Eating for Performance

Variety is the spice of life. Choose foods every day from each of the following food groups. Meet your daily nutrient needs by choosing at least the minimum number of servings listed for each food group. If you need help in your diet, ask a registered dietitian, dietetic technician, public health nutritionist or certified home economist.

	Eat Anytime	Eat in Moderation	Now and Then
Breads, Cereals, Pasta, Rice, Beans, and Peas (min. of 6-11 servings a day)	Bread English muffins Bagels Sandwich buns Rice cakes Dinner rolls Pita bread Low-fat crackers (matzo, bread sticks, rye krisp, saltines, graham) Hot cereals Cold cereals except granola Rice Spaghetti, noodles, macaroni Dried peas and beans Baked beans, chili beans Bean or split pea soup	Pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, corn bread Granola cereals	Croissants, sweet rolls, pastry donuts Snack crackers like Ritz, Townhouse, cheese crackers
Fruits and Vegetables (2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables a day)	Fresh fruit & vegetables Frozen fruit & vegetables Canned fruits & vegetables Dried fruits such as raisins, prunes, dates, apricots, bananas Fruit juices Tomato or V-8 juice Vegetable soup		Vegetables prepared in butter, cream, or cheese sauce
Meat, Poultry, Eggs, Fish, and Shellfish, Nuts, Seeds (up to 6 ounces a day)	Chicken and turkey without skin Cornish hen, Pheasant Fish, shellfish Eggs Lean beef (round, chuck sirloin, tenderloin) Ground beef with only 10% fat Lean pork (tenderloin Canadian bacon, ham) Veal Lean lamb (leg, arm, loin, rib) Luncheon meats that are at least 95% fat free Venison, rabbit	Luncheon meats that are 86%-94% fat free Nuts, Tofu Peanut Butter Chicken and turkey with skin Ground beef Pork chops, cutlets Beef chuck roast, cubed steak, meatloaf Liver	Beef (ground beef - 20% fat, rib roasts, club and rib steaks) Pork (spare ribs, back ribs) Luncheon meats that are less than 86% fat free Hot dogs Bratwurst Italian or Polish Sausage Corned beef Fried fish Pork sausage links or patties Bacon
Dairy Products (4 servings)	Skim milk, 1% milk, low-fat buttermilk Low fat yogurt Cottage cheese Cheeses with no more than 2-6 grams of fat per ounce Grated Parmesan Chocolate 1% Milk Low fat hot chocolate Pudding made with 1% or skim milk Low fat frozen yogurt or icemilk	2% Milk Yogurt Part-skim ricotta Part-skim mozzarella cheese Light cream cheese Light sour cream	Whole milk Cream, half & half Whipped cream Cream cheese Sour cream Custard-style yogurt Whole milk ricotta cheese High fat cheeses such as American, Swiss, Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack Ice cream
Fats and Oils (6-8 teaspoons a day)	Low-fat gravy Sauces made with broth, low-fat milk Seasonings such as Molly McButter, Butter Buds	Reduced calorie mayonnaise Reduced calorie dressing Reduced calorie butter or margarine spreads	Oil Margarine Butter Mayonnaise Shortening Sauces made with butter, cream, cheese Gravy
Sweets and Snacks	Low-fat frozen desserts, like sherbert, frozen yogurt, popsicles, fudgesicles Angel food cake Low-fat cookies, like fig bars, gingersnaps, vanilla wafers Low-fat candy like jelly beans, hard candy Low-fat snacks like plain popcorn, pretzels Low-fat beverages like chocolate 1% milk, juices, soda, iced tea Low-fat hot chocolate Pudding made with skim or 1% milk	Frozen desserts like ice milk Fruit crisps and cobblers Low-fat milkshakes Plain popcorn Microwave popcorn	Ice cream Cakes Pies Cookies Chocolate candy Potato chips Snack chips Buttered popcorn Milkshakes, eggnog