What Portion Size is Right for Me?

In a recent article on portion control I discussed the importance of this little-understood part of weight loss programs.  It’s a key factor in weight reduction and a well balanced diet.

Still, many people find the concept quite confusing.  The foods we eat have labels on the back telling us the serving size; however these labels don’t tell us the number of portions we should consume for each food group on a daily basis.

Scientists at the United States Department of Health and Human Services have developed new guidelines and a new food guide “pyramid” in recent years.  While this new pyramid is somewhat similar to the old one, it is a little vague on the portion sizes you need to consume for each food group.  There is nothing wrong if you want to look at the old pyramid when determining your portion sizes, because let’s face it, the general population used it for many years when figuring out their nutrition requirements.

In order to determine what portion size we need we will turn to the Food Guide Pyramid presented by the US Department of Agriculture.  This food guide pyramid tells us that we need to consume:

* 6-11 Servings of bread, rice, pasta, and cereal.  A serving of these foods constitutes as 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready to eat cereal, and ½ cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta.

* 2-4 Servings of fruit.  A serving of fruit would be 1 medium apple or banana, ½ cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit, and ¾ cup of fruit juice.

* 3-5 Servings of vegetables.  A serving of vegetables would be 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables, ½ cup of other vegetables either cooked or raw, and ¾ cup of vegetable juice.

* 2-3 Servings of meat and poultry.  A serving of meat or poultry would be 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, ½ cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

* 2-3 servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese.  A serving from this group would be 1 cup of milk, 1 ½ ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese.

Remember that when determining proper portion size it is important to read the nutrition labels and to measure out your food.  I would recommend purchasing some scales, measuring cups, and measuring spoons to help.