Picture This Portion

A Practical Guide to Food Portions

One of the main factors in being able to accurately count calories is to know the appropriate portion that is in a serving size. Servings can be calculated in weight, but during day to day life it is not as realistic for everyone to have access to a food scale. Therefore, it is helpful to be able to picture a portion size.

Meat: A single serving of meat should be about 4 ounces. This should look about the same size as the palm of your hand.

Cheese: A single serving of cheese should be about 1 ounce. This should look like your pointer finger (thickness and length).

Whole Grains and/or Bread: A single serving is usually one piece if pre-sliced or else the size of a deck of cards.

Pasta: A single serving of pasta should be about 1 cup. This should look like the size of a softball.

Dessert: A single serving of dessert should be about a ½ cup. This should look like the size of a tennis ball.

Vegetables and Fruit: A serving size is generally one piece or a cup. Vegetables and fruit are lower in caloric density and should be half of your meal. A quarter of the meal should be whole grain and a quarter should be meat. Therefore, when eating vegetables and fruit fill half your plate.