Visualizing your portion size
Making healthful food choices and understanding portion sizes are key factors in healthy eating. Especially, if you are planning to lose weight, determining portion size plays a major role.
What exactly is a portion? A portion is one serving of a type of food. Do you know what it looks like a cup of peas? a tablespoon of peanut butter? or 1 oz of cooked meat?
Hints for visualizing your portion size
- 1/4 cup is about the size of a ping pong or a golf ball.
- 1 cup is about the size of a tennis or baseball.
- A 1-inch diameter sauce cup will hold 1 oz.
- A ‘pint’ deli container holds 16 oz or about 2 cups.
How to visualize meat portion sizes
- 3 oz meat portion is similar in size to a deck of cards
- 1 oz of cooked meat is similar in size to 3 dice.
- 1-inch meatball is about 1 oz.
- 4 oz of raw, lean meat is about 3 oz after cooking.
- 3 oz of grilled fish is the size of a checkbook.
How to visualize fruit and vegetable portion sizes
- For cut fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, broccoli, or peas use cups as well as, for small fruit like strawberries or grapes, also use cups. 1 cup of fruit is about the size of a tennis or baseball.
How to visualize fruits portion sizes
- A medium apple, peach, or orange is about the size of a tennis ball.
- For fruits with variable sizes, like a banana, measure and record the length in inches.
How to visualize cereal and pasta portion sizes
- 1-cup cooked pasta is about the size of a tennis ball.
- A small bagel is the size of a hockey puck.
How to visualize cheese, butter, and spreads portion sizes
- 1 oz of cheese is about a 1-inch square or about the size of four stacked dice.
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or butter is about the size of your thumb.
- 1 teaspoon of peanut butter is the size of the area from the base of your thumbnail to the tip of your thumb.
- A typical salad dressing ladle in a restaurant will hold 3-4 tablespoons of dressing.
