Personal Choices

Anyone can adapt good, solid health information to his or her own life. With some simple changes, you'll feel better... and feel better about your own health.

Serving Sizes

Learning what a serving size is and how many serving to have each day, from each food groups, is important when eating healthy.

Serving Size
The recommended amount of food to be eaten everyday to ensure proper nourishment for the average American.

Grains:

  • Try to eat 6 to 8 once equivalents of grains per day with 3 to 4 of those once equivalents from whole grains.
  • In general, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal can be considered as 1 ounce equivalent from the grains group.

Vegetables:

  • Try to eat 2 ½ to 3 cups of vegetables per day.
  • 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group.
  • 1/2 cup chopped vegetables is about the size of a light bulb.
  • Try to eat 5 to 9 servings per day

Fruits:

  • Try to eat 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruits per day
  • 1 cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or ½ cup of dried fruit can be considered as 1 cup from the fruit group.
  • 1 medium piece of fruit is about the size of a baseball.
  • Try to eat 5 to 9 servings per day

Dairy:

  • Try to consume 3 cups of dairy per day.
  • 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 ½ ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese can be considered as 1 cup from the milk group.

Meats & Beans:

  • Try to eat 5 ½ to 6 ½ ounce equivalents of meat per day.
  • In general, 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or ½ ounce of nuts or seeds can be considered as 1 ounce equivalent from the meat and beans group.
  • 3 oz of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.

Oils:

The amount you should consume from any food group depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity.