Food pyramid servings?!

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I actually don't recommend you follow the food pyramid as it is not supported by scientific nutritional research. The U.S. District Court actually found the USDA guilty of breaking the law for building that structure around food industries with whom they had financial ties.

If you want to follow a truly healthy diet, look at the countries with the healthiest citizens. I guess I'll go through the pyramid and say where things are off so you know exactly what to do in lieu of their recommendations:

Fats, Oils & Sweets Group: The sweets part is legitimate, but not all fats are bad, nor are oils. In fact, they are essential to your diet. Unsaturated fats (which are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) actually lower cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. Olive oil, vegetable oils, nut oils, and the like contain omega-3 fatty acids, and does all sorts of amazing things, but you can look that up yourself (I have a lot to get through).

Milk, Yogurt & Cheese Group: More people than we realize are lactose-intolerant, and you may have an ailment that you didn't realize was related to your dairy intake. Skin problems, bloating, gallstones and gas are just a few examples. This factor is what really determines how much of this group you should be consuming. Either way, "fat-free" is no better for you than "skim" so you may as well get the good stuff. Organic, raw milk is best for you if you have any, but the truth is humans are the only ones to drink the milk of another animal, so I'd consider switching to rice, almond, coconut, or soy milk (which are creamier than real milk anyway). If you learn that you are lactose-intolerant, don't just take medication to solve the problem or switch to Lactaid. You're body is telling you not to eat something, so don't eat it!

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs & Nuts Group: Nuts and dry beans are great for you, and I wouldn't worry over portion control of them as long as you're not stuffing yourself. There are many reasons to avoid meat, poultry and eggs, one of which is due to the hormones injected into farmed animals. The healthiest countries in the world either don't eat meat or rarely eat it (once a month) and it's usually fish. Fish is considered healthy because it contains Omega-3 fatty acids, but you can get Omega-3s from plenty of other sources -- like those I listed above -- without the risk of mercury poisoning. I should note here that the rise in obesety in this country runs parallel to the drop in the price of meat (aka the rise in availability and frequency of its consumption). Ergo, less meat = less obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

Fruit and Vegetable Groups: Not featured enough in the food pyramid. Fruits are best served on their own as snacks. That is when you're body will absorb the nutrients the most efficiently. It is very difficult to overdo it on fruits and veggies, and eating more will not cause significant weight gain, so feel free to pile them on!

Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta Group: The BIGGEST fallacy of the food pyramid. Not all breads are created equal. Whole grains, many ethnic rices, gluten-free, those are all great for you. Still, 6-11 servings a day is excessive. Cereal and most pastas are not good for you because they contain bleached flour and sugar. Make some homemade granola for breakfast, load it up with fruit, flaxseeds and rice milk... THAT is a healthy breakfast.

Also note, the less processed the food, the better. As far as amounts go, to follow healthier countries, you should just maintain a variety and eat less than what most people are served in the United States. Chew your food slowly and give your body time to register that it is full. Most people would be satiated after less food if they didn't cram it into their bodies so quickly that they didn't have time time to realize they ate past the point of fulfillment.

For personalized portion suggestions talk to a dietician or nutritionist , NOT a doctor. Doctors actually receive very little nutritional training in med-school and should not be considered an authoriy on such matters.

Best of luck! Hope this helped.

Where to start? Read lots of nutritional books. I primarily recommend Michael Pollan or Jonathan Safran Foer.
Roommate is a nutritionist, currently studying to be a dietician (and I help her study).
Sister is a dietician.
Been to seminars and taken courses on health.
Periodicals, magazines, internet, etc.

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_guide_pyramid
pyramid closeup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_guide_pyramid

Remember, their idea of serving size may differ from yours. We Americans have got a problem with huge portion sizes, one of the many reasons we are the most obese country in the planet.

Grains: 6-11 servings
Vegetables: 3-5
Fruit: 2-4
Dairy: 2-3
Meat/protein/; 2-3
Fats/sweets: sparingly

wikipedia

First off based on your body weight age and size dictates how many calories you may consume.
Based on that you can then figure out what your proper portioning size SHOULD be.
you can calculate that here.
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

This handy site will also help you calculate how much you need to eat to either gain weight or loose it.
Based on those numbers you can then calculate how much of each on the food pyramid that you may or may not eat.
You can find all that information here:
http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp

However if you trully want to be healthy you should be consuming food based on blood type and not the food pyramid. The pyramid itself is only a necessary guide line. However what it does not cover is the necessary food's that is right for you. i recommend purchasing a book called "eat right for your Type" which will help break down the food pyramid that is necessary for each person.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp

Don't bother with that silly food pyramind.
They changed it two years ago. Up til then, people were religious about it - "oh you have to eat five oils a day, and ten vegetables, blah blah". then it changed and those same sheep were bleating "h you have to eat eight oils a day and eight vegetables".

Don't look at servings or count stuff. Just take a bowl and fill it with rice, vegetables, a bit of oil for cooking the veg in, some herbs and spices.
That's it.

Also you don't need 8 glasses of water a day. As long as you arre getting hydrated from the foods you eat- you can eat half a watermelon and that's four glasses right there. Or juice, tea, coffee, etc.

I know this will get thumbs down but come on, just use common sense and eat like your great grandma would have eaten.

I really like this calculator.
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/healthyeatingcal…

If you are vegan, try reading this pyramid as well.
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-food-pyra…

I think I should eat the right amount of food every day. Do not eat too much or too little. I think this is a relatively healthy way to eat.