What is a serving?

The following tables will help you understand what a serving is for the four food categories used in food group logging: Fruits, Vegetables, White Foods, and Processed Foods.

Fruits

Fruit Type	Serving Size
Whole fresh medium fruit (apple, banana, orange, pear, peach, nectarine, etc.)	1 fruit
Whole fresh small fruit (apricot, kiwi, plum, clementine, etc.)	2 fruits
Large fresh fruit (mango, grapefruit, avocado)	1/2 of fruit
Berries	1/2 cup
Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit	1/2 cup
Dried medium fruit (figs, prunes, dates apricots, etc.)	1/2 cup
Dried small fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, etc.)	1/4 cup
Melon (watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe)	1/2" thick wedge or 1 cup
Pineapple	1/4 of fruit or 1 cup
Fruit Juice	1/2 cup

Vegetables

Vegetables Type	Serving Size
Green leafy salad greens	1 cup
Cooked vegetables (broccoli, carrots, spinach, winter squash, eggplant, beets, etc.)	1/2 cup
Raw cut-up vegetables (celery, carrots, eggplant, etc.)	1 cup
Tomato	1 vegetable
Fresh, frozen, or canned cut-up vegetables (legumes/beans, cauliflower, etc.)	1/2 cup
Fresh yellow summer squash, zucchini, bell peppers	1/2 chopped
Sweet potato	1/2 of vegetable (1/2 cup)
Vegetable Juice	1 cup

White Foods

White Food Type	Serving Size
White Bread	1 slice
Potatoes (excluding yams or sweet potatoes)	1 medium (1 cup)
Rice (cooked)	1/2 cup
Pasta (except vegetable-based pastas)	1/2 cup
Table Sugar (e.g. added to coffee/tea)	1 teaspoon

Processed Foods

Since processed foods are manufactured, there is significantly more variability in serving size depending on the producers. Given this, in addition to the approximate serving size, the weight of a serving is also provided. When in doubt, reference the serving listed on the nutrition label of the food item. 

Processed Food Type	Serving Size
Cookies (Graham crackers, Oreos, etc.)	2-3 cookies (~30g)
Crackers	5-30 depending on size (~30g)
Chips	18 chips (~30g)
Candy Bars	1 regular bar or 2 snack sized bars (~30g)
Hard Candy (size of U.S. Quarter)	3 pieces (~15g)