Did you do your homework and print a copy of the Food Guide Pyramid off the Internet?

And have you been paying attention to your diet and comparing it to your Food Guide Pyramid?

Do you seem to be getting roughly the correct proportions of food in your diet?

That's a great place to start, but today we're going to clear things up a little further by talking about serving sizes!

Do you know what constitutes a serving?

Knowing that you should eat 6 to 11 servings of carbohydrates a day is only part of the picture!

If you consider a sandwich one serving of starch and a plate of pasta another serving, you are destined to struggle with your weight!

Obviously, eating the correct serving sizes will make a big difference when it comes to following the Food Guide Pyramid and eating healthy.

If you think you are eating 6 to 11 servings of carbohydrates but your serving sizes are double what they should be, then you are actually eating 12 to 22 servings of carbohydrates and this would obviously result in weight gain.

Excess calories, of any type of food, are stored as fat! That is the bottom line!

So it is important to be sure we are eating the right serving sizes.

So, what counts as one serving?

(6 - 11 servings)

* 1 slice of bread

* cup of cooked rice or pasta

* cup of cooked cereal

* 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal

(3 - 5 servings)

* cup of chopped raw or cooked vegetables

* 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables

(2 - 4 servings)

* 1 piece of fruit or melon wedge

* cup of juice

* cup of canned fruit

* cup of dried fruit

(2 - 3 servings)

* 1 cup of milk or yogurt

* 1 to 2 ounces of cheese

(2 - 3 servings)

* 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish

* Count cup of cooked beans, or 1 egg, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter as 1 ounce of lean meat (about serving)

(Use sparingly)

* Limit calories from these, especially if you need to lose weight

Given these portion sizes, you can now determine exactly how many servings you are eating from each food group.

Chances are you probably have more than one serving from certain food groups within a meal.

For example, if you are having spaghetti for dinner you will probably put at least 2 or 3 servings of pasta on your plate, considering that a serving size is only cup; you will also probably have 1 or 2 servings from the meat and poultry group and several vegetable servings in the sauce, and of course a dairy serving with the Parmesan cheese on top.

So be sure to pay attention to the meals you are putting together and keep those portions under control.

Okay, you say! But how about when I'm eating away from home and am unable to measure my food? Or what if I don't want to have to measure and weigh my food all the time?

Eyeballing portion sizes is a perfectly adequate way to control how much you eat - as long as you eyeball correctly!

Try this little quiz to see how accurate you are at judging some common portion sizes:

1) A medium-sized orange or apple is about the same size as:

a) A small basketball

b) A tennis ball

c) A grapefruit

2) A 3-ounce portion of meat is about the same size as:

a) A videotape

b) An audiotape cassette

c) A deck of cards

3) A 1-ounce portion of cheese is about the size of:

a) A deck of cards

b) A 3.5 inch computer disk

c) A VW beetle

4) A teaspoon of margarine is about the same size as:

a) A compact disc

b) Your nose

c) The tip of your thumb

1) b, 2) b and c, 3) b, 4) c

You are now armed with serving sizes that you can measure with measuring spoons and scales, as well as a way of estimating your serving sizes using only your eyeballs and your conscience!

The problem some people run into with eyeballing portion sizes is that it is easy to say "oh, just a little more"; that's why you have to let your conscience be your guide when using the eyeball method!

You are only fooling yourself and defeating your own goals when you put too much on your plate!

So be honest and accurate with your food consumption using the Pyramid and serving size guidelines to help you build a healthy and balanced diet and become nutritionally BodyWise.