Some Nutrition Questions

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2009
Some Nutrition Questions
14
Tue, 09-08-2009 - 3:07pm

How many grams of protein are we supposed to have in a day and what is a serving?

How many grams of fiber are we supposed to have and what is a serving?

I was advised by my nurse that my diet should be 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% good fats. I track my calories at livestrong.com and they give you a pie chart breaking down your diet into these three percentage categories. I keep ending up at about 60% carbs and then equal protein and fat. I've cut waaaay back on bread and pasta. I actually haven't had pasta but maaaaybe once a week. Probably not even that much. And I might have 2 pieces of bread a day but I'm still ending up too high on my carbs. I need to know some non-carb foods that I can focus on to try and get my carbs down some more.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2008
Tue, 09-08-2009 - 5:09pm

Hi Dizzfrizz...Hope this helps you...























Serving Sizes




- Summary
- About serving sizes
- Commonly used serving sizes
- Helpful tips
- Children and serving sizes
- Questions for your doctor


Reviewed By:
Susan Janoff, MS RD LD/N







Commonly used serving sizes







Most Americans do not carry weight scales or measuring cups with them to restaurants and thus may have difficulty determining what a standard serving size represents. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) began using common household items as references for what a serving might look like. For example, 3 ounces of meat on a plate (one serving) might look like a deck of cards. A one-cup serving of raw vegetables would be able to fit into the palm of an average woman’s hand.


The following examples of serving sizes and their approximate visual equivalents were determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and ADA. They are applicable to adults and children over the age of 2 years.






Food Group
Type of Food
One Serving
Looks Like

Grains
Bread
1 slice (1 ounce)
An audio cassette tape or 3.5-inch computer disk

Pasta, rice, oatmeal, grits (cooked)
1/2 cup (1 ounce)
Half a baseball or a small computer mouse

Bagel
1 mini bagel (1 ounce)
A hockey puck

Muffin (2.5-inch diameter)
1 muffin (1 ounce)
N/A

Dry breakfast cereal
1 cup (1 ounce)
A baseball or a fist

Pancake (4.5-inch diameter)
1 pancake (1 ounce)
A CD disk

Cornbread
1 small piece (1 ounce)
A bar of soap

Crackers (whole wheat)
5 crackers (1 ounce)
N/A

Crackers (saltines, snack crackers)
7 square or round crackers (1 ounce)
N/A

Popcorn (popped)
3 cups (1 ounce)
N/A

Raw, leafy vegetables (salad greens)
1 cup
A baseball

Vegetables
Green peas, spinach, collards, kale, turnip greens, kernel corn (cooked)
1/2 cup
A small computer

Corn on the cob
1 small ear (6 inches long)
A small computer mouse

French fries
10 french fries
N/A

Baked potato
1 small potato
A deck of cards

Vegetable juice
3/4 cup
A fist

Carrots
1 medium carrot
A 6-ounce can

Baby carrots
6 baby carrots
N/A

Celery
1 large stalk (11 to 12 inches long)
N/A

Tomatoes (raw)
1 small whole tomato (2.25-inch diameter)
N/A

Fruits
Fresh fruit (apples, pears, peaches)
1 medium fruit
A baseball

Sliced fruit (peaches, apples)
1/2 cup
A small computer mouse

Fruit juice (apple, orange, grape, grapefruit)
1 cup
A 6-ounce can

Grapefruit
1/2 medium fruit (4-inch diameter)
N/A

Grapes (seedless)
1/2 cup (16 grapes)
N/A

Raisins
¼ cup
A half-egg

Milk
Milk
1 cup (8 ounces)
A large pint carton

Yogurt
8-ounce cup
A baseball

Cheese (hard)
1.5 ounces
A stack of 4 dice or two 9-volt batteries

Cheese (pre-sliced)
2 slices
N/A

Cheese (ricotta)
1/2

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2008
Tue, 09-08-2009 - 5:14pm









Fats and sweets:
Eat Sparingly

Dairy: Get your
calcium



Veggie & fruits:
Good source of
vitamins






What is serving
and portion?



USDA Food Pyramid



Protein: Meat
with less fat





Grains, pasta, &
cereals
: Good
source of energyhttp://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp


Hope this helps you too.


I know others will give you more ideas.


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 09-08-2009 - 10:18pm
While everyone is different dizzfrizz,
Did it help what Aileen shared with you ?
I will look around & see what else I can find :)
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Avatar for adora1069
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-30-2003
Tue, 09-08-2009 - 11:05pm

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

I like this site. It has a nutrient calculator after you figure out how many calories you should be eating. It breaks it into calories, which my brain understands a lot better than grams...maybe it will help a bit.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2009
Wed, 09-09-2009 - 10:48am

I guess it didn't help much for my specific question but it was helpful in general. Its kind of funny, my mom sent me in an e-mail the info I was looking for in regards to protein and she didn't know I was looking for it. I will use the info posted here. I still haven't found what I want in regards to fiber. I guess I'm just looking for how many grams of fiber I'm supposed to get in a day.

I need to google and print off foods that are high in fiber, protein, and good carbs.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-29-2009
Wed, 09-09-2009 - 11:32am

I found this link - it gauges your recommended fiber and calories
based on you age/gender/activity level


http://www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/fiber.asp

Click & Get Fit & Healthy with friends!

 


yougogirl

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 09-09-2009 - 11:39am

Hi dizzfrizz,
Glad your Mom helped even if she didn't know it
Here are some links that also may be helpful :)

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/diet-fitness/good-carbs-bad-carbs.html?pageNum=1


http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/diet-fitness/high-protein.html


Let us know if it does help :)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2009
Wed, 09-09-2009 - 5:36pm
Thanks so much!!! And I'm so frustrated!! My pot of beans that I cooked yesterday gave me raging heartburn and I don't know why!!! So here I am trying to increase my fiber and protein intake (without meat) and I can't eat it without feeling like I'm going to die!!! I'm going to have to print off a list of high protein and high fiber foods and then cross reference and try to find some recipes.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 09-09-2009 - 6:43pm
Did either of those links help dizzfrizz ?
Oh no on the heart burn :(
Maybe go with chicken
Let us know
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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-15-2003
Wed, 09-09-2009 - 6:48pm
Looks like you got some great answers, Dizzfrizz

Nadine - deenie1979

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