What's a Serving Size?
In our quest to eat nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day, knowing what constitutes a serving size is a big help. Some choices are obvious—a serving of an apple is an apple (medium size). But, turn it into applesauce and what’s a serving? Answer: ½ cup. In general, you’ll probably discover that serving sizes are a lot smaller than you thought.
Vegetables: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables; 1/2 cup of other vegetables, raw or cooked; 1/2 cup juice
Fruits: 1 medium fruit (medium is defined as the size of a baseball); 1/2 cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit; ½ cup small fruit, like berries or grapes; 1/2 cup juice
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs: 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of a card deck); 1 egg 2 egg whites or ¼ cup liquid egg substitute
Beans and Nuts: ½ cup cooked beans, lentils or peas; ¼ cup nuts; 2 tablespoons nut butter
Grains: 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta
Milk, Yogurt and Cheese: 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces fat-free or low-fat cheese; 1/2 cup fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese
