What Is a Serving Size?

Plating up your food often feels like a shot in the dark—especially determining how much to put on your plate. What's more, dinner plates have gotten larger and the appropriate portion of food is not always clear. So, it's easy to see why portion confusion is a problem today.

But understanding serving sizes is essential for ensuring you're fueling properly, eating enough calories, and managing your body weight. Here is what you need to know about serving sizes including how to determine the right amount for you.

The Importance of Serving Sizes

The serving size on food labels tells the consumer the nutritional content of its contents. You can gain a great deal of information from a food label, including how many calories are in the food, protein, carbs, fiber, sugar, and fat—essentially all you need to know about the nutrients you'll get if you eat a portion of the food.

Why Does This Matter?

The amount of food you eat directly impacts your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Eat too much and you could get sick or gain weight. Eat too few calories and you risk deficiencies, weight loss, fatigue, binge eating, and injury.

Translating the serving size on food labels to the serving on your plate puts you in control of how much you eat and helps ensure you're able to reach your daily nutrient needs. It also allows you to make an informed decision and decide whether you want to eat more than the recommended serving or save the rest for later.

Think about it. 16-ounce bottles of soda are actually two servings, yet most people drink the entire thing. Therefore, they're having two servings. The label clearly states the number of calories and sugar you'd get for drinking one serving, so if you drink the entire bottle, you have to double it.

Defining a Serving Size

A serving size refers to a standard measurement that represents a specific amount of food or drink, such as 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 8 ounces of milk. Serving sizes are created by government agencies and industry standards, often based on typical consumption patterns.

In the United States, recommended serving sizes are not mandatory. However, food labels must contain a serving size. Without the serving size on food labels, the average person would not be able to determine the nutritional content of their chosen food.

Unfortunately, serving size remains one of the most confusing parts of the food label for consumers. Without set standards, food manufacturers can display any serving size they'd like. Using a smaller serving size can create a false sense of a food being more nutritious—or giving it a health halo—leading consumers to believe the food has fewer calories, sodium, or saturated fat than similar food products. This leads to a phenomenon known as portion distortion, where people end up eating more than what the label intends without realizing it. Note that this can happen for more nutritious foods as well. Perhaps you love whole grain cereal or granola but don't realize a portion is 1/3 cup and you eat 2 cups. This would be 5 extra servings, and likely much more than you intended to consume from a calorie perspective.

Reading Nutrition Labels

Understanding how to read a nutrition label is essential for making nutritious choices when shopping for food. Nutrition labels provide an abundance of useful information at your fingertips.

Most people look at total calories and carbohydrates first. While this information is valuable, it's not necessarily what should guide your food choices. Instead, look at all aspects of the food label to fully understand what you're consuming.

Start at the top with the serving size. This information will tell you how much you will need to eat to consume the nutrients in the food. It's important to be able to visualize how much food is in a given serving size. If a serving is too small, you will not feel full and satisfied.

From there you can continue down the label. The total calories tell you how many calories are in one serving size. Macronutrients are listed following calories. It's the macronutrients that contribute calories to the food. The total fat, carbohydrates, and protein content of a food are provided within that serving size. If you eat more than a serving size, you're consuming more calories, fats, carbs, and protein than what is listed on the label.

Because most people enjoy a sufficient portion of a given food, comparing labels for serving sizes is important. For example, it's easy to over-pour when serving yourself a bowl of cereal. If that's the case, look for a cereal with a larger portion size so that you're aware of the nutrition provided in that bigger meal.

If your favorite cereal is a 3/4 cup serving size and you often don't feel full and satisfied, you may be better off choosing one that has a 1 1/4 cup serving size yet provides similar nutritional benefits. Learning how to read a food label can help you make healthier food choices that meet your preferences and nutritional needs.

Common Serving Size Examples

You'll notice on food labels that similar foods often have the same or similar serving size. This can make things easier for you when portioning ingredients for meals and snacks. Here are some common serving size examples:

Grains

• Rice (cooked) - 1 cup
• Oatmeal (dry) - 1/3 cup
• Pasta or noodles (dry) - 2 ounces
• Quinoa (cooked) - 1 cup
• Bread - 2 slices
• Cereal - 3/4 cup
• Granola - 1/4 cup
  

Proteins

• Chicken breast - 3 ounces
• Eggs - 1 large
• Egg whites - 1 large
• Fish or shellfish - 3 ounces
• Tofu - 3/4 cup
• Lean meat - 3 ounces

Fruits

• Apple - 1 large
• Avocado - 1/5 or 1.1 ounces
• Banana - 1 medium
• Cantaloupe - 1/4 medium or 4.8 ounces
• Grapes - 3/4 cup
• Watermelon - 2 cups
• Pineapple - 2 slices
• Strawberries - 8 medium

Vegetables

• Potatoes - 3/4 cup
• Legumes - 3/4 cup
• Beans - 3/4 cup
• Carrots - 1/4 cup
• Asparagus - 5 spears
• Lettuce - 1 1/2 cups
• Sweet potato - 1 medium

Dairy Products

• Milk - 8 ounces
• Sliced cheese - 1 slice or 2 ounces
• Yogurt - 2/3 cup
• Cottage cheese - 1/2 cup
• Cubed cheese - 2 ounces
• Shredded cheese - 1/4 cup
• Cream cheese - 1 tablespoon
• Half-n-half - 2 tablespoons
• Sour cream - 2 tablespoons

Fats

• Peanut butter - 2 tablespoons
• Almond butter - 2 tablespoons
• Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
• Butter - 1 tablespoon
• Margarine - 1 tablespoon
• Nuts - 1 ounce
• Seeds - 1 ounce
• Mayonnaise - 1 tablespoon
• Salad dressings - 2 tablespoons

Adjusting Serving Sizes for Individual Needs

Serving sizes on food labels are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. While this works for a general population, every body is different and adjustments should be made for those who require a larger or smaller portion size. Age, sex, activity level, and specific dietary requirements all factor into whether or not someone needs a different serving size.

Children, for example, may need a smaller serving size, while athletes require more calories. Males and females may also require different serving sizes.

The amount of calories and macronutrients you need is what determines your individual serving sizes. Use a calorie calculator to determine your daily calorie needs. This is a great place to start when working to understand your own individual serving size needs.

Strategies for Portion Control

Sometimes portions are much larger than they need to be. Restaurants and families sometimes serve more than the human body needs in one meal or snack. The good news is, there are ways to rein it back in, here's how:

• Determine the recommended serving size. Use the food label to discover the actual serving size of a particular food.
• Use measuring cups and spoons to portion out food. This will help you prevent over- or under-scooping.
• Measure your portions for one week. Doing so will give you a better visual understanding of how much to serve yourself. You don't have to measure forever, though. Once you know what a serving size looks like, you can eyeball it from there.
• Use hand symbols. Hand symbols are a great way to portion food without using measuring cups or spoons. A serving of protein is about the size of the palm of your hand and a serving of carbohydrates is about the size of your fist. Meanwhile, a serving of cheese or peanut butter is the length of your thumb and a serving of oil or sugar is your thumb tip. For chips and pretzels, two handfuls would be considered a serving.
• Use your plate as a guide. Make half your plate fruits and/or vegetables while 1/3 of your plate should be protein. The remaining 1/3 is carbohydrates.
• Eat without distractions. Serve yourself a meal or snack, then go sit down and enjoy it without television or other distractions.
• Focus on hunger and fullness cues. Just because your plate is full, doesn't mean you have to eat all of it. Be intentional and mindful about eating. Avoid eating too quickly so you can tune into your fullness and stop when you're done.
• Eat frequently throughout the day. Going too long without eating will leave you feeling ravenous. By the time you get to the food, you're more likely to make poor choices or overeat.

Your relationship with food also plays a big role in how much you eat in one sitting. If you have a poor relationship with food, you'll be more likely to restrict your eating and find yourself on a binge. If this is something you struggle with, a registered dietitian or mental health professional can help you work on your relationship with food.

Balancing the Plate

Creating balanced meals and snacks is important to keep you full and satisfied. Skimping out on any one food or food group will leave you feeling unsatisfied and looking for more food shortly after.

Balancing the plate means including an appropriate portion of protein, carbohydrates, fats, fruits, and/or vegetables with each meal or snack. You can use nutrition labels to determine portion sizes and adjust based on your own calorie needs.

To build your balanced plate, make half the plate fruits or vegetables, 1/4 of the plate protein, and 1/4 of the plate carbohydrates. You can also try using the 1/3 rule, which is 1/3 of the plate is protein, 1/3 of the plate is carbohydrates, and the remaining 1/3 is fruits and vegetables. Remember to use dietary fat when cooking or as needed as a condiment.

To ensure you're eating nutrient-dense foods, focus on fiber, fat, and protein. Certain carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which will help you stay full and satisfied for longer. Lean protein is essential for managing weight and providing satisfaction after a meal. And, dietary fat helps with vitamin absorption and improves fullness after a meal.

Not all meals have to be perfect on the nutrition scale, because all foods can fit into a balanced and nutritious diet. But, following these tips can help you prevent overeating and meet your daily nutrient needs. Portion control has a big impact on your overall health and well-being.

Understanding serving sizes is essential for consuming the appropriate portions for your body and activity level. Practice reading food labels before you head to the store so you're better equipped at making healthful food choices. Also, talking to a registered dietitian can help you answer any underlying questions you may have and guide you in determining the right portion sizes for you.