Five Food Groups

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Five Food Groups by Lissa Coffey

"The rest of the world lives to eat, while I eat to live."
-Socrates

There are 5 basic food groups, and for a balanced diet we need to eat something from each group every day. You may have heard that we should be getting 2 servings of fruits and 3 servings of vegetables daily. This sounds like a lot, but when it's broken down into individual portions it is pretty easy to do. Also recommended, 2-4 servings from the milk products group, 2 servings from the meat and alternatives group, and up to 6 servings from the bread and grains group.

How much is one serving? Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs! We’ll help take the guesswork out of out of serving sizes.

HOW MUCH IS ONE SERVING?

MILK, YOGURT and CHEESE GROUP
1 cup (8 oz.) milk or yogurt
2 slices cheese, 1/8" thick (11?2 oz.)
2 cups cottage cheese
11?2 cups ice milk, ice cream, or frozen yogurt

MEAT & MEAT ALTERNATIVES GROUP
2 oz. to 3 oz. (size of a deck of cards) cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
2 eggs
7 oz. tofu
1 cup cooked legumes (dried beans or peas)
4 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup nuts or seeds

VEGETABLE GROUP
1/2 cup cooked vegetables
1/2 cup raw chopped vegetables
1 cup raw leafy vegetables
1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetable juice

FRUIT GROUP
1 whole medium fruit (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup canned fruit
1/2 to 3/4 cup fruit juice

BREAD & CEREAL GROUP
1 slice bread
1 medium muffin
1/2 hot dog bun or hamburger bun
1/2 bagel or english muffin
4 small crackers
1 tortilla
1 cup cold cereal
1/2 cup cooked cereal
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup pasta