Name Date Section
Food and Portion Sizes Record  

The first step in evaluating your eating habits is to record your food choices and portion sizes. Use the chart below to record all the foods and beverages you consume during a typical day. (To learn even more about your eating habits, you may want to complete several copies of this food record and look at data for both weekdays and weekends.) Break down each food item into its component parts (for example, a turkey sandwich might be listed as 2 slices sourdough bread, 3 ounces of turkey, 1 tomato, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, and so on). In the final column, record the number of Food Guide Pyramid servings that correspond to the portion size you consumed; for example, 2 slices of sourdough bread would be recorded as two servings from the bread group. To help you determine your portion sizes and Food Guide Pyramid equivalents, refer to the table at the bottom of this worksheet.

Food Your portion size Food Guide Pyramid servings


Food Guide Pyramid Group Pyramid Serving Sizes Portion Sizes Guide
Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta
  1. 1 slice bread, 1/2 hamburger or hot dog bun, 1/2 English muffin
  2. 1 oz ready-to-eat cereal
  3. 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
  4. 1 small roll, bagel, biscuit, or muffin (1 oz)
  5. 5-6 small or 2-3 large crackers
  6. 1 7-inch tortilla
  1. 1/2 cup of rice = an ice cream scoop or one-third of a soda can
  2. 1 cup pasta (2 servings) = a small fist or a tennis ball
  3. 1-2 oz muffin or roll = plum or large egg
  4. 1 oz bagel = hockey puck or yo-yo
  5. 1 tortilla = diameter of a small plate
Vegetable
  1. 1 cup raw leafy vegetables
  2. 1/2 cup other cooked or raw vegetables
  3. 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  4. 3/4 cup vegetable juice
  1. 1/2 cup cooked vegetables = an ice cream scoop or one-third of a soda can
  2. 3/4 cup juice = half a soda can
  3. 1 medium potato = computer mouse
The following are about one serving:
2 broccoli spears, 1 bell pepper, 1 ear of corn, 7 mushrooms, 4 brussels sprouts
Fruit
  1. 1 medium apple, banana, or orange
  2. 1/2 cup fresh, chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
  3. 1 melon wedge or 1/2 grapefruit
  4. 3/4 cup fruit juice
  5. 1/4 cup dried fruit
  1. 1 medium fruit = baseball
  2. 1/2 cup fruit = an ice cream scoop or one-third of a soda can
  3. 3/4 cup juice = half a soda can
The following are about one serving:
6 strawberries, 12 grapes, 2 medium apricots, 7 melon balls, 5 prunes
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese
  1. 1 cup milk or yogurt
  2. 1-1/2 oz natural cheese
  3. 2 oz processed cheese
  1. 1 oz cheese = your thumb, 4 dice, or an ice cube
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
  1. 2-3 oz cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
  2. 1 oz meat = 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/4 cup seeds, or 1/3 cup nuts
  1. 3 oz chicken or meat = deck of cards or an audiocassette tape
  2. 1/2 cup cooked beans = an ice cream scoop or one-third of a soda can
  3. 2 tablespoons peanut butter = a ping pong ball or large marshmallow
  4. 1/4 cup seeds = golf ball
Fats, Oils, and Sweets  
  1. 1 teaspoon margarine = tip of thumb
  2. 1 teaspoon sugar = 1 cube

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