The meal plan you received in my office indicates how many servings from each food group you should be eating each day - and how you should combine them at meals to maximize your feeling of energy during the day.
What is one serving? The portion size for 1 serving is listed beside each food in the food groups below. Serving sizes are measured after cooking, not before.
Protein Foods
1 Serving =
Meat, Poultry, Fish & Seafood
Lean beef 1 ounce (30 g)
Lean pork 1 ounce (30 g)
Veal 1 ounce (30 g)
Chicken 1 ounce (30 g)
Turkey 1 ounce (30 g)
Fish, all types 1 ounce (30 g)
Mussels 3 medium
Sardines, Atlantic, canned, 7.5 cm long 2 pieces
Scallops, sea or bay 7 small or 3 large
Shrimp, large 5 pieces (30 g)
Oysters, raw or broiled 7 medium
Eggs & Cheese
Egg, large, whole 1
Egg whites 2
Egg whites, liquid ¼ cup (50 ml)
Cheese, hard, lower fat (less than 20% milkfat) 1 ounce (30 g)
Cheese string, part skim 1
Cottage cheese, 1% or fat free ¼ cup (50 ml)
Vegetarian Protein Choices
Beans, cooked 1/3 cup (75 ml)
e.g. Black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, navy beans, soy beans
Lentils, cooked 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Soy burger, 75 g ½
Soy ground round ¼ cup (50 ml)
Soy hot dog, 52 g 1/2
Soy nuts, roasted 2 tablespoons (25 ml)
Tempeh, cooked 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Tofu, extra firm, chopped ¼ cup (50 ml)
Textured Soy Protein (e.g. TVP), dry 3 tablespoons (45 ml)
Milk & Milk Alternatives
1 Serving =
Dairy
Milk, 1% or skim 1 cup (250 ml)
Milk, powdered, skim 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Milk, evaporated, skim ½ cup (125 ml)
Yogurt, plain, 1% or skim 1 cup (250 ml)
Yogurt, flavoured or fruit bottom, 1% or skim ¾ cup (175 ml or 175 g)
Non-dairy
Fortified plant-based beverage, plain, unsweetened 1 cup (250 ml)
(e.g. soy, almond, cashew, coconut, rice beverages)
Starchy Foods
1 Serving =
Breads (choose whole grain more often)
Bread 1 slice (30 grams)
Bagel, small ½ (30 grams)
Bagel, regular size ¼ (30 grams)
Bun (e.g. Kaiser roll, hamburger roll) ½
English Muffin ½
Pita pocket, 6 inch ½ (30 grams)
Tortilla, soft, 6 inch 1
Tortilla, soft, 10 inch ½
Cereals (choose whole grain more often)
Cold cereal, dry flake ¾ cup (175 ml)
e.g. Bran Flakes, Cheerios, Shreddies, Spoon Size Shredded Wheat
Cold cereal, denser flake ½ cup (125 ml)
e.g. Kashi Go Lean, Nature's Path Flax Plus, Nature's Path Optimum
Cold cereal, 100% bran ½ cup (125 ml)
Cold cereal, Kellogg's All Bran Buds 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Cold cereal, granola ¼ cup (50 ml)
Cold cereal, shredded wheat 1 biscuit
Oats, dry ¼ cup (50 ml)
Oatmeal, cooked ½ cup (125 ml)
Oatmeal, instant, unflavoured 1 pouch
Crackers
Soda crackers, whole wheat 7
Finncrisp crackers 3 slices
Rice cakes, brown 2
Rice crackers, small 10
Ryvita crispbread 3 slices
Wasa crackers 1.5 slices
Grains & Potatoes
Barley, bulgur, cooked 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Couscous, cooked 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Corn ½ cup or ½ cob
Pasta, whole-wheat, cooked ½ cup (125 ml)
Rice, brown or wild, cooked 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Potato, new or yellow flesh ½ medium or ½ cup (125 ml)
Potato, sweet ½ medium or ½ cup (125 ml)
Quinoa, cooked 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Other Starchy Foods
Granola bar, low sugar, small (~ 90 calories) 1
Muffins, very small, low fat, whole grain ½
Popcorn, air popped or low fat microwave 3 cups (375 ml)
Soup, broth based with potato, rice or pasta 1 cup (250 ml)
Fruits
1 Serving =
Fresh & Dried Fruit
Berries, fresh (Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) 1 cup (250 ml)
Berries, fresh (Cranberries, strawberries) 1.5 cups (375 ml)
Grapes 1 cup (250 ml) or 40 grapes
Fruit, fresh (Apple, pear, kiwifruit, orange, peach, nectarine) 1 medium sized
Fruit, fresh (Banana, grapefruit) 1 small
Fruit, fresh (Mango, papaya) ½ medium sized
Fruit, fresh, small (Apricots, plums, prunes) 4
Fruit, fresh, small, (Figs) 2 small
Fruit, canned, packed in water or juice 1 cup (250 ml)
Fruit, dried (Apricots) 7 halves
Fruit, dried (Dates, figs) 3
Fruit, dried (Raisins, cranberries) 2 tablespoons (25 ml)
Melon (Cantaloupe, honeydew) ½ small or 1 cup cubes
Melon (Watermelon, diced) 1.5 cups (375 ml)
Pineapple, fresh or canned in water or juice ¾ cup (175 ml)
Unsweetened, 100% Fruit Juices
Apple, grapefruit, orange, pineapple ½ cup (125 ml)
Grape, prune, cranberry 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Vegetables
1 Serving =
½ cup (125 ml) cooked or raw vegetables or 1 cup salad greens or ½ cup of vegetable juice
Your goal: Choose at least 3 different coloured vegetables each day.
Green Yellow/Orange Red
Artichokes Butternut squash Beets
Arugula Carrots Red peppers
Asparagus Yellow peppers Radishes
Beet greens Pumpkin Radicchio
Broccoli Rutabagas Red onions
Broccoflower Yellow summer squash Tomatoes
Brussels sprouts Yellow tomatoes Tomato juice
Chinese cabbage Winter squash
Collard greens
Green beans
Green cabbage
Green leaf lettuce White Blue/Purple
Celery Cauliflower Purple cabbage
Cucumbers Jicama Purple carrots
Endive Kohlrabi Eggplant
Green Pepper Mushrooms Purple endive
Kale Onions Purple peppers
Okra Parsnips
Peas Turnips
Rapini
Romaine lettuce
Snow peas
Spinach
Swiss chard
Watercress
Zucchini
Fats & Oils
1 Serving =
Spreads
Butter, margarine (non-hydrogenated) 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
Margarine, light 2 teaspoons (10 ml)
Cream cheese, fat reduced 2 tablespoons (25 ml)
Goat's cheese, soft, 20% MF or less 1 tablespoon (15 ml)
Dressings & Oils
Mayonnaise 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
Mayonnaise, fat reduced 2 teaspoons (10 ml)
Peanut sauce, calorie reduced 2 tablespoons (25 ml)
Salad dressing, vinaigrette 2 teaspoons (10 ml)
Salad dressing, fat reduced 4 teaspoons (20 ml)
Vegetable oil (olive, canola, flaxseed, walnut) 1 teaspoons (5 ml)
Other Fats
Avocado 1/8 of one whole
Dips (hummus, tzatziki) 2 tablespoons (25 ml)
Nuts (almonds, dry roasted) 6 whole
Nuts (walnuts) 4 halves
Nuts (peanuts, dry roasted) 1 tablespoon (15 ml)
Nuts (pecans, dry roasted) 5 halves
Nut butter 1.5 teaspoons (7 ml)
Olives, medium 6
Parmesan cheese, grated 2 tablespoons (25 ml)
Pesto sauce, bottled 1.5 teaspoons (7 ml)
Seeds 1 tablespoon (15 ml)
Sour cream, fat reduced, 7% 2 tablespoons (25 ml)