Frugal Feeds | Figuring out Minimum Servings per Day

Understanding how much food to give to your family is as important as which types of foods. Serving sizes are averages--some people eat twice as much and some eat half as much while both maintain solid health and good body weight. Serving sizes are a good guideline for figuring out what you need to buy and cook but they need to be adjusted based on your family's body types, activity level, health and metabolism. That said, this is the average for an adult who consumes a healthy 2000 calorie diet.


Serving Size of Proteins:
4 oz. Unprepared Meat
3 oz. Prepared Meat
4 oz. Tofu, Nuts or Beans
1 Egg
8 oz. Low Fat Milk, Yogurt or Curd Cheese
2 oz. Low Fat Cheese
2 oz. Nut Butter

Serving Size of Whole Grains:
4 oz. Uncooked Grains
8 oz. Cooked Grains

Serving Size of Produce:
4 oz. Fruits or Vegetables
6 oz. Juice



Now serving size is not the same as how much of protein, whole grains and produce you should eat each day.  There is always debate about how much of anything is the right amount for the average person but there are minimums that are set because if the average person doesn't eat a minimum of those foods they will develop serious illnesses. But it isn't as difficult as so much hype out there leads us to believe.

First off is Water. In order for your body to work properly to digest food and maintain organs, cleansing and moisturize your skin you want to drink a minimum of Four glasses of water a day and eat fruits and vegetables because you will get the equivalent of several cups of water per day from your produce. Remember, we are talking about minimums here and if you want to drink 12 glasses a day go right ahead. Your water can be a cup of tea at each meal and a glass of water when you first wake up each day as long as you eat a diet that includes leafy vegetables, squashes, fruits and juicy vegetables like carrots, celery and tomato.

Next is Protein. On average an adult needs somewhere around 50 grams of lean protein each day. More active, pregnant, tall, short, inactive people need higher or lower amounts. Use an online protein calculator to get your exact needs for you family. Too much protein leaches calcium from your bones while too little lowers your immunity and weakens your muscles. So, what is 50 grams of protein in a serving? Well, it depends on how dense the protein structure is in that food. One glass of milk is 8 ounces but only provides 7 grams of protein (more depending on whether it is skim or low fat less if it is full fat) while 3 ounces of steak provides 26 grams of protein. Then there are grains that combine with milk, cheese, and nuts to make complete proteins. So the general average ends up being around 2 servings of lean animal protein or three servings of vegetable protein per person per day. Remember, these are minimums and differ by body types and activity levels.

Whole Grains should be a part of everyone's diet for some vitamins and minerals as well as helping the digestive system. How much? At least three servings a day. That can be a slice of toast in the morning and a sandwich at lunch. Two servings of pasta plus garlic bread on the side and you are covered for the day. It doesn't take a lot but some recommend five servings a day as a minimum. Just like with everything else there is ongoing debate as to what is the right amount.

Fruits and Vegetables--Two servings of fruit a day. You don' t need more than that and eating too much fruit can lead to a host of health problems. How much is too much? Again, there is debate. I know of fruititarians who only eat fruit and nuts, and eat a lot of them, but I also know people that eat four pieces of fruit a day and end up with terrible digestive problems and bleeding gums. So, go with what makes sense for you and your family. You need a minimum of three servings a day of vegetables. Vegetables are an area where you can be abundant though. The only ones that you need to be careful about over consuming are probably carrots and potatoes. Too many carrots turn your skin orange and too many potatoes slow your metabolism and in turn put on extra weight. Otherwise vegetables are very nutritious and very inexpensive. You can eat alot of them without alot of calories and they don't leave you feeling heavy after the meal.

So, to recap, the minimums per day are:
4 glasses of water
4 ounces of pure protein or around 50 grams of protein
3 servings of whole grains
2 servings of fruit
3 servings of vegetables

To make this happen easily, here is a sample menu for one day:

Breakfast
Glass of water
Cup of tea
Slice of whole grain toast with nut butter

Snack
Piece of fruit

Lunch
Whole grain sandwich with 1 ounce of protein, 1 ounce of cheese, two leaves of lettuce, sliced tomato
Glass of iced tea

Snack
Piece of fruit

Dinner
2 ounces of protein
1 cup of salad
1/2 cup mixed vegetables
Cup of herbal tea
That's it.