Daily dietary guide*

				Major 	Foods and
	Food group	Serving		contributions	serving sites*

Milk, yogurt, and cheese	2 (adult)	Calcium	    1 cup milk
	3 (children, teens,	Riboflavin	    1½ oz cheese
	    young adults, and	Protein	    2 oz processed cheese
	    pregnant or lactating	Potassium	    1 cup yogurt
	    women)	Zinc	    2 cups cottage cheese
			    1 cup custard/pudding
			    1½ cups ice cream
Meat, poultry, fish, dry	2-3	Protein	    2-3 oz cooked meat, poultry,
  beans, eggs, and nuts			       fish
		Niacin	    1½ cups cooked dry beans
		Iron	    4 Tbsp peanut butter
		Vitamin B-6	    2 eggs
		Zinc	    ½-1 cup nuts
		Thiamin
		Vitamin B-12†
Fruits	2-4	Vitamin C	    ¼ cup dried fruit
		Fiber	    ½ cup cooked fruit
			    ¾ cup juice
			    1 whole piece of fruit
			    1 melon wedge
Vegetables	3-5	Vitamin A	    ½ cup raw or cooked
			       vegetables
		Vitamin C	    1 cup raw leafy vegetables
		Folate
		Magnesium
		Fiber
Bread, cereals, rice,	6-11	Starch	    1 slice of bread
  and pasta 		Thiamin	    1 oz ready-to-eat cereal
		Riboflavin§	    ½-¾ cup cooked cereal, rice, 
			       or pasta
		Iron
		Niacin
		Folate
		Magnesium‡
		Fiber‡
		Zinc‡
Fats, oils, and sweets		Foods from this group should not replace any
		 from the other groups. Amounts consumed
		 should be determined by individual energy
		 needs.

This is a practical way to turn the RDA into food choices. You can get all essential nutrients by eating a balanced variety of foods each day from the food groups listed here. Eat a variety of foods in each food group and adjust serving sizes appropriately to reach and maintain desirable weight.

*May be reduced for child servings.
†Only in animal food choices.
‡Whole grains especially.
§If enriched.
>25 years of age.
From Wardlaw GM, Insel PM: Perspectives in nutrition, ed 2, St Louis, 1993, Mosby, p 46.