Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group:
(6 to 11 servings/day)

1 slice bread, 1/2 bagel
1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal
1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, pasta
1, 6" pancake or waffle

Vegetable Group
(3 to 5 servings/day)

1/2 cup cooked vegetables
1 cup leafy green salad
3/4 cup vegetable juice

Fruit Group
(2 to 4 servings/day)

1 medium apple, banana, orange
1/2 cup chopped or canned fruit
3/4 cup fruit juice

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group
(2 to 3 servings/day)

1 cup milk or yogurt
1-1/2 oz cheese

Meat, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
(2 to 3 servings/day)

2 to 3 oz lean cooked meat
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup beans
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/2 cup tofu

Fats, Oils, and Sweets Group
use sparingly, both naturally occurring and added

To visualize portion sizes, use these familiar images as mental measuring cups and spoons. The palm of a woman's hand is about 4 ounces and the palm of a man's hand is about 6 to 8 ounces. Your thumb equals about 1 tablespoon. A computer mouse or a deck of cards is about the size of 3 to 4 ounces of meat. A baseball or tennis ball equals about 1 cup. A woman's fist is equal to about 1 cup of food. Visualizing the amount of food on your plate before you eat it will help you control portion sizes.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has recently released a Portion Distortion Quiz. This quiz provides interesting information about the amount of physical activity needed to burn off the extra calories from larger portion sizes. You will be amazed to see how much portion sizes have increased.