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Portion Control Guidelines
You probably have friends that eat anything and everything they want and still don’t gain weight. One secret to their success is mastering the amount of food they eat. The amount of any food you eat is also referred to as ‘portion size’.
Visual Portion Guidelines
Meat, Chicken, & Fish = Should be the size of the palm of hand. Meat (once per week) Chicken & Fish (one serving per day)
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Potatoes, Rice or Pasta = Should be around 1 cup. Roughly the size of the palm of hand. (one serving at every meal)
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Desserts (cakes, cookies, etc..) = Should be around 2”x2” square, about the size of 1/2 a business card. (Consume once or twice per week)
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Comparing Food Portions: Today Versus Twenty Years Ago
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has these interactive quizzes to help you learn how food portions have grown, and how this can affect your weight – unless you are very, very active.
Portion Distortion Quiz #1 from NHLBI
See how today’s portions compare to portions available 20 years ago.
Portion Distortion Quiz #2 from NHLBI
Learn how much physical activity you need to burn off today’s large portions.
FAQ
What is the difference between a ‘portion’ and a ‘serving’?
A "portion" is how much food you choose to eat, whether in a restaurant, from a package, or in your own kitchen. A "serving" is a standard amount set by the U.S. Government, or sometimes by others for recipes, cookbooks, or diet plans.
How do you translate the words ‘portion’ and a ‘serving’ into Spanish?
Portion translates into ‘porción’ (pour-seeon). The term serving cannot be easily translated to Spanish because there have been few guidelines set forth by governments so the term is not used in vernacular Spanish.