Eve was struggling to lose weight. Every day, she poured herself a bowl of low-fat, whole-grain cereal for breakfast. After glancing at the nutrition label one morning, she noticed the serving size was 3/4 of a cup. Eve measured how much she normally ate, and discovered it came to 2 1/2 cups worth. Little did she know she was getting three servings of cereal in her morning portion.
Misjudging serving sizes is a common mistake. Further, just because something is low in fat or high in fiber doesn't give you license to eat more. Calories are calories, and still add up no matter what the source.
The difference between portions and serving size
A "portion" is how much food you choose to eat at one time, whether in a restaurant, from a package or in your own kitchen. A "serving" is a unit of measure used to describe the amount of food recommended for each food group.
Based on her calorie needs, Eve calculated she should have about six servings of grains a day. She chose to cut back to two servings on her morning cereal portion, add extra fruit and save a grain serving for later in the day.
Though measuring servings can be time-consuming at first, it's not something you need to do forever. You'll just need to do it long enough to become familiar with typical serving sizes. Start by monitoring your portion sizes to see how they compare with the recommended servings.
What's in a serving?
Following are the standard serving sizes listed in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The number of daily servings (in parentheses) will depend on your age, sex and level of physical activity.
Grain group (6 to 11)
1 slice of bread
1 ounce (by weight) of ready-to-eat cereal (check label for amount by cup)
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta
Vegetable group (3 to 5)
1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice
Fruit group (2 to 4)
1 medium apple, banana or orange
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit
3/4 cup of fruit juice
Milk group (2 to 3)
1 cup of milk or yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese
Meat and beans group (4 to 8)
2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish
1/2 cup of cooked dry beans
1 egg
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
1/3 cup of nuts
Using everyday items
It may be easier for you to estimate servings when compared to the size of everyday objects:
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Food item:
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Looks like:
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1/2 cup serving of canned fruit, vegetables or potatoes
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Half a tennis ball or baseball
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3 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
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Deck of playing cards or palm of your hand
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1-ounce serving of cheese
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Size of your thumb or three dice
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1 cup serving of milk, yogurt or fresh greens
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Size of your fist
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1 teaspoon oil
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Size of your thumb tip
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1/2 cup ice cream
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Half a tennis ball or baseball
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2 tbs peanut butter
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Ping pong ball
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1 medium baked potato or cup of cereal
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A fist
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Try this at home
To help you control portions, try these tips:
Avoid watching TV or doing other activities while eating. If you're distracted, you won't fully enjoy your food and may not realize how much you are eating.
Eat slowly so your brain can get the message that your stomach is full.
Going back for seconds? Choose vegetables and salads instead of meats and desserts.
Eat regular meals. Skipping meals or leaving large gaps of time between meals often leads to overeating later in the day.
Freeze extra food in amounts that you can use for a single serving or for a family meal another day. This avoids the temptation to finish the leftovers before the food goes bad.
Go for single-serving prepackaged items to avoid overeating.
Make snacks count. Replace chips and soda with healthier raw veggies, fruits, whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese.
For more information on calorie needs and recommended servings for each food group, visit the USDA's "My Pyramid" Web site.
