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Food and Nutrition
What is a Food Guide Serving?
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A Food Guide Serving is simply a reference amount. It helps you understand how much food is recommended every day from each of the four food groups. In some cases, a Food Guide Serving may be close to what you eat, such as an apple. In other cases, such as rice or pasta, you may serve yourself more than one Food Guide Serving.
Look at the examples below to find out how much food is equal to one Food Guide Serving.
Examples of one Food Guide Serving are:
Vegetables and Fruit
- 125 mL (½ cup) fresh, frozen or canned
vegetable or fruit or 100% juice - 250 mL (1 cup) leafy raw vegetables or
salad - 1 piece of fruit
Grain Products
- 1 slice (35 g) bread or ½ bagel (45 g)
- ½ pita (35 g) or ½ tortilla (35 g)
- 125 mL (½ cup) cooked rice, pasta, or couscous
- 30 g cold cereal or 175 mL (¾ cup) hot cereal
Milk and Alternatives
- 250 mL (1 cup) milk or fortified soy beverage
- 175 g (¾ cup) yogurt
- 50 g (1 ½ oz.) cheese
Meat and Alternatives
- 75 g (2 ½ oz.)/125 mL (½ cup) cooked fish, shellfish, poultry or lean meat
- 175 mL (¾ cup) cooked beans
- 2 eggs
- 30 mL (2 Tbsp) peanut butter
View more examples of Food Guide Servings in each of the four food groups:
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