One of the key ways to adjust your lifestyle and maintain your weight is
controlling your serving sizes. Even if you are not attempting to lose weight,
you should be aware of serving sizes and those amounts recommended for you.
What serving size means
Serving sizes are based on the MyPyramid food guidance system of the USDA
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Use the list of examples below to gain
perspective on what is considered a serving size.
According to the USDA, one serving equals:
- 1 slice of whole-grain bread
- ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta
- 4-5 small crackers
- 1 medium pancake
- 3 cups popcorn
- 1 medium potato
- 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables
- 2 cups raw leafy greens
- 1 small apple
- 1 cup fruit
- 1 medium grapefruit
- ½ cup dried fruit
- 1 ounce lean meat, chicken, or fish
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- ¼ cup cooked dry beans
- 1 cup milk or yogurt
- 1 ½ ounces natural cheese
A good guideline to help you understand portion sizes is to translate the
abstract information represented by the serving size into something visual that’s
easily remembered. So instead of trying to memorize lists of ounces, cups, and
tablespoons, simply compare the serving sizes to particular foods to familiar
physical objects.
For example
- the size of your fist equals 1 cup, which corresponds to 2 servings of
pasta or rice
- the size of a deck of cards or the size of the palm of your hand
(minus fingers) equals 3 servings of meat, fish or chicken
- the size of a baseball equals 1 apple
- the size of a hockey puck equals 2 servings for ½ bagel
- the size of a compact (CD) disc equals 1 serving of one pancake
- the size of 4 stacked dice equals 1 serving of natural cheese
The best way to determine the amount of food in a given serving is to look at
the Nutrition Facts label and measure it out. Although this may not be practical
or that much fun, if you are able to take the time, you will soon be able to
"eyeball" the amount of food and know whether there is too much or too
little.
For example, filling a measuring cup with the proper sized portion of
vegetables, rice, etc., and then emptying it onto a plate will help you learn
what these serving sizes look like. Take note of how much of the plate is
covered; this will help you in the future, even if you only do it once. Simply
by having and implementing this knowledge, you will have taken an important step
in achieving weight management.