What we eat has a direct impact on our mind, body, and soul. Each food group has a role to play in helping our body function efficiently. Each food group has nutrition properties that are essential to maintaining a healthy balanced diet. There are five food groups that contain a variety of foods. Unless you don’t want to create healthy eating habits, you must know about the different food groups. Each food group will provide you with a range of nutrients and minerals that the human body needs.
But do you know how many servings of each food group per day you need to have to meet your nutritional needs? If not, we will enlighten you with this important knowledge.
What’s a Serving?
Serving size refers to the amount of food you need to eat in order to meet the nutritional need of different food groups. Serving size is measured in 1 cup, an ounce, and 1 teaspoon. For example, the serving size on the food label for your favorite pulse maybe 1 cup.
Here Are The Serving Sizes Of Each Food Group Per Day:
Fruits and Vegetables
As per dietary guidelines, it is recommended that you should eat 5 -13 servings (2 and a half cups) of fruits. These fruits classify into canned, frozen, and dried fruits. For adults, 1 and a half to 2 and a half cups of fruit per day are required. This one or 2 cups may or may not include a variety of fruits.
Dairy
The dairy group consists of foods that are substituted from milk. These are yogurt, cheese, butter, clarified butter, and cream. However, this food group doesn’t contain foods items that are not able to retain calcium. So, butter, cream, and cream cheese are out of this list. The recommended size for dairy is 3 cups ( 3 servings) for individuals over the age of 9.
Protein
According to dietary guidelines, a sedentary person needs to have 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight. An average sedentary man should consume 56 grams of protein per day, and the average woman should have 46 grams of protein. For healthy older adults( over the age of 50), 1 or 1.5 g of protein per kilogram of their body is recommended.
Vegetable Fats and Oils
When it comes to fats and oils, a person should consume a small amount of fat in a diet in order to let their body function healthily. With fats and oils, our body receives essential fats and calories. Overall, our body should consume 5 to 6 teaspoons of fats and oils.
Vegetable Oils
Canola, soybean, olive, corn, safflower)- 1 tablespoon
Soft margarine
Fats
5 grams of fats
Low-fat mayonnaise( 1 tablespoon)
Light salad dressing (1 tablespoon)
Grains
As per USDA recommendations, 6 to 11 servings of grains should consume when it comes to grains. Out of which, whole grains’ serving size should be at least 3 servings. Adults should eat 3 to 4 ounces of grains per day
