1. The Five Food Groups
What’s on your plate?

2. Five food groups plus Limited Extras (foods high in sugar and added fats).

3. Newer version emphasizes eating foods in the proper proportion to your overall calorie intake.

4. Examples of foods from each group. The list is not exhaustive.

6. The Five Food Groups

7. Grain Group Bread, cereal, rice, pasta 6 – 1 ounce servings per day
1 slice of bread
1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

8. Vegetable Group Raw or cooked Fresh, frozen, or canned
3-5 servings each day
1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other vegetables cooked or raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice

9. Fruit Group 3 – 5 servings each day
1 medium apple, banana, orange, pear
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
3/4 cup of fruit juice

10. Dairy Group Milk, yogurt, cheese Does not include butter
Rich in calcium
Look for low fat options
2-3 servings each day
1 cup of milk or yogurt
1½ ounces of natural cheese
2 ounces of processed cheese
9-18 years and over 50 – 3 servings
Everyone else – 2 servings
Natural cheese – cheddar, Monterey
Processed – American cheese slices, Velveeta

11. Protein Group Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
Eat more fish and less red meat
6-8 ounces each day
1 ounce is equivalent to:
½ cup of cooked dry beans or tofu
2½ oz soyburger or 1 egg
2 Tbsp of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts

12. The My Plate diagram shows the correct proportion of each group that we should eat. Notice that vegetables is the largest group!
Servings per day
Bread – 6 one ounce servings
Vegetables 4-5
Fruits – 3-4
Milk 2-3
Protein total of 6-8 oz
WHAT COUNTS AS A SERVING?
Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group (Grains Group)—whole grain and refined
• 1 slice of bread
• About 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
Vegetable Group • 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
• 1/2 cup of other vegetables cooked or raw
• 3/4 cup of vegetable juice
Fruit Group
• 1 medium apple, banana, orange, pear
• 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
• 3/4 cup of fruit juice
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group (Milk Group)*
• 1 cup of milk** or yogurt**
• 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese** (such as Cheddar)
• 2 ounces of processed cheese** (such as American)
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group (Meat and Beans Group)
• 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
• 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans# or 1/2 cup of tofu counts as 1 ounce of lean meat
• 2 1/2-ounce soyburger or 1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts counts as 1 ounce of meat

13. Fruit Vegetables Grains Protein Dairy Limited Extras Breakfast Lunch
Fruit
Vegetables
Grains
Protein
Dairy
Limited Extras
Breakfast
Greek yogurt with blueberries and cereal 
½ cup blueberries 
1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats cereal
 (1 c Greek yogurt provides about 1/3 of your daily protein needs)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp honey
Lunch
Southwest salad
Apple   
1 medium apple
1 cup romaine lettuce
½ avocado
 7 tortilla chips
 2 oz grilled chicken
½ cup black beans
1 oz co-jack cheese
1 T Southwest Ranch salad dressing
Dinner
Baked Halibut
Roasted sweet potato
Broiled asparagus
Spinach salad
Whole grain bread 
 1/2 cup roasted sweet potato
8 asparagus spears = ½ cup
1 cup spinach
Onion slices
Jicama strips
Shredded carrots
1 slice whole grain bread
 4 oz baked halibut
Snacks
 1 orange
1/2 cup carrot sticks
10 whole grain crackers
 1/2 oz cheese
Fruit – 3 servings
Vegetables – 5 servings (onion slices, jicama strips, and shredded carrots are not enough to equal one whole serving)
Grains – 4 servings
Protein – equivalent of 8.5 oz
Milk – 2 servings
Vitamin C – orange
Vitamin A – sweet potato, spinach, carrots (at least 1 serving every other day)