Portion Size Vs. Serving Size

Portions and Servings can be confusing to the average person trying to change their eating habits and lose weight. On one hand the food pyramid says we should eat 6 servings(the same as 6oz) of carbohydrates(breads, rice, cereals, pasta etc) daily but it neglects to illustrate how much 6 servings actually is. A nutritionist will focus on how much is on your plate and tell you to eat smaller portions. A good nutritionist will demonstrate to you what an actual portion looks like. But, what if you have never seen the food pyramid or have never visited a nutritionist. How do you distinguish between a portion and a serving? The two terms are more similar than they are different because a portion is actually what makes up a serving. I will define both based on how they are used in relation to eating healthy.

A portion size is the amount of food that is on your plate. It is the amount of food that you will consume in one sitting.

A serving size is the recommended amount of food based on the food guide pyramid that you should consume throughout an entire day.

Both portions and servings help to determine how many calories, and nutrients, we consume daily and if followed properly portion sizes and serving sizes will help us maintain a healthy balanced diet.

Servings are easy to determine if we follow the food guide pyramid recommendations which can be found at www.mypyramid.gov. Once you know how many servings of a food you are to eat, knowing how much of that food takes some educating. The easiest way to figure out portions is to measure your foods. If you are unable to measure, knowing that 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, mash potato and hot cereals account for one serving of a starch (carbohydrate) can be beneficial. I often encourage clients to purchase measuring cups and begin measuring foods to get an idea of what a cup looks like or what a 1/2 cup looks like. Once you have the measurements down you can then begin to visualize and know when you have too much of one food or not enough of another on your plate.