Healthy Dietary Food Portion Serving Sizes Guides (Grains, Vegetables & Fruits)

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables form the next layer of the pyramid. Both provide important vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Green leafy vegetables and vitamin C rich fruits had the greatest effect on anti heart disease.

Most of the news in nutrition research is about the health benefits of a group of nutrients concentrated in vegetables and fruits called antioxidants. These nutrients help minimize the normal wear and tear that comes from living and can reduce the risk of cancer and stroke as well as heart disease.

Fruits (2 to 4 servings)

Breakfast is a good place to begin building up fruit servings. You may already start your day with a glass of juice. Add a midmorning snack of fruit and have some for dessert at lunch or dinner, and you've made your goal of three to four servings a day.

Make at least one serving each day a citrus fruit. Orange and grapefruit juice are standard options, but don't forget about the many varieties of oranges (navel, temple, Valencia, blood, and mandarin) and grapefruits (Ruby Red, white, and pink) that are available, as well as tangerines, tangelos, kumquats, and Ugh fruit, which are also considered citrus fruits. When possible, select fresh fruit in season. Instead, choosing oranges and grapefruit in winter and berries in spring, means there's a better chance that the fruit was grown locally and will end up tasting juicy and fresh.

Canned or frozen fruit can be a good substitute when a recipe or your appetite demands an out of season fruit. Be sure to reach for ones packed without added sugar.

Experiment with new fruits that you haven't tried before - figs, guava, star fruit, or prickly pears, for example.

With so many fruitfully delicious options to choose from, you'll never have to eat the same fruit twice in a week. Use these guidelines to determine serving sizes for fruits:

One whole fruit (a medium apple, banana, peach, or orange; or a small pear)

i. 1/2 grapefruit to Melon wedge (1/4 medium cantaloupe or 1/8 medium honeydew)

ii. 3/4a cup juice

iii. 1/2 cup mandarin or clementine orange sections

iv. 1/2 cup cut-up fresh fruit

v. 1/2 cup cooked or canned fruit

vi. 1/2 cup frozen fruit

vii. 1/4cup dried fruit

viii. 5 large strawberries or 7 medium strawberries

ix. 1/2 cup raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries

x. 11 large cherries

xi. 12 grapes

xii. 11/2 medium plums

xiii. 2 medium apricots or clementines

xiv. 1/8 medium avocado (but beware of its high fat content!)

xv. 7 melon balls (or %z cup melon)

xvi. 1/2 cup fruit salad (made without mayonnaise)

xvii. 1/2 medium mango

xviii. 1/4 medium papaya

xix. 1 large kiwi fruit

xx. 4 canned apricot halves, drained 14 canned cherries, drained

xxi. 11/2 canned peach halves, drained 2 canned pear halves, drained

xxii. 21/2 canned pineapple slices, drained 3 canned plums, drained

xxiii. 9 dried apricot halves

xxiv. 5 prunes

Vegetables (3 to 5 servings)

If it weren't for French-fried potatoes and tomato sauce on pizza and pasta, many people wouldn't get any vegetables at all. Too bad, because vegetables are mostly water, so they're a great way for dieters to expand their meals. Vegetables are a great source of vitamin C, foliate, beta carotene, minerals, and fiber - and practically no fat.

Use these guidelines to determine serving sizes for vegetables:

i. 1/2 cup vegetables, cooked or chopped raw

ii. 1 cup leafy raw vegetables, such as lettuce or spinach

iii. 1 medium tomato or 5 cherry tomatoes

iv. Seven to eight 21/2-inch carrot or celery sticks

v. 3 broccoli florets

vi. 1/3 medium cucumber

vii. 10 medium green onions

viii. 13 medium radishes

ix. 9 snow or sugar peas

x. 6 slices summer squash (yellow or zucchini)

xi. 1 cup mixed green salad

xii. 1/2 cup cole slaw or potato salad

xiii. 1/2 cup leafy cooked greens, such as kale, Swiss chard, or spinach v

xiv. 2 spears broccoli

xv. 1 medium whole green or red pepper, or 8 rings

xvi. 1 artichoke

xvii. 6 asparagus spears

xviii. 2 whole beets, about 2 inches in diameter

xix. 4 medium Brussels sprouts

xx. 1 medium ear of corn

xxi. 7 medium mushrooms

xxii. 8 okra pods

xxiii. 1 medium whole onion or 6 pearl onions

xxiv. 1 medium whole turnip

xxv. 10 French fries

xxvi. 1 medium baked potato

xxvii. 3/4 cup sweet potato

xxviii. 1/2 cup tomato or spaghetti sauce

xxix. 1/4 cup tomato paste

xxx. 1/2 cup cooked dry beans (if not counted as a meat alternate)

xxxi. 3/4 cup vegetable juice

xxxii. 1 cup bean soup

xxxiii. 1 cup vegetable soup

Some vegetables are "starchy" and calorie dense; others are mostly water. If you're watching your weight, limit your starchy vegetables to one or two servings per day, and make the remainder of your veggie servings nonstarchy.

Nonstarchy Vegetables	Starchy Vegetables
Asparagus	Beets
Broccoli	Cassava (yuca)
Brussels sprouts	Corn
Cabbage	Lima Beans
Cauliflower	Peas
Celery	Potatoes
Chicory	Pumpkin
Cucumbers	Rutabaga
Eggplant	Sweet Potatoes
Escarole	Taro
Green beans	Turnips
Greens (such as collard, kale, mustard and turnip)	Winter squash
Lettuce	Yams
Mushrooms
Okra
Peppers
Radishes
Sprouts

Grains (6 to 11 servings)

Grains form the foundation of eating healthfully; they're low in fat and provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This group is the source of complex carbohydrates in your diet. But eating too many calories without getting beneficial nutrients is also common.

It's true that croissants, donuts, cookies, muffins, cake, and other high fat and sugar items are in this group because they can fit into a healthy diet - just not everyday and probably not more than once a week if you're trying to lose weight. Because they provide more calories than nutrients, keep them to a minimum. The healthier choice is anything whole grain in a reasonable portion.

Make sure that at least three of your grain servings each day are whole grains - whole-wheat bread or cereal, for example. Use the ingredient labels to find the products with whole grains: You want whole wheat or other whole grain to be the first ingredient. Sugar, oil, and fats should be last on the list, if they appear at all.

Serving sizes for grains include the following:

a) 4-inch pima bread (white or wheat)

b) 1/16 of a two-layer cake

c) 2 to 3 large crackers (graham cracker square size)

d) 1/2 cup cooked cereal, pasta, or rice

e) 3 rice or popcorn cakes

f) 12 tortilla chips

g) 3 medium hard breadsticks, about 43/n inches long

h) One 7-inch flour or corn tortilla

i) 2 corn taco shells

j) Nine 3-ring pretzels or 2 pretzel rods

k) 1/5 of a 10-inch angel food cake

l) 9 animal crackers

m) 1 slice of bread

n) Half a hamburger or hot dog bun

o) Half an English muffin or a 21/2-inch bagel

p) 1 small roll, biscuit, or muffin (about 1 ounce each)

q) 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal V 5 to 6 small crackers (saltine size)

r) 2 cups air-popped popcorn

Remember, some of the foods in the various groups may be higher in fat or added sugars than others, so when you're watching calories, focus on the lower-fat options that contain less added sugar.

Fiber comes from the grains group, the fruit and vegetable group, legumes in the meat group and from nuts. Essentially, fiber is a carbohydrate that can't be digested. A healthy diet has 25 to 35 grams each day. High-fiber diets are associated with less heart disease and diabetes.

Filling up with fiber, Fiber is Good for your Health

Looking for quick and easy ways to add fiber to your diet? Try some of these delicious tips:

For a side dish, have 1/2 cup of any one of the following: lentils (5 grams), cooked dried beans (7 grams), cooked whole grains, such as wheat berries (2 grams) or cracked wheat (3 grams). Mix it with '/2 cup of one of these vegetables: peas (3 grams), green beans (2 grams), or spinach (1 gram).

Make an opened-face sandwich with a sliced tomato (1 gram) and a slice of whole grain toast (2 grams). Top it with 1 ounce of low-fat mozzarella.

Select your cereals wisely. You have tons of high-fiber cereals to choose from now some offering up to 10 grams per serving. Look for cereals that provide at least 2 grams of fiber per serving.

Reach for fiber-rich fruits and think of them as ingredients, not just as snacks - especially a pear (4 grams), an apple (3 grams), a couple of figs (3 grams), 1 cup of strawberries (3 grams), or a banana (2 grams). Add them to salads, cereal, and yogurt or use them as a topping for pancakes and waffles.

Make short-grain brown rice a staple (4 grams of fiber per cup). It has a rich, nutty flavor and tastes much better than the long grain variety. If you can't find it at your local supermarket, check health food stores or Asian supermarkets.

Sneak vegetables in wherever you can - pizza, soups, stir-fries, rice, sandwiches, and pasta dishes. The sky's the limit!

A surprising source of soluble fiber is reduced-fat foods. The guar gum that many reduced-fat foods contain in place of fats is soluble fiber. Caution: This doesn't give you license to replace fresh produce and whole grain products with faux fats, but they do contribute a marginal amount of healthful fiber. For example, one piece of a brandname fat-free chocolate loaf cake contains 1 gram of fiber, as does one fat-free oatmeal cookie, a full-fat one contains only 1/2 gram. Surprisingly, even 2 tablespoons of fat-free ranch dressing has1/2 gram of fiber.

Understanding how dining out can add calories Spotting the high-fat cues on menus

Knowing your best ethnic food choices

• Eating before you take off and during your flight
• Eating out can pose special problems for dieters.

New menu choices are tempting, portion sizes are large, and many professional kitchens don't normally use lowfat or low-calorie cooking methods as standard practice. In fact, as a rule, the less expensive the restaurant, the more likely it is that the kitchen uses generous amounts of fat and high-fat cooking techniques - inexpensive and easy ways to add flavor to food. A fish fillet, for example, must be high quality and cooked skillfully if it's going to taste delicious simply broiled or baked without a coating of oil or buttery sauce.

But don't fear. This article can help you navigate menus and still enjoy going out to eat. Armed with the information we give, you can be a dining detective, avoiding the high-fat items and zeroing in on the lower-calorie and lower-fat meals with ease.

Knowing Your Enemy

The whole dining-out experience can cost you plenty of calories. How many times have you had to wait in the bar until your table was ready? Cocktails add calories and lessen your diet resolve - you get to the table famished and not exactly steeled against temptation. And then the impulse to clean your plate overtakes you because, after all, you're paying big bucks for the meal. But take heart: You can maneuver around these predicaments.

For example, if you do dine out frequently, consider becoming a regular at one spot. That way, the wait staff and kitchen can get to know you. They can alert you to items that are especially dieter friendly, and the kitchen won't be thrown by your special requests - a plus during the busiest dining hours.

Whether dining out is more special or a routine part of your day, keep this advice in mind:

Restaurant meals are often considered special occasions.

More frequently, though they're last-minute solutions when you're too tired or stressed to make dinner. Both scenarios set you up for overindulging. Remember to look at the meal in context of the entire day's eating or what you'll eat over several days.

Restaurant meals are often loaded with fat.

Fat is an easy way to make foods taste good. Fat is also cheap compared to lean meat, so restaurants use it liberally because it makes their bottom line healthy - although it doesn't do much for the shape of your bottom. Be a fat detective. Ask questions about preparation and request substitutions.

Portions may be huge.

You often get twice the amount that you really need to eat. Share an entree with a friend or order two appetizers instead of one entree. Don't be embarrassed to ask for a doggie bag.

Menus are organized with the focus on protein, and the servings of protein are much too large.

Meat, chicken, and fish often get the most "ink," with little attention paid to side dishes. So cast your eye over to the side dishes section and choose from the plainer ones. (That is, those without sauces.) Another way to create a better balance may be to order your entree from the appetizer section.

Most meals eaten out include alcohol.

Not only is alcohol calorie heavy and nutrient poor, but it also lowers your resolve to eat healthfully. If you enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine when eating out, plan to limit your intake to one, and drink it with, not before, the meal.

These are important tactics to keep in mind wherever you dine. They're a start. But menus are always going to be written to entice and seduce you into ordering more than you intend. If you can discover how to read between the lines and spot the red flags for dieters, you'll rarely be duped into ordering and eating more than you want. And when you eat ethnic, try to find out a little about the cuisine, the ingredients, and the typical methods of cooking so that foreign phrases don't throw you.

Menu Sleuthing

If you know how to translate the code, menu descriptions can yield clues to the fat and calorie contents of a dish. For example, "Grande taco salad served in a crispy tortilla shell, topped with lean sautéed like a good choice at first. But the words grande, crispy, and sauteed tell you that this is no low-cal salad. In fact, it contains about 700 calories! If you're restricting your intake to 1,200 calories a day, do you really want to get more than half your calories from a single dish? Following are the most commonly used menu words that speak volumes - calorically, that is.

Lots of fat:

• Alfredo
• Basted
• Batter-dipped
• Breaded
• Buttery
• Creamy
• Crispy and crunchy (except when describing raw vegetables)
• Deep-fried
• Marinated
• Pan-fried
• Rich Sauteed
• Coated
• Dressed
• Dipped
• Bathed

Huge portion sizes:

• Combo
• Feast
• Grande
• Jumbo
• King-size
• Supreme

Saner sizes:

• Appetizer
• Kiddie
• Luncheon
• Petite
• Regular
• Salad-size

A portion to a restaurant may not bea portion to you!

Restaurant portion sizes have more to do with controlling operation expenses than with balancing nutrients. Most restaurants use standardized ladles, spoons, cups, and scoops, and their capacity is generally larger than what you would use at home. Some typical institutional measures are:

• Salad dressing ladle =1/2 cup
• Pat of butter = 2 teaspoons
• Scoop of ice cream= 11/2 to 2 cups
• Burger = 6 to 8 ounces
• Meat, poultry, or fish = 8 to 12 ounces
• Beverages: small = 2 cups, medium =4 cups, large = 6 cups
• Theater popcorn: small = 4 cups, large = 10 cups, jumbo = 15 to 20 cups
• Wine= 6 to 8 ounces