How to Determine the Number of Servings

Studies on eating habits show that there is often a difference between what people think they eat and what they actually consume. Many items sold as a single portion actually provide two or more servings. For example, one portion of chicken parmesan at a local restaurant may actually total 3 or 4 servings. It is important therefore to understand what is meant by a serving size and a portion.

A serving is a standard amount of food, like 1 cup or 1 ounce. It is used to help give advice about how much to eat. It helps you identify how many calories and nutrients are in a food.

A portion, on the other hand, is the amount of food that you choose to eat. There is no standard portion size. What size portion is right for you will depend on your unique nutrition needs, your lifestyle (this includes your exercise habits), as well as your weight management goals.

Larger food portions have more calories. Eating more calories than you need, over time, may lead to weight gain and eventually to disease. Therefore, controlling your portion size is one of the best ways to manage your weight.

	Serving Size	Comparison
Grains	1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta 1 cup dry cereal	Scoop of ice cream Large handful
Vegetables	1/2 cup chopped raw/cooked vegetables 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables	Size of your fist Size of your fist
Fruits	Medium apple, orange or banana	Baseball
Dairy	2 oz. of cheese 1 cup of milk or yogurt	Pair of dominoes Size of your fist
Meats	3 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry or fish	Deck of cards
Fats	1 teaspoon of butter 2 oz. of peanut butter	Tip of your thumb A ping-pong ball