HOW MUCH IS A SERVING?

A slab of thick steak. A mound of mashed potatoes. A pile of broccoli with cheese sauce. A large roll. And a large slice of cherry pie for dessert.

Not only does this sound like a tasty meal, but a healthy one since it contains choices from all the food groups.

But beware.

A 12-ounce slab of steak is actually four of what the United States Department of Agriculture considers a serving of meat. The helpings of potatoes and broccoli are likely larger than the 1/2 cup serving set by the USDA. That roll probably constitutes two servings of bread. And while that piece of pie may have the USDA standard 1/2 cup serving of fruit, it also comes with fat and sugar the agency recommends using sparingly.

"People think of a serving as what's put on a plate as a helping," said registered dietitian Christina Lewis, chairman of the National Nutrition Month committee of the Southeast Missouri Dietetic Association.

The problem with not keeping track of servings is that you tend to overeat, which can lead to being overweight, said Lewis, who is working to make people aware of their diets during March, National Nutrition Month.

"You'll gain weight if you are taking in more than you are burning off," Lewis said.

As popular as dieting is in the United States, Lewis said 55 percent of Americans are obese or overweight. She noted that being overweight can lead to many health problems, including heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The USDA Food Pyramid can be used as an eating guide, said Lewis, director of dietary services at Beverly Health Care. But she emphasized the range of servings given, such as 6 to 11 servings suggested for the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group, should be adjusted to your caloric need, Lewis said.

The lower end is for less active women and older adults and will provide about 1,600 calories per day, Lewis said. Children, teen-age girls, active women and less active men need about 2,200 calories per day, which would be in the mid-range of the pyramid's suggested servings. The upper range is for teen-age boys and active men and provides about 2,800 calories per day.

When your food comes out of a package, it's easier to gauge how much you are eating. Labels generally will tell you what the serving size of the food is and how many are in the package, along with nutritional information.

It's more difficult to judge serving sizes of foods typically found at meals like meat, vegetables, fruits and grains. However, there are ways to eyeball such foods and make an educated guess at serving size, Lewis said.

A serving of meat is three ounces. That's about the size of a deck of cards or a woman's palm.

A serving of mashed potatoes, ice cream and yogurt is 1/2 cup; that's about the size of a tennis ball.

A serving of cheese is one ounce or a slice the size of a 3.5-inch computer floppy disc.

A serving of cut, frozen, canned or cooked fruit is 1/2 cup, the size of a woman's fist.

Also the size of a woman's fist is one cup, about two servings, of pasta or rice.

Lewis said the most neglected categories of the Food Pyramid are fruits and vegetables. While the pyramid recommends three to five servings of vegetables and two to four of fruit, most Americans eat much less than that.

To up your intake of fruits and vegetables, Lewis suggests making eating them as convenient as possible. This means keeping apples, bananas and other fresh fruit handy for snacking. And keeping bags of cut up carrots, celery, broccoli, cantaloupe and other fruits and vegetables.

Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are handy. Lewis said it's best to select canned fruits packed in their own juices rather than heavy syrup. And most of the excess sodium of canned vegetables can be avoided if you rinse the vegetables with water before eating.

"The easier you make it on yourself, the more likely you are to reach for carrot sticks instead of chips," Lewis said.

USDA FOOD PYRAMID

Following are the categories of the USDA Food Pyramid, the recommended servings per day and the amounts considered a serving:

Category: Fats, oils, & sweets

Servings per day: Use Sparingly

Category: Milk, yogurt, and cheese

Servings per day: 2-3

Servings: 1 cup of milk or yogurt or 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese or 2 ounces of process cheese.

Category: Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts

Servings per day: 2-3

Servings: 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish or 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans; 1 egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter counts as 1 ounce of lean meat

Category: Vegetable

Servings per day: 3-5

Servings: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables or 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw or 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Category: Fruit

Servings per day: 2-4

Servings: 1 medium apple, banana, orange or 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit or 3/4 cup of fruit juice

Category: Bread, cereal, rice and pasta

Servings per day: 6 to 11

Servings: 1 slice of bread or 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal or 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta