recommended daily intake of breads and cereals? If the answer is no, you no doubt should have, or so says Bermuda's new Guide To Daily Food Choices.

The guide, which has been patterned after the US Daily Food Guide but tailored by Nutrition Services to meet the specific dietary needs of Bermudians, was released recently in an effort to make sure that local residents eat healthfully, keep off fat and get the requisite amounts of energy, vitamins and minerals.

Like the American version, it is in an easy-to-understand pyramid form, with the base of the pyramid representing the food group that people should eat the most servings of (bread, cereal, rice and pasta) and the top reflecting those foods that people should eat sparingly (fats, oils and sweets).

The four remaining food groups -- fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats -- are also carefully outlined in terms of quantity of servings.

"The key to good eating,'' says Government nutritionist Mrs. Betsy Baillie, who worked on the Bermudian guide with colleague Ms Mellonie Barnum, "is variety. And that is reflected in the food guide.'' According to the guide, "some foods in a food group are better sources of a nutrient than others. By eating several different foods from each group, you increase your chance of getting all the nutrients you need.'' In the nutritionists' view, most of these nutrients should come from breads and cereals, of which they recommend some six to 11 servings a day. "...Eat plenty of whole-grain breads, cereals, rice and pasta,'' the food guide suggests. "You need the most servings from this group each day. They are naturally low in fat and provide complex carbohydrates for fibre and energy.'' Second in nutritional value in the food guide hierarchy are two of the best sources of vitamins and minerals: fruits and vegetables. In previous American nutrition manuals, fruits and vegetables had been listed as a single food category, but recently they were separated to reflect their distinct values.

In the current guide, the recommended serving quantity for vegetables is three to five a day. This doesn't include dry beans or nuts, which have been grouped with meat and fish.

With regard to fruit, meanwhile, the guide recommends some two to four servings per day.

Another big change in the American daily food guide and consequently the Bermudian version is in the milk or dairy group, which contains such foods as yogurt and cheese but no longer incorporates eggs.

Eggs under the new guidelines have also been listed with meat and fish, a group from which people are advised to have two to three servings a day for calcium and iron. In terms of milk, yogurt and cheese, meanwhile, the recommended quantity of servings is two to four a day -- for, the guide says, the acquisition of protein and calcium.

If, after studying the food guide, the idea of following a prescribed s et of recommendations seems like too much work or bother, it need not be, Mrs.

Baillie says, pointing to the many helpful guidelines that come with the food pyramid. These include, in a very readable addendum, the precise definition of individual serving sizes -- one slice of bread, one cup of milk or yogurt, two-and-a-half to three ounces of cooked lean meat -- and the amount of servings, calories and types of food that various age and gender groups need daily.

For instance, the new guide advises, "women and some older adults'' generally require some 1,500 to 1,800 calories and six servings from the bread group a day, while "teenage boys and active men'' reportedly need 2,800 calories and 11 servings of bread per day.

In discussing the specific needs of the various age and gender groups, Mrs.

Baillie also touched on the specific dietary needs of all Bermudians, who, she said, eat too many high-fat foods, do suffer from obesity and have tended to pick up some of the more negative eating habits of their US counterparts.

"One of the things that's happening,'' Mrs. Baillie said, "is that people are no longer planning their meals. When, for example, you plan a meal, you generally eat much more healthily.

"Another thing,'' the Government nutritionist stated, "is the disappearance of the family meal. In the past, family dinners had the benefit of getting people to spend more time on their meals and generally eat much better.

"What they (Bermudians) tend to eat (now) is often determined by taste. This means that Bermudians eat a lot of things that they feel taste good because they have been promoted as such. It also means that they eat a lot of junk food and very little fruits, vegetables and particularly milk. Right now, their intake of calcium, particularly among women, is very low.'' Unfortunately, Mrs. Baillie also pointed out, one thing that hasn't been very low on the Island is the amount of overweight people -- particularly teenagers.

In a study of student obesity that was conducted by the Department of Health, the number of 15-year-old females who are overweight in Bermuda rose from 37 percent in 1981 to 40.5 percent in 1991 -- an increase of 3.5 percent -- while the number of overweight 15-year-old males rose from 27.5 percent in 1981 to 30.8 percent in 1991, an increase of three percent. The same study showed that 20 percent of all 15-year-old girls and 19.6 percent of the boys in that age group were obese in 1991.

"As you can see, one in five girls was overweight and one in five obese,'' Mrs. Baillie said in reference to the study. "They (Bermudians) really have to pay attention to serving sizes and should be exercising more.'' Of course, the nutritionist also admits, it can sometimes be difficult to adhere to smaller serving sizes when, for example, butchers continue to cut and sell their meat in portions that are much larger than the average person requires.

Nonetheless, she said, the daily food guide is a good way to monitor food intake until a more balanced diet becomes a routine part of a person's life.

And, she recommended, people themselves can expedite the turnaround by following such relatively simple steps as choosing lower-fat dairy products, buying leaner meats like chicken or fish and using lower-fat cooking methods like grilling, broiling, steaming, baking or microwaving.

"It's not hard to eat fruits and vegetables regularly,'' Mrs. Baillie insists. "And of course you don't have to deny yourself the occasional chocolate bar. It's when you eat the chocolate bar every day that it becomes a problem.'' Anyone who may be interested in receiving a copy of Bermuda's Guide To Daily Food Choices can do so by contacting Nutrition Services at the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Housing. The number is 236-0224 (Ext. 385 or 259).