A Balanced Vegetarian Diet

Components of a Balanced (Vegetarian) Diet:

Food	Number servings	1 serving examples
Grains, cereals, potatoes	3 – 4 servings	1 slice bread, 1 oz cereal, ½ cup of pasta or rice
Fruits and vegetables	4-5 servings	1 cup of leafy vegetables, ½ cup of raw vegetables, ¾ cup of vegetable juice, 1 medium apple, 1 banana, ½ cup of canned fruit
Legumes, nuts, seeds, protein	2-3 servings	2 tablespoons peanut butter, ½ cup cooked beans, 1/3 cup of nuts
Milk, cheese, egg	2 servings	1 cup of yogurt or milk, 1 – ½ oz of cheese, 1 egg
Oils	Small

If you are more of a calorie person, rather than servings...

• A sedentary female should intake approximately 1,600 calories
• An active female, growing female teens/children, and sedentary male should intake 2,200 calories
• A growing male teen/child should intake 2,800 calories

What’s in a Portion Size?

Serving size	Equivalent
1 ounce of cheese	four dice
A medium potato	a computer mouse
2 tablespoons of peanut butter	a ping pong ball
1 cup of pasta	a tennis ball
A bagel	a hockey puck

 = Peanut Butter

~

 = Cheese

Resources:

http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/healthy_eat/portions

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/MyPyramid/OriginalFoodGuidePyramids/FGP/FGPPamphlet.pdf