Table 2.

Food Group Servings: Comparison between Subjects with Thalassemia and 2006 USDA Recommendations

	Older Children & Adolescents		Adults
Food Group	USDA Recommendation*	Thalassemia N=83	USDA Recommendation	Thalassemia N=108
Whole Grains, oz	3.0 – 3.5	0.9 ± 1.1	3.0 – 4.0	0.8 ± 0.7
Fruits, cups	1.5 – 2.0	1.3 ± 1.2	1.5 – 2.0	1.0 ± 0.8
Vegetables, cups	2.0 – 3.0	1.7 ± 1.4	2.5 – 3.0	2.9 ± 2.6
Dark Green Vegetables, cups	0.29 – 0.43	0.3 ± 0.3	0.43	0.4 ± 0.5
Orange Vegetables, cups	0.21 – 0.29	0.1 ± 0.1	0.29	0.1 ± 0.2
Dairy, cups	3.0	1.3 ± 1.0	3.0	1.3 ± 1.2
Meat, oz	5.0 – 6.0	4.4 ± 4.0	5.0 – 6.5	5.1 ± 4.7

Food Groups: collection of foods that share similar nutritional properties.

The Food Guide Pyramid was designed to educate consumers about daily servings of each food group which comprise a healthy diet based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans [27].

^*USDA Recommendation- ‘My Pyramid’ food group recommendations are the minimum number of servings for an individual who participates in less than 30 minutes of activity per day (www.mypyramid.gov). Ranges (in shaded columns) are provided for gender differences. My food group servings were not calculated in the Block kids FFQ; therefore, are not available for the “young child” group.