Food Guide Pyramid

A guide to healthy daily food choices

The Pyramid outlines what to eat each day. It is not a rigid prescription, but rather, a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that’s right for you. 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 a healthy weight. Each group provides some, but not all, of the nutrients you need. Foods in one group cannot replace those in another. Therefore, no one food group is more important than anothers.

**What counts as one serving?

Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta Group	Vegetable Group	Fruit Group	Milk, Yogurt & Cheese Group	Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs & Nuts Group	Fats, Oils & Sweets Group
1 slice of bread ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta ½ cup of cooked cereal 1 ounce of ready to eat cereal	½ cup of chopped, raw or cooked vegetables 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables	1 piece of fruit or melon wedge ¾ cup of juice ½ cup of canned fruit ¼ cup of died fruit	1 cup of milk or yogurt 1½ ounces of natural cheese 2 ounces of processed cheese	2-3 ounces of fish, cooked lean meat, or poultry Count ½ cup of cooked beans, or 1 egg, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter as 1 ounce of lean meat	LIMIT calories from this group, especially if you need to lose weight

The amount you eat at one time may be more than one serving: for example, a dinner portion of spaghetti may count as anywhere from 2-5 servings (1-2 ½ cups), depending on how much is consumed.

It is important to know the appropriate size of each food group to help you eat in moderation. In the next section, you will find sample meal patterns based on various calorie levels.

My Meal Pattern

(From MyPyramid.gov)

Below are suggested diet plans for different calorie levels showing the amount of food recommended per day from each food group. Most women fall under the 1400-calorie level and most men under 1800-calorie level.

	1400 calories	1800 calories	2200 calories
Grains	5 servings	6 servings	7 servings
Vegetables	3 servings	5 servings	6 servings
Fruits	3 servings	3 servings	4 servings
Milk	2 servings	3 servings	3 servings
Meat and Beans	4 oz	5 oz	6 oz
Oil & Discretionary Calories	Aim for 4 tsp of oil	Aim for 5 tsp of oil	Aim for 6 tsp of oil

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