Virtual Guide to Serving Sizes of Common Foods!

Measuring our food helps us learn portion control over time and stay away from unnecessary binge-eating. In a world where ‘the-more-the-better’ concept takes over, making positive food choices can be really confusing. From over-sized slices of pizza to XXL burgers, converting huge serving sizes to practical portions that one should be eating is what we are going to look at.

For starters, let’s differentiate between portion size and serving size. A serving size is the quantity of food that you should be eating, for example 2 slices of bread. On the other hand, a portion size is the amount of food that you actually take on your plate, for example 3–4 slices of bread. The portion size that you take on your plate could have multiple servings.

Comparing serving sizes with objects that are a part of our daily life like a ball, CD discs, cheque books etc can help us virtually determine how much we should be actually putting on our plate.

Here are 15 common foods with some fun & easy references to keep your portion sizes in check :)

1. Whole grain bread: 1 serving = 1 slice = size of a compact discs / CDs

1. Buns: 1 serving = 30 g = size of 2 golf balls

1. Pasta: 1 serving = ⅓ cup (cooked) = size of 1 tennis ball

1. Potato or starchy vegetables: 1 serving = ½ cup = size of a computer mouse

1. Granola: 1 serving = ¼ cup = size of an egg

1. Fish/ Chicken: 1 serving = 50g = size of an audio cassette

1. Nuts: 1 serving = 15g = 1 cupped hand sized

1. Salad/ Greens: 1 serving = 1 cup = size of a baseball

1. Fruits: 1 serving = size of a baseball

1. Ice-cream: 1 serving = 1 scoop = size of 2 small golf balls

1. Milk/Fruit juice: 1 serving = 250 ml = size of a small tetra pack

1. Butter/Oil: 1 serving = 1 teaspoon = size of a postcard stamp

1. Peanut butter or dressing: 1 serving = 1 tablespoon = fills half of a 30 ml shot glass

1. Shredded cheese: 1 serving = 2 tablespoon = fills a 30 ml shot glass

1. Cheese cubes: 1 serving = 30g = 3 dice cubes

Lastly, these food comparisons will not only help you keep track of your food choices but also keep control of your portion sizes.

References:

1. https://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-to-protein-serving-sizes-243496
2. https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heartpublic/@wcm/@global/documents/downloadable/ucm_321862.pdf

For a more detailed guide to ‘How to maintain portion size’, do check out the article linked below:

https://medium.com/diet-nutrition/everything-you-need-to-know-about-portion-control-d3f65226c993

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