The five food groups are grains, fruits, veggies, dairy and protein. Each food group has a different recommendation based on age and gender. Follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommendations for serving sizes of the food groups to ensure a nutritional diet.
Grains
Grains are split into two subcategories: whole and refined. Eat half of your grains as whole sources. Recommendations for grains are given in ounces, where an ounce is one slice of bread or a 1/2 cup of cooked carbs. Children ages 2 to 3 need 3 oz. of grains each day. Kids ages 4 to 8 need 4 to 5 oz. per day. Girls 9 to 13 need 5 oz. and boys of the same age need 6 oz. Girls 14 to 18 should eat 6 oz. and boys 14 to 18 need 7 oz each day. Adult women 19 to 50 should limit their intake to 6 oz. per day. Women over the age of 50 need 5 oz. per day. Men 19 to 30 need 8 oz. of grains; 30 to 50, 7 oz.; and over 51 years, 6 oz.
Vegetables
Recommendations are in cups and vary by age. Children 2 to 3 need 1 cup of veggies every day; from 4 to 8, 1.5 cups. Girls 9 to 13 should eat 2 cups and from 14 to 18, 2.5 cups. Boys from 9 to 13 should eat 2.5 cups a day and from 14 to 18, 3 cups daily. Adult women from 19 to 50 need 2.5 cups per day and after age 50 can decrease to just 2 cups. Men 19 to 50 should consume 3 cups and after 50 must can consume 2.5 cups per day.
Fruit
Recommendations are listed as cups and vary by age and gender. Children 2 to 3 need 1 cup and aged 4 to 8 should eat 1 to 1.5 cups per day. Girls nine to 18 need 1.5 cups per day and boys of the same age need 1.5 to 2 cups. Adult females 19 to 30 need 2 cups, which should decrease to 1.5 after the age of 30. Adult males over 19 are recommended to eat 2 cups per day. (see Reference 3)
Dairy
Recommendations are in cups, where a cup of dairy is equal to an 8-oz. glass of milk or 2 oz. of cheese. Children from 2 to 8 need 2 cups of dairy each day. Females and males over the age of 8 should consume 3 cups each day.
Protein
Serving sizes are given as ounces. An ounce equivalent is 1 oz. of meat, one egg, 1/4 cup of beans or legumes or a 1/2 oz. of nuts. Children 2 to 3 should eat 2 oz. per day and those 4 to 8, 3 to 4 oz. Girls 9 to 18 years should consume 5 oz., and women 19 to 30 need 5.5 oz. Boys 9 to 13 should eat 5 oz. and 14 to 18 need 6 oz. Men 19 to 30 should increase to 6.5 oz. per day. Women over the age of 30 need only 5 oz. per day, while men from 31 to 50 need 6 oz. Men over 51 can decrease to 5.5 oz.
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