Texas Children's Hospital
 
   

     For Parents
 


    Overview
    Your Child's Health
    Parents Advice Line
    Parent's Connection
    Send a Patient Greeting

Bookmark and Share



  Donate Now

     
 

Size it up!

To put your healthful eating plan into action, you need to know what one serving looks like. The portion or amount of a food that you choose to eat may be more or less than one serving. If you choose a large portion, it may count as 2 servings, a small portion may only be half a serving.

Learning to judge servings sizes takes a little practice. And, since carrying around measuring cups and a scale just isn't practical, here are some examples to help you make quick estimates.

Food of this weight

is the same size as

3 ounces of meat, poultry or fish

Deck of playing cards, cassette tape or the palm of a woman's hand

1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish

Matchbook

1 cup of fruit or yogurt

Baseball

1/2 cup of chopped vegetables

Three regular ice cubes

1 medium potato

Computer mouse

1 cup of potatoes, rice or pasta

Size of a fist or a tennis ball

1 medium orange or apple

Baseball

1 standard bagel

Hockey puck

1 chopped fresh leafy greens

4 lettuce leaves

2 tablespoons peanut butter

Golf ball

1 ounce of cheese

Four dice or a tube of lipstick

1 slice of cheese

3.5-Inch computer disk

1/2 cup of cooked vegetables

6 asparagus spears
7-8 baby carrots or carrot sticke
1 ear of corn
3 spears of broccoli

National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics of the American Dietetic Association and its Foundation
May be reproduced for educational purposes. ©
1998

Download in pdf format