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Serving Size

How much is one serving?

Here's a general guide showing examples of serving sizes for each food group. If you eat a larger portion, count it as more than one serving. U.S.D.A. Dietary Guidelines encourage Americans to eat at least the lowest number of servings from the five food groups each day.

Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta (6 to 11 servings)

• 1 slice of bread
• 1/2 hamburger bun, bagel or English muffin
• 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal
• 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta
• 3 or 4 plain crackers

Vegetables (3 to 5 servings)

• 1 cup raw leafy vegetables
• 1/2 cup vegetables, cooked or chopped raw
• 3/4 cup vegetable juice

Fruits (2 to 4 servings)

• 1 medium fruit (apple, banana, orange, nectarine, peach)
• 1/2 cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit
• 3/4 cup fruit juice

Milk, Yogurt, Cheese (2 to 3 servings)

• 1 cup milk or yogurt
• 1.5 ounces natural cheese
• 2 ounces process cheese

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, Nuts (2 to 3 servings)

• 2 to 3 ounces cooked lean meat, poultry or fish
• (1 ounce of meat equals 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, 1 egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter)