Why are fruits important?

Fruits and fruit juices provide important amounts of vitamins A and Cand potassium. They are low in fat and sodium. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 4 servings of fruits a day.

What counts as a serving?

a medium apple, banana,
or orange

1/2 cup of chopped,
cooked, or canned fruit

3/4 cup of fruit juice

Here are some selection tips:

Choose fresh fruits,

fruit juices, and frozen, canned, or dried fruit. Pass up fruit canned or frozen in heavy syrups and sweetened fruit juices unless you have calories to spare.

Eat whole fruits often they are higher in fiber than fruit juices.

Have citrus fruits, melons, and berries regularly. They are rich in vitamin C. ☛Count only 100 percent fruit juice as fruit. Punches, ades, and most fruit "drinks" contain only a little juice and lots of added sugars. Grape and orange sodas don't count as fruit juice.

Why are meat, poultry, fish, and other foods in this group important?

Meat, poultry, and fish supply protein, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. The other foods in this group - dry beans, eggs, and nuts

are similar to meats in providing protein and most vitamins and minerals. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings each day of foods from this group. The total amount of these servings should be the equivalent of 5 to 7 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish per day.

What counts as a
serving?

Count 2-3 ounces of
cooked lean meat, poultry,
or fish as a serving.
A 3-ounce piece of meat
is about the size of an
average hamburger, or
the amount of meat on
a medium chicken
breast half.

For other foods in this
group, count 1/2 cup of
cooked dry beans, 1 egg,
or 2 tablespoons of
peanut butter as 1 ounce
of meat (about 1/3 serving).

Counting to see if you have an equivalent of 5-7 ounces of cooked lean meat a day is tricky. Portion sizes vary with the type of food and meal. For example, 6 ounces might come from:

-1 egg (count as 1 oz. of lean meat) for breakfast; -2 oz. of sliced turkey in a sandwich at lunch; and -a 3 oz. cooked lean

hamburger for dinner.

Why are milk products important? Milk products provide protein, vitamins, and minerals. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are the best source of calcium. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese a day-2 for most people, and 3 for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, teenagers, and young adults to age 24.

What counts

as a serving?

1 cup of milk or yogurt

1-1/2 ounces of natural
cheese

2 ounces of process
cheese

Here are some selection tips:

Choose skim milk and nonfat yogurt often. They are lowest in fat.

1-1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese and 8 ounces of yogurt count as a serving from this group because they supply the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of milk.

Cottage cheese is lower in calcium than most cheeses. One cup of cottage cheese counts as only 1/2 serving of milk.

Go easy on high fat cheese and ice cream. They can add a lot of fat (especially saturated fat) to your diet.

Choose "part skim" or lowfat cheeses when available and lower fat milk desserts, like ice milk or frozen yogurt.