Food Group |
Required Servings Per Meal |
Dietary Guidelines Servings Per Meal |
Protein |
3 oz |
- 3 oz servings whole or ground meats, chicken or fish. Limit ground meat three times per week.
|
|
2 oz |
- 2 oz meat or meat alternate used in salad entrée recipes.
- 2 oz meat or meat alternate used in sandwich recipes.
- Limit sandwiches to 3 times per week.
|
Vegetable/Fruit4 |
2-3 servings |
- Vegetables:
- For most vegetables, one serving is ½ cup; for salad greens, one serving 1 full cup
- Must be non-starchy; potatoes are counted in the grain/starch food group
- Should not be fried; okay to serve raw, steamed, baked, grilled, or cooked into the entree
- Fruit:
- ½ cup or 1 piece of fruit for dessert counts as 1 serving.
- If canned, should be packed in unsweetened juice or water (not syrup)
|
Grain/Starch |
1 serving |
- 1 serving per meal such as 1 slice whole grain bread or ½ cup rice or pasta.
- Frequently use brown rice, whole grain pasta, or half brown and white rice mixture.
- Try to incorporate grains like quinoa, bulgur, or barley.
- Should have 3 grams fiber/serving.
- Half of all grains must be whole grains.
|
Beverages |
1 serving |
6 to 8 oz water (for others, refer footnote #2) |