The Food Guide Pyramid · The Food Guide Pyramid A Guide to Daily Food Choices These symbols show fat and added sugars in foods. K E Y Fat (naturally occurring and added) Sugars (added)

United States Center for Home andDepartment of Nutrition Policy Garden BulletinAgriculture and Promotion Number 252

TheFood GuidePyramid

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What’s in this booklet for me?

his booklet introduces you to The

Food Guide Pyramid. The Pyramid illus-

trates the research-based food guidance

system developed by USDA and support-

ed by the Department of Health and Human Services

(HHS). It goes beyond the “basic four food groups”

to help you put the Dietary Guidelines into action.

The Pyramid is based on USDA’s research on what

foods Americans eat, what nutrients are in these foods,

and how to make the best food choices for you.

The Pyramid and this booklet will help you choose

what and how much to eat from each food group to get

the nutrients you need and not too many calories, or too

much fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, sodium, or

alcohol.

The Pyramid focuses on fat because most Americans’

diets are too high in fat. Following the Pyramid will help

you keep your intake of total fat and saturated fat low.

A diet low in fat will reduce your chances of getting cer-

tain diseases and help you maintain a healthy weight.

This booklet will also help you learn how to spot

and control the sugars and salt in your diet, and make

lower sugar and salt choices.

It’s following theDietary Guidelines forAmericans. These are sev-en guidelines for a health-ful diet – advice for healthyAmericans 2 years of ageor more. By following theDietary Guidelines, youcan enjoy better health

and reduce your chancesof getting certain diseases.These Guidelines, devel-oped jointly by USDAand HHS, are the best,most up-to-date advicefrom nutrition scientistsand are the basis of Federal nutrition policy.

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Eat a variety of foods to getthe energy, protein, vitamins,minerals, and fiber you needfor good health.

Balance the food you eatwith physical activity —maintain or improve yourweight to reduce yourchances of having high bloodpressure, heart disease, astroke, certain cancers, andthe most common kind ofdiabetes.

Choose a diet with plenty ofgrain products, vegetables,and fruits which provideneeded vitamins, minerals,fiber, and complex carbohy-drates, and can help youlower your intake of fat.

Choose a diet low in fat, sat-urated fat, and cholesterolto reduce your risk of heart

attack and certain types ofcancer and to help you main-tain a healthy weight.

Choose a diet moderate insugars. A diet with lots of sugars has too many caloriesand too few nutrients formost people and can contribute to tooth decay.

Choose a diet moderate insalt and sodium to helpreduce your risk of highblood pressure.

If you drink alcoholic bever-ages, do so in moderation.Alcoholic beverages supplycalories, but little or no nutrients. Drinking alcoholis also the cause of manyhealth problems and accidents and can lead to addiction.

THE DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS

CONTENTS Page

The Food Guide Pyramid 2

The Pyramid and You 8

What is a Serving? 10

Fats 6, 12

Cholesterol 15

Sugars 6, 16

Salt and Sodium 17

The Food Groups 19What Counts as a Serving, Selection Tips

The Pyramid Food Choices Chart 25

How To Rate Your Diet 28

What’s the BestNutrition Advice?

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Meat, Poultry, Fish,Dry Beans, Eggs,

& Nuts Group2-3 SERVINGS

FruitGroup

2-4 SERVINGS

Bread, Cereal,Rice, & Pasta

Group6-11

SERVINGS

Milk, Yogurt,& CheeseGroup2-3 SERVINGS

VegetableGroup3-5 SERVINGS

Fats, Oils, & SweetsUSE SPARINGLY

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These symbols show fat and added sugars in foods.

Fat (naturally occurring and added)

Sugars (added)

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The Food Guide Pyramid

A Guide to Daily Food ChoicesThese symbols show fat and added sugars in foods.

K E YFat (naturally occurring and added)

Sugars (added)▼

and at the same time theright amount of calories tomaintain or improve yourweight.

The Pyramid also focuses on fat because

most American diets aretoo high in fat, especiallysaturated fat.

What is the FoodGuide Pyramid?

The Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day. It’s not a rigidprescription, but a general

guide that lets you choosea healthful diet that’s rightfor you.

The Pyramid calls foreating a variety of foods toget the nutrients you need

At the base of the Food Guide Pyramid are breads, cereals,rice, and pasta — all foods from grains. You need the mostservings of these foods each day.

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Looking at the Pieces of the Pyramid

This level includes foods that comefrom plants – vegetables and

fruits. Most people need to eatmore of these foods for the

vitamins, minerals, andfiber they supply.

On this level of the Food Guide Pyramid aretwo groups of foods that come mostly from

animals: milk, yogurt, and cheese; andmeat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and

nuts. These foods are important for protein, calcium, iron, and zinc.

The small tip of the Pyramid shows fats, oils, and sweets. These are foods such as salad dressings and oils, cream,

butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, candies, and sweetdesserts. These foods provide calories and little else

nutritionally. Most people should use them sparingly.

The Food Guide Pyramidemphasizes foods from thefive major food groups shownin the three lower sections ofthe Pyramid. Each of thesefood groups provides some,but not all, of the nutrientsyou need. Foods in onegroup can’t replace those in another. No one food groupis more important thananother – for good health,you need them all.

USE SPARINGLY

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2-3 SERVINGS 2-3 SERVINGS

2-4 SERVINGS3-5 SERVINGS

6-11 SERVINGS

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As you can see, fat andadded sugars are concen-trated in foods from thePyramid tip—fats, oils,and sweets. These foodssupply calories, but littleor no vitamins and miner-als. By using these foodssparingly, you can have adiet that supplies neededvitamins and mineralswithout excess calories.

Some fat or sugar sym-bols are shown in the food

groups. That’s to remindyou that some food choic-es in these food groupscan also be high in fat oradded sugars. Whenchoosing foods for ahealthful diet, considerthe fat and added sugarsin your choices from thefood groups, as well as thefats, oils, and sweets fromthe Pyramid tip.

FatIn general, foods that

come from animals (milkand meat groups) are nat-urally higher in fat thanfoods that come fromplants. But there are manylowfat dairy and lean meat choices available,

and these foods can beprepared in ways that lower fat.

Fruits, vegetables, andgrain products are natu-rally low in fat. But manypopular items are pre-pared with fat, like french-fried potatoes or crois-sants, making them higherfat choices.

For example:

Added SugarsThese symbols repre-

sent sugars added to foodsin processing or at thetable, not the sugars foundnaturally in fruits and milk.It’s the added sugars thatprovide calories with fewvitamins and minerals.

Most of the added sug-ars in the typical Ameri-can diet come from foodsin the Pyramid tip—softdrinks, candy, jams, jel-lies, syrups, and tablesugar we add to foodslike coffee or cereal.

Added sugars in the foodgroups come from foodssuch as ice cream, sweet-ened yogurt, chocolate milk,canned or frozen fruit withheavy syrup, and sweet-ened bakery products likecakes and cookies. Thechart on page 16 shows youthe amounts of added sug-ars in some popular foods.You may be surprised!

Fat and Sugar Tips:☛ Choose lower fatfoods from the foodgroups most often.☛ Go easy on fats and sug-ars added to foods in cook-ing or at the table—butter,margarine, gravy, saladdressing, sugar, and jelly.☛ Choose fewer foodsthat are high in sugars—candy, sweet desserts, andsoft drinks.

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A Closer Look at Fat and Added Sugars

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Calories: 120Fat: trace

Or

Calories: 225Fat: 11 grams

ONE BAKED POTATO

14 FRENCH FRIES

MilkGroup

VegetableGroup

MeatGroup

FruitGroup

GrainGroup

K E Y: Fat (naturally occurring and added) Sugars (added)

Fats, Oils, and Sweets

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How many servingsare right for me?

The Pyramid shows arange of servings for eachmajor food group. Thenumber of servings thatare right for you dependson how many calories youneed, which in turndepends on your age, sex,size, and how active youare. Almost everyoneshould have at least thelowest number of servingsin the ranges.

The following calorielevel suggestions are basedon recommendations ofthe National Academy ofSciences and on calorieintakes reported by peoplein national food consump-tion surveys.

For adults and teens calories isabout right for

many sedentary womenand some older adults.

calories isabout right for

most children, teenagegirls, active women, andmany sedentary men.Women who are pregnantor breastfeeding may need somewhat more.

calories isabout right

for teenage boys, manyactive men, and some veryactive women.

For young childrenIt is hard to know how

much food children needto grow normally. Ifyou’re unsure, check withyour doctor. Preschoolchildren need the samevariety of foods as olderfamily members do, butmay need less than 1,600calories. For fewer calo-ries they can eat smallerservings. However, it isimportant that they havethe equivalent of 2 cups ofmilk a day.

For youNow, take a look at the

table below. It tells youhow many servings youneed for your calorie lev-el. For example, if you

are an active woman who needs about 2,200calories a day, 9 servingsof breads, cereals, rice, orpasta would be right foryou.You’d also want toeat about 6 ounces ofmeat or alternates perday. Keep total fat (fat inthe foods you choose aswell as fat used in cookingor added at the table) toabout 73 grams per day.

If you are betweencalorie categories, esti-mate servings. For example, some less activewomen may need only2,000 calories to maintaina healthy weight. At thatcalorie level, 8 servings from the grain group would be about right.

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How To Make the PyramidWork for You

SERVINGS SERVINGS

SERVINGS SERVINGS

SERVINGS

2-32-3 2-32-3

2-42-43-53-5

6-116-11

1,600

2,200

2,800

Lower Moderate Higherabout about about

1,600 2,200 2,800

1Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, teenagers, and young adultsto age 24 need 3 servings.2Meat group amounts are in total ounces. (See pages 22 and 23 fordetails on how to count amounts of meat and other foods in this group.)3See the Pyramid Food Choices Chart for details on how to count total fat(pages 25 to 27).4See chart on page 16 for details on how to count teaspoons ofadded sugars.

Grain Group Servings 6 9 11Vegetable Group Servings 3 4 5

Milk Group Servings 2-31 2-31 2-31

Meat Group2 (ounces) 5 6 7

Total Fat3 (grams) 53 73 93

Total Added Sugars4 (teaspoons) 6 12 18

Fruit Group Servings 2 3 4

SAMPLE DIETS FOR A DAY AT 3 CALORIE LEVELS

MilkGroup

VegetableGroup

MeatGroup

FruitGroup

GrainGroup

Fats, Oils, and SweetsUSE SPARINGLY

What is aServing?

The amount of foodthat counts as a serving islisted on the next page. Ifyou eat a larger portion,count it as more than oneserving. For example, 1/2cup of cooked pastacounts as one serving inthe bread, cereal, rice, andpasta group. If you eat 1cup of pasta, that would betwo servings. If you eat asmaller portion, count it aspart of a serving.

Isn’t 6 to 11 servings of breadsand cereals a lot?

It may sound like a lot,but it’s really not. Forexample, a slice of bread isone serving, so a sandwichfor lunch would equal twoservings. A small bowl ofcereal and one slice oftoast for breakfast are twomore servings. And, if youhave a cup of rice or pastaat dinner, that’s two moreservings. A snack of 3 or 4small plain crackers addsyet another serving. Sonow you’ve had 7 servings.It adds up quicker thanyou think!

Do I need to measure servings?

No. Use servings only asa general guide. For mixedfoods, do the best you canto estimate the food groupservings of the main ingre-dients. For example, a generous serving of pizzawould count in the graingroup (crust), the milkgroup (cheese), and thevegetable group (tomato);a helping of beef stewwould count in the meatgroup and the vegetablegroup. Both have some fat— fat in the cheese on thepizza and in the gravy fromthe stew, if it’s made frommeat drippings.

What if I want to lose or gainweight?

The best and simplestway to lose weight is toincrease your physicalactivity and reduce the fatand sugars in your diet.

But be sure to eat at least the lowest number of serv-

ings from the five majorfood groups in the FoodGuide Pyramid. Youneed them for the vita-mins, minerals, carbohy-drates, and protein theyprovide. Just try to pickthe lowest fat choicesfrom the food groups.

To gain weight, increasethe amounts of foods youeat from all of the foodgroups. If you have lostweight unexpectedly, seeyour doctor.

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WHAT COUNTS AS A SERVING?

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

Vegetable

Fruit

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese

1 slice of bread 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal

1/2 cup of cookedcereal, rice,

or pasta

1 medium apple,banana, orange

1/2 cup ofchopped, cooked,

or canned fruit

3/4 cup offruit juice

1 cup of milk oryogurt

1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese

2 ounces of process cheese

2-3 ounces ofcooked lean meat,

poultry, or fish

1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1 eggcounts as 1 ounce of lean meat.

2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cupof nuts count as 1 ounce of meat.

1 cup of raw leafyvegetables

1/2 cup of othervegetables, cooked

or chopped raw

3/4 cup ofvegetable juice

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts

Food Groups

Milk Group

Vegetable Group

Grain Group

Fats

How much fat can I have?

It depends on your calo-rie needs. The DietaryGuidelines recommendthat Americans limit fat intheir diets to 30 percent ofcalories. This amounts to53 grams of fat in a 1,600-calorie diet, 73 grams offat in a 2,200-calorie diet,and 93 grams of fat in a2,800- calorie diet.

You will get up to halfthis fat even if you pickthe lowest fat choices fromeach food group and addno fat to your foods inpreparation or at the table.

You decide how to usethe additional fat in yourdaily diet. You may wantto have foods from thefive major food groupsthat are higher in

fat—such as whole milkinstead of skim milk. Oryou may want to use it incooking or at the table inthe form of spreads, dress-ings, or toppings.

How to check yourdiet for fat

If you want to be sureyou have a lowfat diet,you can count the gramsof fat in your day’s foodchoices using the PyramidFood Choices Chart onpages 25 to 27, and com-pare them to the numberof grams of fat suggestedfor your calorie level.

You don’t need to countfat grams every day, butdoing a fat checkup oncein awhile will help keepyou on the right track. Ifyou find you are eatingtoo much fat, choose low-er fat foods more often.

Are some types of fatworse than others?

Yes. Eating too muchsaturated fat raises bloodcholesterol levels in manypeople, increasing theirrisk for heart disease. TheDietary Guidelines recom-mend limiting saturatedfat to less than 10 percentof calories, or about one-third of total fat intake.

All fats in foods are mix-

tures of three types of fatty acids— saturated,monounsaturated, andpolyunsaturated.

Saturated fats are foundin largest amounts in fatsfrom meat and dairy prod-ucts and in some vegetablefats such as coconut, palm,and palm kernel oils.

Monounsaturated fatsare found mainly in olive,peanut, and canola oils.

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WHERE’S THE FAT?

You can figure the number of grams of fat that provide 30% of calories in your daily diet as follows:

A. Multiply your total day’s calories by 0.30 to get your calories from fat perday. Example: 2,200 calories x 0.30= 660 calories from fat.B. Divide calories from fat per day by 9 (each gram of fat has 9 calories) to get grams of fat per day. Example: 660 calories from fat ÷ 9 = 73 grams of fat

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The fat in some foods adds up quickly. A bologna-and-cheesesandwich made with 2 slices (2 oz.) of bologna, 2 slices (1-1/2 oz.)of cheese, and 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise counts up to about 36grams of fat, about 9 teaspoons. However, a similar sandwichmade with lean beef, lettuce, tomato, and lowfat mayonnaise, andserved with a cup of nonfat milk instead of the cheese, has onlyabout 6 grams of fat. Note: 4 grams of fat = 1 teaspoon

= 16 grams

= 12 grams

= 8 grams

36 grams or 9 teaspoons of fat

bologna

cheese

mayonnaise

Here are some selection tips:☛ Use lean meats andskim or lowfat dairyproducts.

☛ Use unsaturated veg-etable oils and margarinesthat list a liquid vegetableoil as first ingredient on

the label.

☛ Read nutrition andingredient labels on foodpackages to check thekinds and amounts of fatthey contain.

☛Limit use of prod-ucts that contain alarge amount of satu-rated fats. Examples arenondairy creamers andrich baked products suchas pie crusts and other pas-tries, cakes, and cookies.

Cholesterol

What aboutcholesterol?

Cholesterol and fat arenot the same thing.Cholesterol is a fat-likesubstance present in allanimal foods—meat,poultry, fish, milk andmilk products, and eggyolks. Both the lean andfat of meat and the meatand skin of poultry con-tain cholesterol. In milkproducts, cholesterol ismostly in the fat, so lowerfat products contain lesscholesterol. Egg yolks andorgan meats, like liver, arehigh in cholesterol. Plantfoods do not containcholesterol.

Dietary cholesterol, aswell as saturated fat, raises

blood cholesterol levels inmany people, increasing their risk for heart disease.Some health authoritiesrecommend that dietarycholesterol be limited toan average of 300 mg orless per day. To keepdietary cholesterol to thislevel, follow the FoodGuide Pyramid, keepingyour total fat to theamount that’s right foryou. (See table on page9.) It’s not necessary toeliminate all foods that are high in cholesterol. You can have three tofour egg yolks a week,counting those used asingredients in custards andbaked products. Use lowerfat dairy products oftenand occasionally includedry beans and peas inplace of meat.

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cholesterolBeef Liver 331mg3 ounces, cooked

Egg 213mg1 yolk

Beef or Chicken 76mg3 ounces, cooked

Whole Milk 33mg1 cup

Skim Milk 4mg1 cup

WHERE’S THE CHOLESTEROL?

OIL

MARGARINE

Polyunsaturated fats arefound mainly in safflower,sunflower, corn, soybean,and cottonseed oils andsome fish.

How do I avoid too much saturated fat?

Follow the FoodGuide Pyramid, keeping

your total fat within rec-ommended levels. (Seethe table on page 9 forthe number of grams sug-gested at various calorielevels.) Choose fat from avariety of food sources,but mostly from thosefoods that are higher inpolyunsaturated ormonounsaturated fat.

FAT...4 grams

SKIMMILK

Food Groups Added Sugars (teaspoons)

Bread, 1 slice 0Muffin, 1 medium 1Cookies, 2 medium 1Danish pastry, 1 medium 1Doughnut, 1 medium 2Ready-to-eat cereal, sweetened, 1 oz. *Pound cake, no-fat, 1 oz. 2Angelfood cake, 1/12 tube cake 5Cake, frosted, 1/16 average 6Pie, fruit, 2 crust, 1/6 8” pie 6

Fruit, canned in juice, 1/2 cup 0Fruit, canned in light syrup, 1/2 cup 2Fruit, canned in heavy syrup, 1/2 cup 4

Milk, plain, 1 cup 0Chocolate milk, 2 percent, 1 cup 3Lowfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz. 0Lowfat yogurt, flavored, 8 oz. 5Lowfat yogurt, fruit, 8 oz. 7Ice cream, ice milk, or frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup 3Chocolate shake, 10 fl. oz. 9

Sugar, jam, or jelly, 1 tsp. 1Syrup or honey, 1 tbsp. 3Chocolate bar, 1 oz. 3Fruit sorbet, 1/2 cup 3Gelatin dessert, 1/2 cup 4Sherbet, 1/2 cup 5Cola, 12 fl.oz. 9Fruit drink, ade, 12 fl.oz. ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶ ✶

✶

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶ ✶

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

✶ ✶ ✶

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶✶ ✶

✶ ✶✶

✶

✶✶

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*Check product label. ✶ = 1 teaspoon sugarNote: 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon

Sugars

What about sugars?Choosing a diet low in

fat is a concern for every-one; choosing one low insugars is also importantfor people who have lowcalorie needs. Sugarsinclude white sugar,brown sugar, raw sugar,corn syrup, honey, andmolasses; these supplycalories and little elsenutritionally.

To avoid getting toomany calories from sug-ars, try to limit your addedsugars to 6 teaspoons aday if you eat about 1,600calories, 12 teaspoons at2,200 calories, or 18 tea-spoons at 2,800 calories.These amounts areintended to be averagesover time. The patternsare illustrations of health-ful proportions in thediet, not rigid prescrip-tions.

Added sugars are infoods like candy and softdrinks, as well as jams,jellies, and sugars youadd at the table. Someadded sugars are also infoods from the foodgroups, such as fruitcanned in heavy syrupand chocolate milk. Thechart on page 16 showsthe approximate amountof sugars in some popularfoods.

Salt andSodium

Do I have to give up salt?

No. But most peopleeat more than they need.Some health authoritiessay that sodium intakeshould not be more than2,400 mg. Nutrition labelsalso list a Daily Value(upper limit) of 2,400 mgper day for sodium. Muchof the sodium in people’sdiets comes from salt theyadd while cooking and atthe table. (One teaspoonof salt provides about2,000 mg of sodium.)

Go easy on salt andfoods that are high in sodi-um, including cured meats,luncheon meats, and manycheeses, most cannedsoups and vegetables, andsoy sauce. Look for lowersalt and no-salt-added ver-sions of these products atyour supermarket.

The table on page 18will give you an idea of theamount of sodium in dif-ferent types of foods.Information on food labelscan also help you makefood choices to keep sodi-um moderate.

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WHERE ARE THE ADDED SUGARS?

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

Other


Fruit

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts

Other

Fruit

Vegetable


Why are breads, cereals, rice, andpasta important?

These foods providecomplex carbohydrates(starches), which are animportant source of energy,especially in lowfat diets.They also provide vitamins,minerals, and fiber. TheFood Guide Pyramid sug-gests 6 to 11 servings ofthese foods a day.

What counts as a serving?

● 1 slice of bread

● 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal

● 1/2 cup of cooked cereal,rice, or pasta

Aren’t starchyfoods fattening?

No. It’s what you add tothese foods or cook withthem that adds most of thecalories. For example:margarine or butter onbread, cream or cheesesauces on pasta, and thesugar and fat used with theflour in making cookies.

Here are someselection tips:☛ To get the fiber youneed, choose several serv-ings a day of foods madefrom whole grains, such aswhole-wheat bread andwhole-grain cereals.☛ Choose most oftenfoods that are made withlittle fat or sugars. Theseinclude bread, englishmuffins, rice, and pasta.(See the Pyramid FoodChoices Chart on page 25for others.)☛ Baked goods madefrom flour, such as cakes,cookies, croissants, andpastries, count as part ofthis food group, but theyare high in fat and sugars.☛ Go easy on the fat andsugars you add as spreads,seasonings, or toppings.☛ When preparing pasta,stuffing, and sauce frompackaged mixes, use onlyhalf the butter or mar-garine suggested; if milkor cream is called for, uselowfat milk.

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T H E F O O D G R O U P S

WHERE’S THE SALT? Breads, Cereals,Rice, and PastaBread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

Food Groups Sodium, mg

Cooked cereal, rice, pasta, unsalted, 1/2cup TraceReady-to-eat cereal, 1 oz. 100-360Bread, 1 slice 110-175Popcorn, salted, 1 oz. 100-420Pretzels, salted, 1 oz. 130-880

Vegetables, fresh or frozen, cooked without salt, 1/2 cup Less than 70

Vegetables, canned or frozen with sauce, 1/2 cup 140-460Tomato juice, canned, 3/4 cup 660Vegetable soup, canned, 1 cup 820

Fruit, fresh, frozen, canned, 1/2 cup Trace

Milk, 1 cup 120Yogurt, 8 oz. 160Natural cheeses, 1-1/2 oz. 110-450Process cheeses, 2 oz. 800

Fresh meat, poultry, fish, 3 oz. Less than 90Tuna, canned, water pack, 3 oz. 300Bologna, 2 oz. 580Ham, lean, roasted, 3 oz. 1,020Peanuts, roasted in oil, salted, 1 oz. 120

Salad dressing, 1 tbsp. 75-220Ketchup, mustard, steak sauce, 1 tbsp. 130-230Soy sauce, 1 tbsp. 1,030Salt, 1 tsp. 2,325Dill pickle, 1 medium 930


Why are vegetablesimportant?

Vegetables provide vita-mins, such as vitamins Aand C, and folate, andminerals, such as iron andmagnesium. They are nat-urally low in fat and alsoprovide fiber. The FoodGuide Pyramid suggests 3 to 5 servings of thesefoods a day.


● 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables

● 1/2 cup of other vegetables,cooked or chopped raw

● 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Here are some selection tips:☛ Different types of veg-etables provide differentnutrients. For variety eat:❥ dark-green leafy veg-etables (spinach, romainelettuce, broccoli);❥ deep-yellow vegetables(carrots, sweet potatoes);

❥ starchy vegetables(potatoes, corn, peas);❥ legumes (navy, pinto,and kidney beans, chickpeas);❥ other vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, onions,green beans).☛ Include dark-greenleafy vegetables andlegumes several times aweek—they are especiallygood sources of vitaminsand minerals. Legumesalso provide protein andcan be used in place ofmeat. (See the PyramidFood Choices Chart onpage 27.)☛ Go easy on the fat youadd to vegetables at thetable or during cooking.Added spreads or toppings,such as butter, mayonnaise,and salad dressing, count asfat. (See the Pyramid FoodChoices Chart on pages 25to 28 for more informationon how to count fat.)☛ Use lowfat salad dressing.

Why are fruits important?

Fruits and fruit juicesprovide importantamounts of vitamins A andC and potassium. They are low in fat and sodium.The Food Guide Pyramidsuggests 2 to 4 servings offruits a day.


● a medium apple, banana,or orange

● 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit

● 3/4 cup of fruit juice

Here are some selection tips:☛ Choose fresh fruits,fruit juices, and frozen,canned, or dried fruit.Pass up fruit canned orfrozen in heavy syrupsand sweetened fruit juicesunless you have calories to spare.☛ Eat whole fruitsoften—they are higher infiber than fruit juices.☛ Have citrus fruits, melons, and berries regularly. They are rich in vitamin C.☛ Count only 100 per-cent fruit juice as fruit.Punches, ades, and mostfruit “drinks” contain onlya little juice and lots ofadded sugars. Grape andorange sodas don’t countas fruit juice. (See thePyramid Food ChoicesChart on page 26.)

2120

Vegetables


Fruits


Why are meat, poul-try, fish, and otherfoods in this groupimportant?

Meat, poultry, and fishsupply protein, B vitamins,iron, and zinc. The otherfoods in this group — drybeans, eggs, and nuts —are similar to meats in pro-viding protein and mostvitamins and minerals.The Food Guide Pyramidsuggests 2 to 3 servingseach day of foods fromthis group. The totalamount of these servingsshould be the equivalentof 5 to 7 ounces of cookedlean meat, poultry, or fishper day.

What counts as aserving?

● Count 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry,or fish as a serving. A 3-ounce piece of meat is about the size of an average hamburger, or the amount of meat ona medium chicken breast half.

● For other foods in this group, count 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1 egg as 1 ounce of lean meat. 2 tablespoons of peanutbutter or 1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat (about 1/3 serving).

Counting to see if youhave an equivalent of 5-7ounces of cooked leanmeat a day is tricky. Por-tion sizes vary with thetype of food and meal.For example, 6 ouncesmight come from:—1 egg (count as 1 oz. oflean meat) for breakfast;—2 oz. of sliced turkey ina sandwich at lunch; and —a 3 oz. cooked leanhamburger for dinner.

Here are someselection tips:☛ Choose lean meat,poultry without skin, fish,and dry beans and peasoften. They are the choic-es lowest in fat.☛ Prepare meats in lowfat ways:—Trim away all the fatyou can see.—Broil, roast, or boil these foods, instead of frying them.☛ Go easy on egg yolks;they are high in choles-terol. Use only one yolkper person in egg dishes.Make larger portions byadding extra egg whites.☛ Nuts and seeds arehigh in fat, so eat them inmoderation. (See thePyramid Food ChoicesChart on page 27.)

2322

LeanChoices

B E E FRoasts/Steaks:

RoundLoin

SirloinChuck Arm

P O R KRoasts/Chops:

TenderloinCenter Loin

Ham

V E A LAll cuts

except ground

L A M BRoasts/Chops:

LegLoin

Fore Shanks

C H I C K E N& T U R K E YLight & dark meat,

without the skin

F ISH &SHELLF ISH

Most are low in fat;those marinated or canned in oil

are higher

Meat,Poultry, Fish, DryBeans, Eggs, and Nuts

The following chart listscommonly used foods ineach food group and theamount of fat in each.Only a few of the thou-sands of foods we eat arelisted. However, they willgive you an idea of foodsfrom each food group thatare higher and lower in fat.

The Food Guide Pyra-mid symbol (▲) next to thefood item means that foodis one of the lowest fatchoices you can make in

that food group. You can use the food

label to count fat in specif-ic foods. Many labels onfoods list the grams of fatin a serving.

How much is agram of fat?

To help you visualizehow much fat is in thesefoods, keep in mind that 1teaspoon (1 pat) of but-ter or margarine has 4grams of fat.

For this amount of food... count this many...

Eat 6 to 11 servings daily Servings Grams of FatBread, 1 slice 1 1Hamburger roll, bagel, english muffin, 1 2 2Tortilla, 1 1 3Rice, pasta, cooked, 1/2 cup 1 TracePlain crackers, small, 3-4 1 3Breakfast cereal, 1 oz. 1 *Pancakes, 4” diameter, 2 2 3Croissant, 1 large (2 oz.) 2 12Doughnut, 1 medium (2 oz.) 2 11Danish, 1 medium (2 oz.) 2 13Cake, frosted, 1/16 average 1 13Cookies, 2 medium 1 4Pie, fruit, 2-crust, 1/6 8" pie 2 19

*Check product label(continued...)

Why are milk products important?

Milk products provideprotein, vitamins, and min-erals. Milk, yogurt, andcheese are the best sourceof calcium. The FoodGuide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings of milk,yogurt, and cheese aday—2 for most people,and 3 for women who arepregnant or breastfeeding,teenagers, and youngadults to age 24.


● 1 cup of milk or yogurt

● 1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese

● 2 ounces of process cheese

Here are some selection tips:☛ Choose skim milk andnonfat yogurt often. Theyare lowest in fat.☛ 1-1/2 to 2 ounces ofcheese and 8 ounces ofyogurt count as a servingfrom this group becausethey supply the sameamount of calcium as 1cup of milk.☛ Cottage cheese is low-er in calcium than mostcheeses. One cup of cot-tage cheese counts as only1/2 serving of milk.☛ Go easy on high fatcheese and ice cream.They can add a lot of fat(especially saturated fat)to your diet.☛ Choose “part skim” or lowfat cheeses whenavailable and lower fatmilk desserts, like ice milkor frozen yogurt.

2524



The Pyramid Food Choices Chart

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group

▲

▲

▲

2726

▲

▲

▲

▲

▲

▲

▲

▲

▲

▲


Eat 5 to 7 oz. daily Servings Grams of FatLean meat, poultry, fish, cooked 3 oz* 6Ground beef, lean, cooked 3 oz* 16Chicken, with skin, fried 3 oz* 13Bologna, 2 slices 1 oz* 16Egg, 1 1 oz* 5Dry beans and peas,cooked, 1/2 cup 1 oz* TracePeanut butter, 2 tbsp. 1 oz* 16Nuts, 1/3 cup 1 oz* 22* Ounces of meat these items count as See page 22 for how to count servings.

Use sparinglyButter, margarine, 1 tsp. - 4Mayonnaise, 1 tbsp. - 11Salad dressing, 1 tbsp. - 7Reduced calorie salad dressing, 1 tbsp. - *Sour cream, 2 tbsp. - 6Cream cheese, 1 oz. - 10Sugar, jam, jelly, 1 tsp. - 0Cola, 12 fl. oz. - 0Fruit drink, ade, 12 fl. oz. - 0Chocolate bar, 1 oz. - 9Sherbet, 1/2 cup - 2Fruit sorbet, 1/2 cup - 0Gelatin dessert, 1/2 cup - 0* Check product label

What about alcoholic beverages?If adults choose to drink, they should have no more

than 1 to 2 drinks a day. Alcoholic beverages providecalories, but little or no nutrients. These standard-sizedrinks each provide about the same amount of alcohol.

CaloriesBeer, 12 fl. oz. (1 regular can) 150Wine, dry, 5 fl. oz. 100Liquor, 1-1/2 oz.* 100*A mixer such as a soft drink will add more calories.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group

Fats, Oils, and Sweets

Alcoholic Beverages


Eat 3 to 5 servings daily Servings Grams of FatVegetables, cooked, 1/2 cup 1 TraceVegetables, leafy, raw, 1 cup 1 TraceVegetables, nonleafy, raw, chopped, 1/2 cup 1 TracePotatoes, scalloped, 1/2 cup 1 4Potato salad, 1/2 cup 1 8French fries, 10 1 8

Eat 2 to 4 servings dailyWhole fruit: medium apple, orange, banana 1 TraceFruit, raw or canned, 1/2 cup 1 TraceFruit juice, unsweetened, 3/4 cup 1 TraceAvocado, 1/4 whole 1 9

Eat 2 to 3 servings dailySkim milk, 1 cup 1 TraceNonfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz. 1 TraceLowfat milk, 2 percent, 1 cup 1 5Whole milk, 1 cup 1 8Chocolate milk, 2 percent,1 cup 1 5Lowfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz. 1 4Lowfat yogurt, fruit, 8 oz. 1 3Natural cheddar cheese, 1-1/2 oz. 1 14Process cheese, 2 oz. 1 18Mozzarella, part skim, 1-1/2 oz. 1 7Ricotta, part skim, 1/2 cup 1 10Cottage cheese, 4 percent fat, 1/2 cup 1/4 5Ice cream, 1/2 cup 1/3 7Ice milk, 1/2 cup 1/3 3Frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup 1/2 2

Vegetable Group

Fruit Group

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group

2928

How To Rate Your DietYou may want to rate your diet for a few days. Follow these four steps.

Step1.Jot down everything you ate yesterday for meals and snacks. Grams of Fat______________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ______

Total

Step2.Write down the number of grams of fat in each foodyou list. ☛ Use the Pyramid Food Choices Chart to get an idea ofthe number of grams of fat to count for the foods you ate.☛ Use nutrition labels on packaged foods you ate tofind out the grams of fat they contained.

Step3.Answer these questions:☛ Did you have the number of servings from the fivemajor food groups that are right for you? (See page 9 todetermine the number of servings that are right for you.)

Circle the ServingsServings You

Right for You Had

Grain Group Servings 6 7 8 9 10 11Vegetable Group Servings 3 4 5 Fruit Group Servings 2 3 4Milk Group Servings 2 3Meat Group (ounces) 5 6 7

How did you do? Not enough? About right?

☛ Add up your grams of fat listed in Step 2. Did youhave more fat than the amount right for you? (See table on page 9.)

Grams GramsRight for You You Had

Fat 53 73 93

How did you do? Too much? About right?

☛ Do you need to watch the amount of added sugarsyou eat? See the chart on page 16 to estimate the num-ber of teaspoons of added sugars in your food choices.

Teaspoons TeaspoonsRight for You You Had

Sugars 6 12 18

How did you do? Too much? About right?

Step4.Decide what changes you can make for a healthier diet.Start by making small changes, like switching to lowfatsalad dressings or adding an extra serving of vegetables.Make additional changes gradually until healthy eatingbecomes a habit.

The United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on thebasis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, dis-ability, political beliefs, and marital and family status.(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Personswith disabilities who require alternative means for com-munication of program information (Braille, large print,audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office ofCommunications at 202 720 2791.

To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agricul-ture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC20250, or call 202 720 7327 (voice) or 202 720 1127(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity employer.

Supersedes HG-249August 1992Slightly RevisedOctober 1996

For More Information

Contact USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The

address is:

U.S. Department of AgricultureCenter for Nutrition Policy and Promotion1120 20th St., NWSuite 200, North LobbyWashington, DC 20036-3475

For additional advice on maintaining a healthy diet, you may con-tact your county extension home economist (Cooperative ExtensionSystem); or a nutrition professional in your local public health depart-ment, hospital, American Red Cross, dietetic association, or privatepractice.

Availability of Nutrition Information – Many USDA nutritionpublications may be purchased in single copies and bulk quantitiesfrom the Consumer Information Center and the Government PrintingOffice. For a list of available publications and ordering instructions,contact the address above.

Some nutrition materials, including this publication, the FoodGuide Pyramid graphic, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans(HG-232), may be accessed through the CNPP Home Page (WorldWide Web) at: http://www.usda.gov/fcs/cnpp.htm

Documents

The Food Guide Pyramid · The Food Guide Pyramid A Guide to Daily Food Choices These symbols show fat and added sugars in foods. K E Y Fat (naturally occurring and added) Sugars (added)