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THE BASICS: Serving Sizes & Portions

Serving Sizes & Portions

This is the key to Getting into and staying in the body of your dreams!!!!

"Serving" defined: A serving isn't just the amount you put on your plate. A serving is really a specific amount of food, defined by common measurements such as cups, ounces or pieces.

"Portions" are simply the number of servings from each of the Food Groups that you are allocated each day to achieve your fitness goals. (ie; lose fat, gain muscle, maintain your healthy weight"

Typically, the first thing I hear upon presenting a new food plan to a client is "That's a lot of food, much more than I eat now." Most clients, however upon examining food labels and measuring food, realize that a single serving is typically much smaller than they had realized. For example, one serving of chicken or fish is generally 3 or 4 oz. and most beef 2 oz or so. So, while you may have a "serving" of steak at your local restaurant, that 6 oz filet actually 3 servings of meat. The true goal, if you are want to shed those pounds is to be aware of "true" single serving sizes.

Serving sizes for other food groups may also seem small.

Take a look at the following serving sizes and portions recommended by the USRDA.Getting all of your daily servings and necessary nutrients may not be as hard as you think.

Daily Amount of Food From Each Group (vegetable subgroup amounts are per week)
Calorie Level	1,400	1,600	1,800	2,000	2,200	2,400	2,600	2,800
Food Group¹	Food group amounts shown in cup (c) or ounce-equivalents (oz-eq), with number of servings (srv) in parentheses when it differs from the other units. See note for quantity equivalents for foods in each group.2 Oils are shown in grams (g).
Fruits	(3 srv)	(3 srv)	(3 srv)	(4 srv)	(4 srv)	( 4 srv)	(4 srv)	(5 srv)
Vegetables³	(3 srv)	(4 srv)	(5 srv)	(5 srv)	(6 srv)	(6 srv)	(7 srv)	(7 srv)
Grains⁴ Whole grains Other grains	5 oz-eq 2.5 2.5	5 oz-eq 3 2	6 oz-eq 3 3	6 oz-eq 3 3	7 oz-eq 3.5 3.5	8 oz-eq 4 4	9 oz-eq 4.5 4.5	10 oz-eq 5 5
Lean meat	4 oz-eq	5 oz-eq	5 oz-eq	5.5oz-eq	6 oz-eq	6.5oz-eq	6.5oz-eq	7 oz-eq
Milk	2 c	3 c	3 c	3 c	3 c	3 c	3 c	3 c
Oils⁵	17 g	22 g	24 g	27 g	29 g	31 g	34 g	36 g
Discretionary calorie allowance⁶	171	132	195	267	290	362	410	426

¹ Food items included in each group and subgroup:

Fruits	All fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and fruit juices: for example, oranges and orange juice, apples andapple juice, bananas, grapes, melons, berries, raisins. In developing the food patterns, only fruits and juices with no added sugars or fats were used. See note 6 on discretionary calories if products with added sugars or fats are consumed.
Vegetables	In developing the food patterns, only vegetables with no added fats or sugars were used. See note 6 on discretionary calories if products with added fats or sugars are consumed.
• Dark green vegetables	All fresh, frozen, and canned dark green vegetables, cooked or raw: for example, broccoli; spinach; romaine;collard, turnip, and mustard greens.
• Orange vegetables	All fresh, frozen, and canned orange and deep yellow vegetables, cooked or raw: for example, carrots,Sweet potatoes, winter squash, and pumpkin.
• Legumes	All cooked dry beans and peas and soybean products: for example, pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas,tofu. (dry beans and peas) (See comment under meat and beans group about counting legumes in the vegetable or the meat and beans group.)
• Starchy vegetables	All fresh, frozen, and canned starchy vegetables: for example, white potatoes, corn, green peas.
• Other vegetables	All fresh, frozen, and canned other vegetables, cooked or raw: for example, tomatoes, tomato juice, lettuce, greenbeans, onions.
Grains	In developing the food patterns, only grains in low-fat and low-sugar forms were used. See note 6 on discretionary calories if products that are higher in fat and/or added sugars are consumed.
• Whole grains	All whole-grain products and whole grains used as ingredients: for example, whole-wheat and rye breads, whole-grain cereals and crackers, oatmeal, and brown rice.
• Other grains	All refined grain products and refined grains used as ingredients: for example, white breads, enriched grain cereals and crackers, enriched pasta, white rice.
Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, Eggs, and nuts (meats & beans)	All meat, poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs, nuts, seeds. Most choices should be lean or low-fat.See note 6 on discretionary calories if higher fat products are consumed. Dry beans and peas and soybean products are considered part of this group as well as the vegetable group, but should be counted in one group only.
Milk, yogurt, and cheese (milk)	All milks, yogurts, frozen yogurts, dairy desserts, cheeses (except cream cheese), including lactose-free and lactose-reduced products. Most choices should be fat-free or low-fat. In developing the food patterns, only fat-free milk was used. See note 6 on discretionary calories if low-fat, reduced-fat, or whole milk or milk products or milk products that contain added sugars are used. Calcium fortified soy beverages are an option for those who want a non-dairy calcium source.

² Quantity equivalents for each food group:

Grains	The following each count as 1 ounce-equivalent (1 serving) of grains: 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, or cooked cereal; 1 ounce dry pasta or rice; 1 slice bread; 1 small muffin (1 oz); 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal flakes.
Fruits and vegetables	The following each count as 1 cup (2 servings) of fruits or vegetables: 1 cup cut-up raw or cooked fruit or vegetable, 1 cup fruit or vegetable juice, 2 cups leafy salad greens.
Meat and beans	The following each count as 1 ounce-equivalent: 1 ounce lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; 1/4 cup cooked drybeans or tofu; 1 Tbsp peanut butter; 1/2 ounce nuts or seeds.
Milk	The following each count as 1 cup (1 serving) of milk: 1 cup milk or yogurt, 11/2 ounces natural cheese such asCheddar cheese or 2 ounces processed cheese. Discretionary calories must be counted for all choices, exceptfat-free milk.

Explanation of discretionary calorie allowance: The discretionary calorie allowance is the remaining amount of calories in each food pattern after selecting the specified number of nutrient-dense forms of foods in each food group. The number of discretionary calories assumes that food items in each food group are selected in nutrient-dense forms (that is, forms that are fat-free or low-fat and that contain no added sugars). Solid fat and sugar calories always need to be counted as discretionary calories, as in the following examples:

•	The fat in low-fat, reduced fat, or whole milk or milk products or cheese and the sugar and fat in chocolate milk, ice cream, pudding, etc.
•	The fat in higher fat meats (e.g., ground beef with more than 5% fat by weight, poultry with skin, higher fat luncheon meats, sausages)
•	The sugars added to fruits and fruit juices with added sugars or fruits canned in syrup
•	The added fat and/or sugars in vegetables prepared with added fat or sugars
•	The added fats and/or sugars in grain products containing higher levels of fats and/or sugars (e.g., sweetened cereals, higher fat crackers, pies and other pastries, cakes, cookies)

Total discretionary calories should be limited to the amounts shown in the table at each calorie level. The number of discretionary calories is lower in the 1,600-calorie pattern than in the 1,000-, 1,200-, and 1,400-calorie patterns. These lower calorie patterns are designed to meet the nutrient needs of children 2 to 8 years old. The nutrient goals for the 1,600-calorie pattern are set to meet the needs of adult women, which are higher and require that more calories be used in selections from the basic food groups. Additional information about discretionary calories, including an example of the division of these calories between solid fats and added sugars, is provided in appendix A-3.

SOURCE: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, Department of Health and Human Services.

The information on this web site is intended for information reference purposes only and is not intended as a substitute to professional medical advice. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, it is recommended that you seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care professional. None of the information on this web site should be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition.

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