
speaking, what you call a helping of something is probably
two or more servings.
The recommended number of daily servings for each food
group as well as the amounts of food that constitute one
serving:
Milk, yogurt, cheese: two to three servings
- One cup (eight ounces) of milk or yogurt
- Two slices of cheese (one and one-half ounces)
- Two cups cottage cheese
- One and one-half cups ice cream
Meat and alternatives: two to three servings
- Two to three ounces (about the size of a deck of
cards) of cooked, lean meat, poultry, fish
- Two eggs
- Seven ounces of tofu
- One cup cooked dried beans or peas
- Four tablespoons peanut butter
- One-half cup nuts or seeds
Vegetables: three to five servings
- One-half cup cooked vegetables
- One-half cup raw vegetables
- One cup raw leafy vegetables
- One-half to one-fourth cup vegetable juice
Fruits: two to four servings
- One medium fruit
- One-fourth cup dried fruit
- One-half cup canned fruit
- One-half to three-fourth cup fruit juice
Bread, cereals, rice, pasta: six to 11 servings
- One slice bread
- One medium muffin
- One-half hot dog or hamburger bun
- One-half bagel or English muffin
- Four small crackers
- One tortilla
- One cup cold cereal
- One-half cup cooked rice or pasta
- One ounce pretzels
Oils, fats, and sweets
- No specific serving size or number of servings
because you should use these sparingly.
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Which one?
Diets diets diets--which one is the right one? There
is no sure answer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that you
eat a variety of foods, choosing a diet moderate in sugars,
salt, and sodium and with plenty of grain products,
vegetables, and fruits.
"Balance your eating with physical activity," says Phil
Kissack, associate director, UI Hospitals and Clinics
Department of Food and Nutrition Services, " to maintain or
improve your weight, reduce your chances of high blood
pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes."
For information about a diet that's right for you,
contact UI Health Access, 319-384-8442, ext. 403, or
800-777-8442, ext. 403, for the name of a UI Family Care
physician near you.
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"Vitamin G"
Vitamin G, otherwise known as grease, oils, or fat
consumes a higher percentage of the average American diet
than is healthy. The USDA guidelines suggest that Americans
limit the fat in their diets to no more than 30 percent of
total calories consumed.
All fats are mixtures of three types of fatty
acids--saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.
Saturated fats are found in meat and dairy products and
some vegetable fats, such as coconut and palm oils.
Monounsaturated fats are found mainly in olive, peanut, and
canola oils. Polyunsaturated fats are found in safflower,
sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils.
"Regardless of the type of fat, use fat sparingly," says
Kissack. "The majority of your fat intake should come from
those foods that are high in polyunsaturated or
monounsaturated fats. Too much saturated food in your diet
raises cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart
disease."
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For more information:
Listed above are several Web sites that offer additional
information on this topic. University of Iowa Health Care
does not sponsor or endorse these sites, or guarantee the
accuracy of the information contained on these sites. These
links are here for general information only, and should not
be used for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any
questions, please contact UI
Health Access.
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