Understanding Food Serving Sizes

For people with who are losing weight, trying to make healthy adjustments to their diet, or attempting to control medical conditions, such as diabetes, through diet, watching calorie intake is a major priority. Some people, especially for those using diet to help control disease, are asked by their doctors to measure the amount and type of food eaten. For many, this can become a hassle, particularly when particular servings of food are restricted to a certain number of ounces.

Most people don't have a device for measuring such an exact amount, so they need to resort to approximations of a serving size. Here are a few ways to approximate your serving sizes:

1 cup (8 fl oz) is 2/3 of a can of soda (12 fl oz).
1 cup of food is about a large handful or two ice cream scoops.
1 tbsp is the size of the tip of your thumb (from the crease to the tip).
1 tsp is the size of the tip of your pinky finger (from the crease to the tip).

If you are trying to lose or maintain weight, select the low calorie foods in each category. High calorie foods should play a very small role in your healthy diet.

Serving Sizes for Grain, Pasta, Bread

This group of food is the foundation of that fancy food pyramid you've most likely heard about. In this food group, you'll find food items such as rice, pasta, bagels, and cereal. Six to eleven servings of this food group a day is recommended. But how much is a single serving of food? Well, each serving contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates, but that still isn't very helpful, is it? Below is a list of grains, pastas, and breads and the amount that is approximately one serving.

Serving Size	Calories (approx.)
1/4 bagel (approximately 1 ounce)	50
1/2 hot dog or hamburger bun	50
1/2 English muffin	65
1 slice of bread (4-inch square)	70
1 tortilla (6-inch diameter)	70
1/2 pita bread (6-inch diameter)	70
1/3 cup cooked rice	70
2 rice cakes (4-inch diameter)	70
1/2 cup cooked dried beans (kidney, pinto, lentil, lima, etc.)	70-100
1/2 cup cooked pasta	80
6 saltine crackers	84
1/2 cup corn (or 1 regular-sized cob of corn)	85
8 animal crackers	88
1/2 cup cooked cereal	90
3/4 cup dry cereal	90-140
1 small baked potato (size of a standard computer mouse)	104
1/2 cup cooked green peas	110
3 graham crackers (in a 2 1/2-inch square)	120
1 small dinner roll (2-inch square)	140

A Note on Selecting Grains, Breads and Pasta: When making a selection, lean towards the complex carbohydrates: whole grain breads and pastas. Avoid those containing simple carbohydrates, such as refined flour (even if it is enriched!).

Fruit and Vegetable Serving Sizes

Fruits and vegetables make up the next level of the food pyramid. While some may remember fruits and vegetables as one group, they've now been separated.

Three to five servings of fruit (apples, oranges, grapes, grapefruit, etc.) a day is recommended. Each fruit serving has about 15 grams of carbohydrates. Below is a list of fruits that approximate one serving.

Fruit Serving Size	Calories (approx.)
1 cup melon (cantaloupe, honeydew, etc. but not watermelon)	39-55
2 small plums	40
17 small grapes or 12 large grapes	45
1 kiwi	45
1 medium apple, orange, or peach	50-60
1 small banana	60
1 1/4 cup strawberries	65
3/4 cup fruit juice	80
2 tbsp raisins or any dried fruit	120
1 1/2 cup watermelon	162
1/2 cup fruit canned in water	varies

You should also eat three to five servings of vegetables (lettuce, celery, spinach, etc.) a day, but each serving of vegetables only has 5 grams of carbohydrates:

1 serving raw vegetables = 1 cup
1 serving cooked vegetables = 1/2 cup

Vegetable Serving Size	Calories (approx.)
asparagus	10
spinach	10
broccoli	15
lettuce	15
bamboo (canned)	18
mushrooms	18
green beans	20
tomato	20
carrots	22
watercress	25
eggplant	26
cauliflower	30
leek	32
beets	35
onions	40
zucchini	40
squash	100

Dairy Serving Size

Dairy is an important part of a healthy diet, but watch your intake because many dairy products are high in fat and carbohydrates. Two to four servings of dairy a day is recommended (each serving contains 12 grams of carbohydrates and 300mg/30% of the recommended daily amount of calcium). Below are examples foods that equal one serving of dairy.

Dairy Serving Size	Calories (approx.)
1/2 cup evaporated milk	80
1 cup skim, 1%, or 2% milk	85-120
1 1/2 ounces of low-fat natural cheeses (e.g. Swiss cheese)	135 (Swiss)
1 cup yogurt	180
2 ounces of low-fat processed cheeses (e.g. American cheese)	200 (American)

Protein Serving Sizes

Protein is an important part of a balanced diet. You should have about four to eight ounces of protein a day. When choosing meats avoid the skin and fatty cuts. Stick with skinless poultry, fish, and leaner cuts of meat. Of course you can get your protein in other ways, such as by eating tofu and peanut butter. Here are a few examples that equal 1 ounce of protein.

Protein Serving Size	Calories (approx.)
1/2 cup tofu	30-60
1/4 cup cottage cheese	50
1 egg	75
1 tbsp peanut butter	95

Meat Serving Sizes	Calories (approx.)
3 oz low fat meat (chicken breast, beef loin or round, pork loin, fish)	115
3 oz medium fat meat (dark chicken meats, ground beef, prime rib, pork chop or cutlet, veal cutlet)	225
3 oz high fat meat (pork sausage, spare ribs, lunch meat)	300

Three ounces of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.

Fat Serving Size

Fats are high calorie foods and should represent the smallest portion of a healthy diet. You should have no more than two to four servings a day. One serving is approximately:

Fat Serving Size	Calories (approx.)
1/8 of an avocado	35
1 tsp vegetable oil	40
1 tsp peanut butter	45
6 almonds or cashews	60-80
10 peanuts	60-80
8 ripe olives	85
1 tbsp salad dressing	70-100

Monitoring Servings of Food

The types of foods you eat and the serving sizes of each food will determine the number of calories and nutrients you receive. Try to eat plenty of healthy, low calorie foods such as whole grain, fruits and vegetables while limiting the number of high calorie foods (fats and fatty meats) eaten. Monitoring the number of servings of each food category is an important part of maintaining a healthy diet. Now it's more than simply watching what you eat, healthy eating also means watching how much you eat.