Friday, November 06, 2009

What’s in a serving?


I keep hearing how we should be eating four to five servings of fruit & vegetables daily BUT I honestly haven’t known exactly what constitutes a “serving.” Do you know what I mean?

A new friend who is a RD (Registered Dietician) helped clear this up and I’d like to pass it on to you!

One serving = 1 cup and, generally speaking 1 piece of fruit = one serving i.e. 1 apple * 1 pear * 1 banana

When it comes to veggies and smaller fruit …

½ cup grapes = about 16 grapes
1 cup strawberries = about 12 berries
1 cup of salad greens = a baseball size portion
1 cup of carrots = about 12 baby carrots
1 cup cooked veggies = a baseball size portion
Glass of natural juice = 1 serving


For more information about servings and portion size recommendations, click here: http://www.webmd.com/diet/printable/wallet-portion-control-size-guide and here for a version you can stick on your fridge: http://www.webmd.com/diet/printable/portion-control-size-guide