What's To Eat?

I recently completed an online health assessment that was offered through our health insurance plan.  It had questions about my health history, exercise habits, and diet.  At one point, I had to figure out what I ate.  The assessment approached the serving size concept in a way that was new to me. Instead of asking how many servings of fruits and vegetables I ate each day, the question was how many cups of each I consumed.  I didn't know, but I gave it my best shot.

I wondered where they'd come up with the "cup" concept, so I did some research.  Last year the food pyramid I've been used to seeing gave way to a new model, MyPlate, which emphasizes "whole" foods.  According to the model plate, my diet should be 30 percent grains, 30 percent vegetables, 20 percent fruits and 20 percent protein, and a small portion of dairy.  Another Website, Fruit and Veggies Matter, suggested that women in my age bracket should eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day, and 1 1/2-2 cups of fruit.

 I think I have a pretty good diet, and have the guidelines covered, but I thought I'd see just how I was doing.  Yesterday I was making  my lunch for work.  After putting some leftover roast beef, a muffin, and grapes in my bag I cut up some broccoli, then used a measuring cup to see how much was there. It was substantially less than I would have guessed; my portion wasn't a real serving!  I got out two small carrots and cut them up too.  When I was done the vegetables almost filled a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag.  Other than the times I've had a main dish salad, I don't think I've ever had that many vegetables with a meal.

At lunchtime, I started with the vegetables, which really filled me up.  Instead of getting hungry two hours later, I was able to make it until the end of my shift without feeling familshed.   That's a good thing; I hate to talk to customers when my stomach is growling!