What Counts as 1 Cup in the Milk Group?

Milk, yogurt, and cheese make up one of the main food groups in the new Food Pyramid.

In general, 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 ½ ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese can be considered as 1 cup from the milk group.

To determine how much milk you should get each day, click here.

Below is a list of specific food amounts that count as 1 cup in the milk group.

	Amount that counts as 1 cup in the milk group	Common portions and cup equivalents
Milk [choose fat-free or low-fat milk most often]	1 cup 1 half-pint container ½ cup evaporated milk
Yogurt [choose fat-free or low-fat milk most often	1 regular container (8 fluid ounces) 1 cup	1 small container (6 ounces) = ¾ cup 1 snack size container (4 ounces) = ½ cup
Cheese [choose low-fat cheeses most often]	1 ½ ounces hard cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, parmesan) ¾ cup shredded cheese 2 ounces processed cheese (American) ½ cup ricotta cheese 2 cups cottage cheese	1 slice of hard cheese is equivalent to ½ cup milk 1 slice of processed cheese is equivalent to ¾ cup milk ½ cup cottage cheese is equivalent to ¼ cup milk
Milk-based desserts [choose fat-free or low-fat types most often]	1 cup pudding made with milk 1 cup frozen yogurt 1 ½ cups ice cream	1 scoop ice cream is equivalent to ¾ cup milk