What is a serving size?

One of the best ways you can live healthy and maintain a healthy weight is to learn about what an actual serving size looks like. You can use this knowledge to make healthier choices when eating at school, having snacks or even choosing from a fast food menu! Serving sizes are often smaller than people think, so knowing what the “real” size should be can help you to make smart decisions!

Serving sizes are defined by the USDA Food Guide Pyramid as a standard amount used to help give advice about how much food to eat. It also helps us identify how many calories and nutrients are in a food. A portion is the amount of food that you choose to eat. There is no standard portion size and no single right or wrong portion size. However, knowing the size of a serving can help your child determine healthful portions. 

In each food group, look at these different Food Guide Pyramid examples indicating what amount equals 1 serving each.

• 1 slice bread, waffle or pancake

• ½ bagel, hamburger bun, or English muffin

• ½ cup cooked rice, pasta or cereal

• 1 cup ready to eat cereal

• ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) 100% vegetable juice

• 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables or salad

• ½ cup cooked or canned vegetables

• 1 medium apple, orange or banana

• ½ cup fruit (canned, cooked or raw)

• ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) 100% fruit juice

• ¼ cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots or prunes)

• 1 cup milk or yogurt

• 2 ounces processed cheese (American)

• 1 ½ ounces natural cheese (cheddar)

• 1 tablespoons of peanut butter counts as 1 ounce

• ¼ cup nuts or 20-24 almonds

• 1 medium size egg

• 2-3 ounces of poultry, meat or fish (2-3 servings)

• ¼ cup of beans

To help you get the hang of it, try measuring out the amount in one serving for a snack or even a meal to see the actual quantity of food. Always eat your serving off of a plate or out of a bowl rather than from the box or bag, so that you don’t get distracted and lose track of how much you’ve had. 

• Research shows that Americans are eating larger and larger portions. For example, twenty years ago a bagel was about 3 inches in diameter and 140 calories. Today’s bagels are about 6 inches in diameter, 350 calories and may count up to three or even four servings in the grains group. Let’s also compare a soda twenty years ago that was about 6.5 ounces and 85 calories. Today, an average soda is 20 ounces and can have 300 or more calories.

• Serving sizes on food labels are sometimes different from the Food Guide Pyramid servings. For example, the serving size for beverages is measured in cups or fluid ounces. Whether it is milk, juice, or soda the nutrition facts labeling guidelines is 1 cup or 8 fluid ounces, which equals 1 serving size. However, the Food Guide Pyramid serving size for milk is 1 cup, but for juice it is ¾ cup.

Here are some tips on how to visually estimate 1 serving size of each food group!

1 oz. bread or 1 slice of bread – CD Case

Ten French Fried – Deck of Cards

½ cup cooked rice or pasta – Computer mouse

1 cup raw leafy vegetables – Baseball

½ cup vegetables – Computer mouse

1 medium fruit such as an apple or orange – Tennis ball of the size of your fist

½ cup chopped or canned fruit – Computer mouse

1oz. cheese – Pair of dice or the size of your thumb

1 ½ oz. cheddar cheese – Two 9-volt batteries

8oz. yogurt – Baseball or tennis ball

3oz. meat, fish, or poultry – Deck of Cards (3 servings)

2tbsp. peanut-butter – Ping-pong ball (2 servings)

½ cup cooked beans – Baseball (2 servings)