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Health Promotion
Student Health Center : Health Promotion : Nutrition : Eating Well

Serving Sizes
Breads, Cereals
& Grains
(6-11 daily)
*choose whole grains
  • 1 slice bread
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta
  • 1/2 cup cooked cereal
  • 1 ounce ready to eat cereal
  • 1/2 bagel, English muffin, Kaiser roll
Vegetables
(at least 3 daily)
  • 1 cup leafy raw vegetables (lettuce, spinach, kale)
  • 1/2 cup cooked, raw or canned vegetable
Fruit
(at least 3 daily)
*eat the fruit rather then drink the juice
  • 1 piece medium fruit (apple, orange, banana, pear)
  • 3/4 cup or 6 oz. of juice
  • 1/2 cup canned fruit
  • 1/2 cup diced fruit (melon, grape)
  • 1/4 cup of dried fruit

Dairy
(2-3 daily)
*
choose low fat

  • 1 cup or 8 oz. Milk or yogurt
  • 1 1/2 oz. Cheese
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup ice cream
Meat, Fish,Poultry
Eggs, Dry Beans& Nuts
(2-3 daily)
  • 2 1/2 to 3 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry, fish without skin
  • 1 oz. lean meat = 1/2 cup cooked beans
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbs. peanut butter

The fewer the total number of calories you take in daily, the lower the number of servings you need to meet your daily required intake. You should intake at least the minimum for each food group. For example, if you take in 2000 calories a day you need approximately 7-8 servings of grains daily, and if you take in 3500 calories a day you need 11 servings daily.

What a Serving Looks Like

  • 1 cup = baseball
  • ½ cup = computer mouse
  • Medium potato = 6 oz. soda can
  • 3 ounces of meat = floppy disk or deck of playing cards
  • 3 ounces of fish = PDA
  • 1 ounce cheese = 4 dice
  • 1 tablespoon oil = tip of woman’s thumb
  • 1 serving of pretzels or other snack food = a coffee mug’s full
  • 1/3 cup nuts = 2 C batteries
  • 1 cup lettuce = a standard light bulb
  • Slice of bread = CD music cas

Click here for more information about serving sizes.

Click here for more information on eating healthy.

 


Student Health Services
2815 Cates Avenue
Campus Box 7304
Raleigh, NC 27695-7304
919.515.2563
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Student Affairs
last updated
October 29, 2004