Food Pyramid Serving Sizes

Do you feed your children more or less of these each day? I know that I am guilty of letting my son eat more yogurt or more fruit than serving sizes indicate. He also LOVES to eat entire cans of peas in one sitting. But those are things that I let him eat because I think they are good for him.

GRAIN GROUP – 6 servings per day

• 1 slice of bread
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal
• 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal

VEGETABLE GROUP- 3 servings

• 1/2 cup of chopped raw or cooked vegetables
  1 cup of raw leafy vegetables

FRUIT GROUP – 2 servings

• 1 piece of fruit or melon wedge
• 3/4 cup of juice
• 1/2 cup of canned fruit
• 1/4 cup of dried fruit

MILK GROUP- 2 servings

• 1 cup of milk or yogurt
• 2 ounces of cheese

MEAT GROUP- 2 servings

• 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish.
• 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, or
• 1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat.
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 ounce of meat.

FATS AND SWEETS
Limit calories from these.

What Counts as a Serving?

Four- to 6-year-olds can eat these serving sizes. Offer 2- to 3-year-olds less, except for milk.

From Fitness and Kids