back

The Food Guide Pyramid

A Guide to Daily Food Choices

The Food Guide Pyramid suggests what to eat each day based on the Dietary Guidelines .

It offers a flexible guide to a healthful diet.

The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and also the calories to maintain healthy weight.

The Dietary Guidelines suggest plenty of breads, cereals, rice, pasta, vegetables, and fruits. Add 2-3 servings from the milk group and 2-3 servings from the meat group. Remember to go easy on fats, oils, and sweets, the foods in the small tip of the Pyramid.

What Counts as One Serving?

The amount of food that counts as one serving is listed below. If you eat a larger portion, count it as more thatn 1 serving. For example, a dinner portion of spaghetti would count as 2 or 3 servings of pasta.

In general, eat at least the lowest number of servings from the five major food groups listed below. You need them for vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein they provide. No specific serving size is given for fats, oils, and sweets because the message is USE SPARINGLY.

 

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese
1 cup of milk or yogurt 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese 2 ounces of process cheese

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, 1 egg, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 ounce of lean meat

Vegetable
1 cup of raw leafy vegetables 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit
1 medium apple, banana, orange 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit 3/4 cup of fruit juice

Bread, Cereal, rice, and Pasta
1 slice of bread 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

back