Coach on Call
My Daily Food Needs
What Should I Eat?
The Food Guide Pyramid is a guide to healthy eating. Each
section stands for a food group. All six food groups play
an important part in healthy eating. The person is shown
climbing stairs because it’s important to be active. Both
healthy eating and being active are keys to good health.
The chart below describes each
food group in the pyramid.
Grains Vegetables Fruits Oils Milk Meats & Beans
Food Group Tip
Grains
Make at least half your
grains whole grains.
Vegetables
Fruits
Oils
Milk
Meat and
Beans
Discretionary (extra)
calories
Serving Sizes
One ounce (check labels) is 1 slice
bread, 1 cup dry cereal, or ½ cup
cooked rice, pasta, or cereal.
Try to have vegetables One cup is 1 cup raw or cooked
from several subgroups vegetable, 1 cup vegetable juice,
or 2 cups raw leafy greens.
each day.
Make most choices
One cup is 1 cup chopped fruit,
fruit, not juice.
2 pieces of fresh fruit, 1 cup 100%
fruit juice, or ½ cup dried fruit.
One teaspoon is 1 teaspoon vegetable
Solid fats are not part
oil or liquid or tub margarine, 1 tableof this group. Limit
spoon regular salad dressing or
solid fats as much as
mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons reducedyou can.
fat salad dressing or mayonnaise,
8 large olives, one-sixth of an
avocado, 2 teaspoons of peanut
butter, one-third ounce of nuts or
seeds.
One cup is 1 cup milk, yogurt, 1½
Choose fat-free or
ounces of natural cheese, 2 ounces
low-fat most of
processed cheese.
the time.
Examples of Foods
Bread, pasta, oatmeal,
breakfast cereals, tortillas,
grits, barley, oats, rice
All fresh, frozen, canned,
and dried vegetable and
vegetable juices
All fresh, frozen, canned,
and dried fruits and fruit
juices
Canola oil, corn oil,
cottonseed oil, olive oil,
safflower oil, soybean oil,
sunflower oil, salad
dressing, mayonnaise,
olives, avocado, peanut
butter, nuts, seeds
Milk, yogurt, cheese,
lactose-free milk (does
NOT include cream
cheese, cream, or butter)
Fish, chicken, or turkey
One ounce is 1 ounce cooked meat,
Choose lean meat
without skin; lean cuts of
poultry, or fish, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon
and poultry. Vary your
choices—eat more fish, peanut butter, ½ ounce nuts, or ¼ cup beef, pork, lamb; eggs;
nuts; seeds; dry beans
beans, peas, nuts, and cooked dry beans.
and peas
seeds.
Any food or beverage in small amounts
Amounts vary based
on calorie content of
foods.
A healthier life is on the line for you!
CMN11-1117-5
UPMC _11_611
Copyright 2009 UPMC Health Plan, Inc. All rights reserved
C on C Nu pyramid C20091201-49 – (MCG) 12/20/11 200 SS
Page 2 of 4
My Daily Food Needs
How Much Should I Eat?
Your food needs depend on your age, gender, and how active you are. To make the Food Guide Pyramid
fit you, use the three steps below.
Step 1. Figure out how many calories you need.
Note: Calories measure the energy in food.
1.First, decide how active you are. Check one:
rI am inactive. On most days, I do only the light activities of daily life. These include getting dressed,
driving, sitting, cooking, eating, and reading.
rI am active. On most days, I walk briskly for 45-60 minutes or more. (Briskly means you cover
one mile in 15-20 minutes.) Or I do another activity that’s like brisk walking for 45-60 minutes.
Examples: riding a bike, general gardening, water aerobics.
rI am somewhere in the middle.
2.Look at the chart below. Find your age and gender in the left column.
3.Your calorie needs are in the same row. Use the lower number if you are inactive. Use the higher
number if you are active. Use a number between the two if you’re somewhere in the middle.
I need about __________ calories to stay at my current weight.
Important:
•Keep in mind that this is a rough estimate.
•This calorie level is for staying at your
current weight. To lose weight, you will
need fewer calories. To gain weight, you will
need more.
•If you become much more active, your calorie
needs will go up. If you become much less
active, your calorie needs will go down.
A healthier life is on the line for you!
Estimated Daily Calorie Needs
Age/Sex
Calorie Range Per Day
InactiveActive
Children
1,0001,400
2-3 Years
Females
4-8 years
1,2001,800
9-13
1,6002,200
14-18
1,8002,400
19-30
2,0002,400
31-50
1,8002,200
51+
1,6002,200
Males
4-8 years
1,4002,000
9-13
1,8002,600
14-18
2,2003,200
19-30
2,4003,000
31-50
2,2003,000
51+
2,0002,800
Page 3 of 4
My Daily Food Needs
Step 2. Figure out how much food you need from each food group.
Find your calorie needs in the top row of the chart below. Circle or highlight that number and the numbers
below it. Aim to eat those amounts from the Food Guide Pyramid food groups every day.
Daily Food Needs
1,000 1,200
Estimated
daily calorie
needs
Grains
3 oz.
4 oz.
Vegetables 1 cup 1.5
cups
Fruits
1 cup 1 cup
Oils
Milk
Meat and
Beans
Discretionary
calorie
allowance
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
2,200
2,400
2,600
2,800
3,000
3,200
5 oz.
2 cups
6 oz.
2.5
cups
2 cups
7 oz.
3 cups
8 oz.
3 cups
2 cups
10 oz.
3.5
cups
2 cups
10 oz.
4 cups
2 cups
9 oz.
3.5
cups
2 cups
10 oz.
4 cups
1.5
cups
5 tsp.
3 cups
5 oz.
6 oz.
2.5
cups
1.5
cups
5 tsp.
3 cups
5 oz.
6 tsp.
3 cups
5.5 oz.
6 tsp.
3 cups
6 oz.
7 tsp.
3 cups
6.5 oz.
8 tsp.
3 cups
6.5 oz.
8 tsp.
3 cups
7 oz.
2.5
cups
10 tsp.
3 cups
7 oz.
2.5
cups
11 tsp.
3 cups
7 oz.
132
195
267
290
362
410
426
512
648
3 tsp.
2 cups
2 oz.
4 tsp.
2 cups
3 oz.
5 oz.
1.5
cups
1.5
cups
4 tsp.
2 cups
4 oz.
165
171
171
Step 3. Track how closely you follow the Food Guide Pyramid.
Use the attached Nutrition Tracker. First, fill in the blanks in the column labeled “Goal” with
the amounts you circled in Step 2. Then make copies of the tracker. (Keep the original to make
copies from later.) On the copies, record your food choices in the left column. Complete the two
columns on the far right to see out how closely you matched the Food Guide Pyramid.
Take Action
Name two small changes you will make now to more closely follow the Food Guide Pyramid.
Examples: I will eat a piece of fresh fruit with lunch on weekdays. I will have 1% milk instead of 2% milk
on breakfast cereal. I will use tub margarine instead of stick margarine at home.
1. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
A healthier life is on the line for you!
Page 4 of 4
My Daily Food Needs
MyPyramid Tracker
Figure out how you did today — and set a goal to aim for tomorrow.
Food group or
physical activity.
Tip
Make half your
grains whole.
1 ounce equivalent =
1 slice bread
1 cup dry cereal
½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal
Vary your veggies.
1 cup =
1 cup raw vegetables
1 cup cooked vegetables
1 cup vegetable juice
2 cups leafy greens
1 cup =
2 tennis ball-sized pieces of
fresh fruit
1 cup canned
1 cup frozen fruit
1 cup 100% fruit juice
½ cup dried fruit
1 teaspoon =
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon liquid or tub margarine
1 tablespoon regular salad dressing
2 tablespoons reduced-fat
salad dressing.
1 cup =
1 cup yogurt or milk
1½ ounces cheese
Focus on fruits.
Choose healthy
fats.
Get low-fat,
calcium-rich
foods.
Go lean with
protein.
Discretionary
Calories
Limit them.
Be active daily.
List of foods
Goal (Use your
daily food needs eaten (include
amounts)
to fill in the
blanks.)
Estimate
your total
_____
ounce
equivalents
_____
ounce
equivalents
_____
cups
_____
cups
_____
cups
_____
cups
_____
teaspoons
_____
ounce
equivalents
_____
cups
_____
cups
1 ounce equivalent =
1 ounce meat, poultry
1 ounce fish
1 egg
_____
1 tablespoon peanut butter
ounce
½ ounce nuts
equivalents
¼ cup cooked dry beans
Some foods don’t fit into a group.
These “extras” are mainly fat or
sugar. Limit to 100-300 calories/day.
30 minutes of moderate to vigorous
activity a day
At least 10 minutes or more
at a time
A healthier life is on the line for you!
_____
ounce
equivalents
_____
minutes