Servings and Pounds
Reading edition
If you are a thrifty food shopper, you learn to buy the kinds and amounts of food that your family will use—with a minimum of waste. To avoid waste and to make the most of your food dollar, you also need to know how many servings you get from a market unit, such as 1 pound of fresh carrots or a 10-ounce package of frozen peaches.
Information in this section can help you decide how much to buy to feed your family.
The amount of meat, poultry, and fish to buy varies with the amount of bone, fat, and breading.
Meat, poultry, and fish
Servings
per
pound[1]
MEAT
Much bone or gristle 1 or 2
Medium amounts of bone 2 or 3
Little or no bone 3 or 4
POULTRY (READY-TO-COOK)
Chicken 2 or 3
Turkey 2 or 3
Duck and goose 2
FISH
Whole 1 or 2
Dressed or pan-dressed 2 or 3
Portions or steaks 3
Fillets 3 or 4
FOOTNOTES:
Vegetables and fruits
For this table, a serving of vegetable is ½ cup cooked vegetable unless otherwise noted. A serving of fruit is ½ cup fruit; 1 medium apple, banana, peach, or pear; or 2 apricots or plums. A serving of cooked fresh or dried fruit is ½ cup fruit and liquid.
Servings
per
pound[2]
FRESH VEGETABLES
Asparagus 3 or 4
Beans, lima[2] 2
Beans, snap 5 or 6
Beets, diced[3] 3 or 4
Broccoli 3 or 4
Brussels sprouts 4 or 5
Cabbage:
Raw, shredded 9 or 10
Cooked 4 or 5
Carrots:
Raw, diced or shredded[3] 5 or 6
Cooked[3] 4
Cauliflower 3
Celery:
Raw, chopped or diced 5 or 6
Cooked 4
Kale[4] 5 or 6
Okra 4 or 5
Onions, cooked 3 or 4
Parsnips[3] 4
Peas[5] 2
Potatoes 4
Spinach[6] 4
Squash, summer 3 or 4
Squash, winter 2 or 3
Sweetpotatoes 3 or 4
Tomatoes, raw, diced or sliced 4
FOOTNOTES:
Servings
per package
(9 or 10 oz.)
FROZEN VEGETABLES
Asparagus 2 or 3
Beans, lima 3 or 4
Beans, snap 3 or 4
Broccoli 3
Brussels sprouts 3
Cauliflower 3
Corn, whole kernel 3
Kale 2 or 3
Peas 3
Spinach 2 or 3
Servings
per can
(1 lb.)
CANNED VEGETABLES
Most vegetables 3 or 4
Greens, such as kale or spinach 2 or 3
Servings
per pound
DRY VEGETABLES
Dry beans 11
Dry peas, lentils 10 or 11
Servings per
market unit[7]
FRESH FRUIT
Apples
Bananas
Peaches 3 or 4 per pound
Pears
Plums
Apricots
Cherries, sweet 5 or 6 per pound
Grapes, seedless
Blueberries
Raspberries 4 or 5 per pint
Strawberries 8 or 9 per quart
FOOTNOTES:
Servings
per package
(10 or 12 oz.)
FROZEN FRUIT
Blueberries 3 or 4
Peaches 2 or 3
Raspberries 2 or 3
Strawberries 2 or 3
Servings
per can
(1 lb.)
CANNED FRUIT
Served with liquid 4
Drained 2 or 3
Servings
per package
(8 oz.)
DRIED FRUIT
Apples 8
Apricots 6
Mixed fruits 6
Peaches 7
Pears 4
Prunes 4 or 5