What’s a serving?

Add comment June 13th, 2008

I’ve written a couple of times about knowing the correct serving size when you’re trying to manage your weight, so here’s a list of easy visual cues to help figure the right size for various foods.

Hint: They have nothing to do with the serving sizes you’ll find on most restaurant plates.

A serving of meat or fish, which is approximately three ounces, is about the size of a deck of cards or the open palm of your hand.

A serving of fruits or vegetables — it varies slightly for cooked or fresh — is one-fourth to one-half a cup. In approximate size, think a closed fist or about the size of a baseball.

A serving of whole grain, whether it’s bread, pasta, rice or some other grain, is about what would fit in your cupped hand.

A serving of cheese is approximately one ounce. Think two fingers.

A serving of fat — yes, it is essential to the proper function of certain parts of your body — is about a teaspoon, which you could visualize as the tip of your thumb.