Food Consumption
Table 2 shows how many servings of food individuals need to consume
per 1,000 calories consumed in order to meet the Pyramid recommendation.
For example, in order to meet the recommendation for dairy products,
individuals need to consume an average of 1.5 servings of dairy
products for each 1,000 calories consumed.
Q: What is benchmark food density?
A: A person who consumes 2,200 calories a day should consume 4 servings
of vegetables, according to the Food Guide Pyramid. The benchmark
vegetable density is calculated by dividing the Pyramid recommendation
(4) by the caloric intake in thousands (2.2).
| Table 2—Benchmark food density
(number of recommended servings for each 1,000 reported calories
consumed) |
| Age and gender |
Grain |
Vegetable |
Fruit |
Dairy |
Meat |
| |
Servings per 1,000 calories |
| All individuals ages 2 and older |
4.3 |
2.1 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
3.3 |
| Males |
4.0 |
1.9 |
1.4 |
1.2 |
2.9 |
| Females |
4.6 |
2.3 |
1.6 |
1.7 |
3.7 |
| Children ages 2-18 |
4.3 |
2.0 |
1.4 |
1.5 |
3.2 |
| Males |
4.1 |
1.9 |
1.4 |
1.3 |
3.0 |
| Females |
4.4 |
2.1 |
1.5 |
1.7 |
3.5 |
| Seniors ages 60 and older |
4.7 |
2.3 |
1.6 |
2.1 |
3.7 |
| Males |
4.3 |
2.0 |
1.4 |
1.8 |
3.2 |
| Females |
5.1 |
2.5 |
1.7 |
2.4 |
4.1 |
| |
| Source: CSFII 1994-96, 2 days. |
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