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University of Iowa Health Science Relations
First Published: June 2003
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed
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.
"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.
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