What Is a Serving Size?

I am on a mission this year to get in shape and to become healthier. I’m doing this for several reasons but one in particular is that if I plan to become an RD I need to be healthy – no one, including myself wants to take advice about health and wellness from someone who is not healthy and practicing what they are preaching.

One of the biggest things that I have found is really being conscious of the serving sizes. I don’t know about you but I don’t tend to carry around my food scale and measuring cups with me everywhere I go to measure everything I eat. So below is a list of examples for you to keep in mind. You can find more information about healthy eating on my Healthy Eating page , Choose My Plate. There are also many more examples and references along with various images out there for serving sizes, but these are a few that I have found to be helpful.

Confused about portions sizes? Try relating them to everyday items to help you out!

• A rounded handful – one 1/2 cup vegetables or fruit, 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta, or a snack serving of crisps or pretzels

• Woman’s fist – another way of visualising a serving of vegetables, or one piece of whole fruit

• Small handful or golf ball – 1/4 cup of dried fruit or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

• A matchbox – a 1 oz serving of meat, or a serving of cheese

• Deck of cards, – a 3 oz serving (recommended serving = 3-4 oz) of meat, fish or poultry, or ten chips/french fries

• Check book – a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz)

• Tennis ball – 1/2 cup of pasta, or a serving of ice cream

• Computer mouse – a medium baked potato

• Compact disc – one serving of pancake or small waffle

• Thumb tip or one dice – one teaspoon of margarine

• A ping-pong ball – two tablespoons of peanut butter

• Small milk carton – 8 fl oz glass of milk

• A baseball – 8 fl oz cup of yogurt, one cup of beans, or one cup of dry cereal

 

Are you wondering how much you should be consuming of each food group on a daily basis? Visit this great resource, Personalized Daily Food Plans from Choose My Plate.

For more resources be sure to visit:

WebMD.com  – Portion Size Plate

MIT – Serving Sizes

Spark People – The Portion Distortion Guide

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Author Information: Jenny Manseau – Gluten Free Blogger.
Location: Portsmouth, RI
Website: www.creativecookinggf.com
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