Guide to Appropriate Serving Sizes

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Guide to Appropriate Serving Sizes

Most Americans are in desperate need of a basic guide to help them understand what appropriate serving sizes are. I say this because I am the daughter of a registered dietitian and I’ve heard this pretty much all of my life. Also, all of my friends who are from abroad are always commenting on the size of portions at American restaurants. How often do you finish your plate entirely at a restaurant? Honestly… I almost never do. Because it’s just too big.

If Americans have a distorted image as to what a portion size, no wonder we’re all overweight. But it begs the question– what is an appropriate serving and how can we tell whether or not we’re overindulging?

Guide to Appropriate Serving Sizes

Keep in mind that the average person should be consuming 2000 a day. You should always be somewhat conscious of how many calories you’re consuming on a daily basis, so keep a mental (or written) list.

A basic guide to what your an appropriate serving size for certain foods is best described with common objects. I’ve listed some of the foods that regularly appear on plates and how much you should be consuming.

Fruits & Veggies: an appropriate serving size is a 1/2 cup or the size of a tennis ball.

Salad: it’s recommended that you get a cup of leafy greens, or 2 tennis balls worth.

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Rice & Pasta: 1/2 cup in a given meal or a serving the size of a tennis ball.

Cereal: you’re supposed to eat 3/4 cup of cereal or 1 computer mouse sized serving.

Yogurt: 3/4 cup or 1 computer mouse.

Cheese: the size of 6 standard dice.

Beef, Chicken, Pork or Fish: a serving the size of a deck of cards.

Beans/Tofu: 3/4 cup or the size of a computer mouse.

Nuts: 1/4 cup or the size of 2 golf balls.

So, let’s say that I were to make dinner for myself. On my plate I’d have 1 deck-of-cards-sized piece of salmon, 1 tennis balls worth of salad, and 1 tennis ball worth of rice. Make sense?

Another way to look at it– 1/2 your plate should be covered fruits in vegetables, 1/4 in protein and 1/4 in grains.

How does this play out daily in our stomachs?

Every day you should get 3-5 servings (tennis balls) of vegetables, 2-3 servings (decks of cards) of protein, and 6 servings of grains (6 computer mouses).

Guide to Appropriate Serving Sizes

Unfortunately, these serving sizes are smaller than most of us would like. Just remember, at the end of the day you can eat as many fruits and veggies you like. They’re full of nutrients and low in calories, so indulge in a whole tennis court of them if you like.

The holidays are here and it’s more important than before that you watch your portion control. We get a lot of treats along the way during the festivities, so make sure you don’t fall victim to too many cookies.

Related: Foods that Keep You Full

Guide to Appropriate Serving Sizes

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