Food Serves
HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EAT? (FOOD SERVES)
The
Australian Dietary Guidelines provide some advice about how much of the foods from the five food groups we should eat, this is called “number of serves” and is a way of making sure that we get all the nutrients our bodies need by eating the recommended number of serves from each food group each day.
The number of serves that is recommended to eat changes across our lives and is different for boys and girls and for men and women.
Australian Dietary Guidelines
The number of serves that is recommended to eat changes across our lives and is different for boys and girls and for men and women. These differences account for different nutritional needs at different stages in our lives, for example teenage boys have slightly higher energy needs and this is reflected in a higher recommended daily intake of vegetables for boys than for girls aged 12 to 18 years. Another example is women over the age of 50 years – they should eat more dairy products than younger women, as their calcium needs are higher.
WHAT IS A STANDARD SERVE?
| Serves of vegetables – A standard serve is about 75g (100-350kJ). Examples: |
· ½ cup cooked green or orange vegetables for example broccoli, carrot or pumpkin.
· 1 cup green leady or raw salad vegetables
· ½ cup sweet corn
· ½ cup of medium potato or other starchy vegetables such as sweet potato |
| Serves of fruit – A standard serve is about 150g (350KJ). Examples: |
· 1 medium apple, banana, orange or pear, 2 small apricots or plums, 1cup diced or canned fruit (no added sugar).
· Only occasionally – ½ fruit juice (no added sugar), 30g dried fruits. |
| Serves of grain (cereal) foods – is 500kJ. Examples: |
· 1 slice (40g) bread
· ½ medium (40g) roll or flat bread
· ½ cup (75-120g) cooked rice, pasta, noodles, barley, buckwheat, polenta, quinoa
· ½ cup cooked porridge
· 1 small English muffin or scone
· 2/3 cup (30g) wheat cereal flakes |
| Serves of lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans – 500-600kJ |
· 65g cooked lean red meats such as beef, lamb, veal, pork, goat or kangaroo
· 80g cooked lean poultry such as chicken or turkey
· 100g cooked fish filet or one small can of fish
· 2 large eggs
· 1 cup cooked or canned legumes/beans such as lentils, chickpeas or split peas (preferably with no added salt)
· 170g tofu
· 30g nuts, seeds, peanut or almond butter or tahini or other nut or seed paste (no added salt) |
| Serves of milk, yoghurt, cheese and or alternatives – 500-600kJ |
· 1 cup fresh, UHT long life, reconstituted powdered milk or buttermilk
· ½ cup evaporated milk
· 2 slices (40g) of hard cheese such as cheddar
· ½ cup (120g) ricotta cheese
· ¾ cup (200g) yoghurt
· 1 cup (250ml) soy, rice or other cereal drink with at least 100mg of added calcium per 100ml |
Discretionary choices – one serves of food or drinks is 600kJ which is the equivalent of 2 scoops of ice-cream, 1/3 of a meat pie. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommended limiting our intake of discretionary choices. Maximum of one serve per day (approximately 600kJ).
RECOMMENDED DAILY INTAKES – Recommended average number of standard serves per day
Children
| |
Girls 4-8 years |
Girls 9-11 years |
Boys 4-8 years |
Boys 9-11 years |
| Vegetables and Legumes |
4 ½ |
5 |
4 ½ |
5 |
| Fruit |
1 ½ |
2 |
1 ½ |
2 |
| Grains (cereal) |
4 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
Lean meat, fish, poultry,
eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes,
beans |
1 ½ |
2 ½ |
1 ½ |
2 ½ |
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and
alternatives |
1 ½ |
3 |
2 |
2 ½ |
Allowance for additional
serves from any food
group |
0-1 |
0-3 |
0-2 ½ |
0-3 |
Adolescents
| |
Girls 12-13 years |
Girls 14-18 years |
Boys 12-13 years |
Boys 14-18 years |
| Vegetables and Legumes |
5 |
5 |
5 ½ |
5 ½ |
| Fruit |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Grains (cereal) |
5 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
Lean meat, fish, poultry,
eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes,
beans |
2 ½ |
2 ½ |
2 ½ |
2 ½ |
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and
alternatives |
3 ½ |
3 ½ |
3 ½ |
3 ½ |
Allowance for additional
serves from any food
group |
0-2 ½ |
0-2 ½ |
0-3 |
0-5 |
Adults
| |
Women 19-50 years |
Women 51-70 years |
Men 19-50 years |
Men 51-70 years |
| Vegetables and Legumes |
5 |
5 |
6 |
5 ½ |
| Fruit |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Grains (cereal) |
6 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
Lean meat, fish, poultry,
eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes,
beans |
2 ½ |
2 |
3 |
2 ½ |
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and
alternatives |
2 ½ |
4 |
2 ½ |
2 ½ |
Allowance for additional
serves from any food
group |
0-2 ½ |
0-2 ½ |
0-3 |
0-2 ½ |
Older Adults (over 70)
| |
Women 70 years + |
Men 70 years + |
| Vegetables and Legumes |
5 |
5 |
| Fruit |
2 |
2 |
| Grains (cereal) |
3 |
4 ½ |
Lean meat, fish, poultry,
eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes,
beans |
2 |
2 ½ |
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and
alternatives |
4 |
3 ½ |
Allowance for additional
serves from any food
group |
0-2 ½ |
0-2 ½ |
Further Reading https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/healthy-eating-for-adults.pdf
· Healthy eating for adults
https://nutritionaustralia.org/fact-sheets/adgs-standard-serves/#What-is-a-serve-of-vegetables
· Australian Dietary Guidelines: Standard Serves
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/what-serve
· Additional information about ‘What is a serve?’
https://nutritionaustralia.org/fact-sheets/adgs-recommended-daily-intakes/#Children
References
Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council. (2015, July). Recommended Number of Serves for Adults. https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/recommended-number-serves-adults
Nutrition Australia. (2021, July). Australian Dietary Guidelines: Standard serves. https://nutritionaustralia.org/fact-sheets/adgs-standard-serves/#What-is-a-serve-of-vegetables