About Food Pyramid Serving Sizes

The food guide pyramid is considered the gold standard to figure out your daily needs for fat, protein, carbs, sugar and cholesterol. It is based on serving sizes and how many servings of particular foods to get in a day.

Features

• The Food Pyramid is broken up into 6 categories. They are breads/grains; fruits; vegetables; proteins; dairy; and fats, oils and sweets.

Breads and Grains

• These are found on the bottom of the pyramid. It is recommended to get 6 to 11 servings of this group a day. The serving sizes are allotted by piece or by size. Example: 1 slice of bread or 1/2 cup of rice equals one serving.

Fruits

• The pyramid recommends 2 to 4 servings of fruit each day. The servings are measured by piece or volume. Example: 1 apple, 1/2 cup of chopped fruit or 3/4 cup of fruit juice.

Vegetables

• The pyramid recommends 3 to 5 servings of vegetables a day. The servings are figured out by capacity or volume. Example: 1 cup of leafy greens or 3/4 cup of vegetable juice.

Proteins

• The pyramid recommends 2 to 3 servings of protein a day. The serving sizes are figured out by weight or size. Example: 1 egg, 2 tbsp. of nut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts.

Dairy

• The pyramid also recommends 2 to 3 servings of dairy a day. The serving sizes are figured by weight and volume. Example: 1 cup of cottage cheese or 1/2 cup of ice cream.

Fats, Oils and Sweets

• Fats, oils and sweets are at the top of the pyramid. There is no delineation of serving sizes as it is recommended to use them sparingly.