The size of a typical portion of food is increasing. ‘Mega serves’, ‘all you can eat’ and ‘up-sizing’ of meals has resulted in portion distortion, or confusion about how much food you should eat.
It’s important to know what an appropriate portion (serve) size looks like, because if you can train yourself to eat an appropriate amount of food you’ll be much more likely to enjoy a healthy weight.
What Does a Serve of Food Look Like?
Food Serve / Size / Looks Like
Vegetables / 1 cup / an adult fist
Fruit / 1 medium piece or ¾ cup chopped / a tennis ball
Milk / 250mL / an adult fist
Yoghurt / 200g / a child's fist
Cheese / 30g / a matchbox
Cereal and pasta / ¾ cup / a tennis ball
Bread / 1 thick slice (55g) / an adult man’s hand
Rice / ½ cup cooked / 2 golf balls
Fats (oil and butter) / 1 tsp / a large button
Beef, pork, chicken and lamb / 120g / the palm of an adult hand
How Many Serves Should I Eat Every Day?
It’s best to consult a Dietitian as the number of serves you should eat per day is dependent on your size, activity level and any special dietary requirements. However to give you a rough idea, the average person consuming 1800 Calories a day should eat:
Food / Number of Serves
Breads, cereals, rice and pasta / 5-7
Fruit / 2-3
Vegetables / 5-6
Beef, pork, chicken, lamb and fish / 1 ½ - 2
Milk, yoghurt and cheese / 2-4
Practical Tips for Reducing Your Portion Sizes
• Serve your meals on a small plate
• Eat slowly
• Buy a scale and a set of measuring cups and measure the amount of food that you are consuming for a few days
• Look at the Nutrition Information Panel of the foods you are eating – are you eating more than one serve size?
• Buy smaller packets of food at the supermarket. If you want to buy in bulk divide the content into smaller bags before you store it
• Don’t eat directly from a food packet - place your food on a separate plate and then put the packet away
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