Suggested food servings per day for a healthy diet

It is difficult to maintain a food or diet chart for every person because every person's needs are different according to their body structure and life style. Active persons need more nutritious and healthy food but people with less active life style may need less calories per day. More over we need to learn what is meant by 'serving' as we need to take balaced food to keep us healthy.

Recommended Daily Servings for Each of the Food Groups:

The food pyramid commonly referred to by people to determine how much of each food group they need to consume is not actually accurate for everyone. The suggested servings per day are for a typically normal person. But for those of us who are more active, we need more sustinanance. If you frequently (meaning 2 or more times a week) exercise or lift weights, you are not getting enough calories to live on. By eating a well-balanced diet, you will feel more energy and see faster results whether you are trying to lose or gain weight.

You should be aiming for 55-60 percent of carbohydrates, 25-30 percent of protein and 15-20 percent of fat at each meal.

Eat every couple of hours throughout the day to prevent hunger.

Make sure you eat from every food group at most sittings.

• 1 carbohydrate gram is equal to 4 calories.
• 1 protein gram is equal to 4 calories.
• 1 fat gram is equal to 9 calories.

SERVING SIZE FOOD

• size of a baseball medium fruit
• size of palm 3 oz meat or fish
• size of fist 1 cup vegetables
• ice cream scoop 1/2 cup cooked pasta
• dice or domino 1 1/2 oz cheese
• thumb tip 1 tsp butter/marg
• large handful 1 cup dry cereal

FOOD GROUP SUGGESTED SERVING

• dairy 2-3 for men
• 2-3 for women
• lean meat 3-4 for men
• 2-3 for women
• fruits 4 for men
• 3 for women
• vegetables 5 for men
• 4 for women
• breads 11 for men
• 9 for women

‘Nal.USDA.gov’ suggests: The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and at the same time the right amount of calories to maintain healthy weight.

Use the Pyramid to help you eat better every day…the Dietary Guidelines way. Start with 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 than 1 serving. For example, a dinner portion of spaghetti would count as 2 or 3 servings of pasta.

Be sure to eat at least the lowest number of servings from the five major food groups listed below.
You need them for the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein they provide. Just try to pick the lowest fat choices from the food groups.
No specific serving size is given for the fats, oils, and sweets group 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  

Useful links:

* Food Guide Pyramid: Food Groups & Servings

* ‘Recommended Daily Servings for Each of the Food Groups’ from ‘Live Strong’ site.

* 'Serving sizes'