Recommended serves and serving sizes

Recommended daily serves from the various food groups to meet your energy and nutrient needs.

Recommended serves
What is a serve?


Recommended serves


Recommended daily serves from the various food groups to meet your energy and nutrient needs6
The Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults recommends: Cereals (incl breads, rice, pasta) Vegetables and legumes   Fruit   Dairy Products Lean meat, fish, poultry, nuts and legumes Extra foods
Men
19-60 years 6-12 serves 5 serves 2 serves 2 serves 1 serve 0-3 serves
60+ years 4-9 serves 5 serves 2 serves 2 serves 1 serve 0-2.5 serves
Women
19-60 years 4-9 serves 5 serves 2 serves 2 serves 1 serve 0-2.5 serves
60+ years 4-7 serves 5 serves 2 serves 2 serves 1 serve 0-2 serves
6Kellet E, Smith A and Schmerlaib Y. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating – background information for consumers. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 1998.

Meal plans showing how the recommended serves can be used over a day for the different groups can be found on the Healthy Weight website. An alternative eating pattern which provides flexibility for preference across food groups is available in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating publications.

Go to the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page How much fruit and vegetables should children eat? to find out how much fruit and vegetables children and adolescents should eat each day.

What is a serve?

Here are some examples of one serve for various food groups:

Cereals, breads, rice, pasta, noodles

  • 2 slices of bread; 1 medium bread roll; 1 cup cooked rice, pasta, or noodles
  • 1 cup porridge, 1 cup breakfast cereal flakes, or ½ cup muesli

Vegetables and legumes (choose a variety)

  • Starchy vegetables: 1 medium potato/yam, ½ medium sweet potato, 1 medium parsnip
  • Dark green leafy vegetables: ½ cup cabbage, spinach, silverbeet, broccoli, cauliflower or brussel sprouts
  • Legumes and other vegetables: 1 cup lettuce or salad vegetables; ½ cup broad beans, lentils, peas, green beans, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber, sweetcorn, turnips, sprouts, celery, eggplant etc

Image of abasket full of fruit and vegies

Fruit

  • 1 piece medium sized fruit (eg apple, orange, mango, banana, pear, etc)
  • 2 pieces of smaller fruit eg apricots, kiwi, plum, figs, etc, about 8 strawberries, about 20 grapes or cherries, ½ cup (125ml) fruit juice (sugar free), ¼ medium melon (eg. rockmelon)
  • Dried fruit eg 4 dried apricots or 1½ tablespoon sultanas
  • 1 cup diced pieces/canned fruit

Milk, yoghurt, cheese & alternatives

  • 250 ml glass or one cup of milk (can be fresh, long life or reconstituted milk)
  • ½ cup evaporated milk, 40g (2 slices) cheese or 250ml (1 cup) of custard
  • 200g (1 small carton) of plain or fruit yoghurt
  • 1 cup of calcium-fortified soy milk, 1 cup almonds, ½ cup pink salmon with bones

Meat, fish, poultry & alternatives

  • 65-100gm cooked meat/chicken (eg ½ cup mince, 2 small chops, or 2 slices roast meat)
  • 80-120g cooked fish fillet,
  • 2 small eggs, ⅓ cup cooked dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas or canned beans, or 1/3 cup peanuts/almonds

Extras

Foods which we can occasionally include for variety. They are generally higher in fat and/or sugar, kilojoules, salt etc.
  • 1 medium slice of plain cake or 1 bun, 3-4 plain sweet biscuits, half a small chocolate bar, 60g jam, honey (1 tablespoon), 30g (1/2 a small packet) potato crisps, 1 slice pizza = 2 extras
  • 1 can soft drink or 2 glasses cordial, 2 scoops ice-cream, 1 meat pie or pasty = 3 extras
  • 2 standard glasses of alcohol (for adults only)
  • 1 tablespoon (20g) butter, margarine, oil

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