A healthy eating plan contains a wide variety of foods from the five basic food groups.
*Every day, you should try to eat:

1. 6 or more servings of bread, cereal, rice, or pasta:
> One serving equals one slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal (about 1 cup of most cereals), or 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta.
> If you are physically active, you can eat more servings (up to 11 servings if you are very active).

2. 3 to 5 servings of vegetables:
> One serving equals 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables such as spinach or lettuce, or 1/2 cup of chopped vegetables, cooked or raw.

3. 2 to 4 servings of fruit:
> One serving equals one medium piece of fruit like an apple, banana, or orange; 1/2 cup of chopped fresh, cooked, or canned fruit; 1/4 cup dried fruit; or 3/4 cup of 100-percent fruit juice.

4. 2 servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese:
> One serving equals 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese like cheddar or mozzarella, or 2 ounces of processed cheese like American.
> If you are 18 years or younger and pregnant, you need at least 3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese.
> Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products most often.

5. 2 to 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, or nuts:
> One serving equals 2 to 3 ounces of cooked meat, poultry, or fish-about the size of a deck of cards. Choose lean cuts and eat no more than 5 to 7 ounces of meat, poultry, or fish a day. One cup of cooked beans such as kidney beans or 2 eggs count as a serving.
> Four tablespoons of peanut butter or 2/3 cup of nuts also equals a serving.

6. At least 8 glasses of water:
> Drinking milk, 100-percent juice, seltzer or other non-alcoholic beverages counts toward your amount of daily water.

* Adapted from the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Department of Health and Human Services Food Guide Pyramid.