What's a serving?
Serving size can be confusing. Many people think that a serving of food is whatever fits on their plate or what they order in a restaurant. But what you see as a serving is often much larger than what is recommended for a healthy diet.
Until you're comfortable with your judgment of what equals one serving, you may need to use measuring cups and spoons and a scale. Also try our quick tips to help make it easier for you take charge of healthy servings sizes.
Guide to Healthy Serving Sizes
Fats |
1 teaspoon oil |
| 2 tablespoons fat |
Protein/Dairy |
½ cup beans |
| 3 ounces chicken or fish |
| 1 ½ ounces beef (lean) |
| 1 cup skim milk |
| 1½ ounces reduced-fat or low-fat cereal |
| Carbohydrates | ½ cup grain or cereal |
| 1 slice bread |
Fruits |
½ cup sliced |
Vegetables |
2 cups leafy, 1 cup solid |
Sweets |
Limit to 75 calories a day |
Quick Tips for Managing Serving Size
• Use familiar objects as guides to help you serve up of healthy portion sizes:
Deck of cards = 3 ounces of chicken or fish
Pair of dice = 1-1/2 ounces of cheese
• Imagine your plate divided into three parts. Use one-half of the plate for vegetables, one-quarter for meat/protein and one-quarter for carbohydrates.
Click Here for more on Healthy Eating and Changing Your Eating Behaviors in our Health Encyclopedia.
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