WIN Weight-control Information Network

About Food Portions About Food Portions

U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

Just

Enough

For You

Just

Enough

For You

Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

Index

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What is the difference between a portion

and a serving? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

How do I know how big my portions are? . . . . . . . . . . . 3

How can I control portions at home? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Is getting more food for your money always

a good value? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

How can I control portions when eating out? . . . . . . . . 11

Additional Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Weight-control Information Network Brochures . . . . . 14
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 1

Introduction

Controlling your weight calls for more than just

choosing a healthy variety of foods. It also calls for

looking at how much and how often you eat. This

brochure shows you how to use serving sizes to help you eat

just enough for you.
2 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

What is the difference between a

portion and a serving?

A“portion” is how much food you choose to eat at one

time, whether in a restaurant, from a package, or in

your own kitchen. A “serving” size is the amount of

food listed on a product’s Nutrition Facts. Sometimes, the

portion size and serving size match; sometimes they do not.

Keep in mind that the serving size on the Nutrition Facts is

not a recommended amount of food to eat. It is a quick way

of letting you know the calories and nutrients in a certain

amount of food.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nutrition

Facts information is printed on most packaged foods. It tells

you how many calories and how much fat, carbohydrate,

sodium, and other nutrients are available in one serving of

food. Most packaged foods

contain more than a single

serving. The serving sizes that

appear on food labels are based

on FDA-established lists of

foods. (For more information,

see www.cfsan.fda.gov.) 
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 3

How do I know how big my 

portions are?

The portion size that you are used to eating may be

equal to two or three standard servings. Take a look at

the Nutrition Facts for macaroni and cheese. The

serving size is 1 cup, but the package actually has 2 cups of

this food product. If you eat the entire package, you are

eating two servings of

macaroni and cheese—and

double the calories, fat, and

other nutrients in a standard

serving.

Nutrition Facts

To see how many servings a

package has, check the

“servings per container” listed

on its Nutrition Facts. You

may be surprised to find that

small containers often have

more than one serving inside.

Learning to recognize standard

serving sizes can help you

judge how much you are

eating. When cooking for

yourself, use measuring cups

and spoons
4 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

to measure your usual food portions and compare them to

standard serving sizes from Nutrition Facts of packaged food

products for a week or so. Put the suggested serving size that

appears on the label on your plate before you start eating.

This will help you see what one standard serving of a food

looks like compared to how much you normally eat.

It may also help to compare serving sizes to everyday objects.

For example, 1/4 cup of raisins is about the size of a large

egg. Three ounces of meat or poultry is about the size of a

deck of cards. See other serving size comparisons below.

(Keep in mind that these size comparisons are

approximations.)

Serving Sizes Everyday Objects

1 cup of cereal = a fist

1/2 cup of cooked rice, pasta, or

potato = 1/2 baseball

1 baked potato = a fist
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 5

Serving Sizes Everyday Objects

1 medium fruit = a baseball

1/2 cup of fresh fruit = 1/2 baseball

1 1/2 ounces of low-fat or fat-free

cheese = 4 stacked dice 

1/2 cup of ice cream = 1/2 baseball

2 tablespoons of peanut butter

= a ping-pong ball
6 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

Another way to keep track of your portions is to use a

food diary. Writing down when, what, how much,

where, and why you eat can help you be aware of the

amount of food you are eating and the times you tend to eat

too much. Page 7 shows what 1 day of a person’s food diary

might look like.

After reading the food diary on page 7, you can see that this

person chose relatively healthy portion sizes for breakfast and

lunch. At those meals, she ate to satisfy her hunger. She had a

large chocolate bar in the

afternoon for emotional

reasons—boredom, not in

response to hunger. If you tend

to eat when you are not hungry,

try doing something else, like

taking a break to walk around

the block or calling a friend,

instead of eating. You could also

try doing something with your

hands, such as knitting, drawing,

or playing cards. If the craving

hits you while you are at work,

try drinking water or herbal tea 

without sugar.

By 8 p.m., this person was very hungry and ate large portions

of higher-fat, higher-calorie foods. If she had made an early

evening snack of fruit and fat-free or low-fat yogurt, she

might have been less hungry at 8 p.m. and eaten less. She

also may have eaten more than she needed because she was at

a social event, and was not paying attention to how much she

was eating. Through your diary, you can become aware of

the times and reasons you eat too much, which can help as

you try to make different choices in the future.
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 7

Time Hunger/

Reason

Thursday

Food Amount Place Calories*

8 a.m.

1 p.m.

3 p.m.

8 p.m.

Coffee, black

Banana

Low-fat yogurt

Turkey and cheese

sandwich on

whole-wheat

bread with

mustard, tomato,

and lettuce

Potato chips,

baked

Water

Chocolate bar

Fried potato skins

with cheese and

bacon

Chicken Caesar

salad

Breadsticks

Apple pie with

vanilla ice cream

Soft drink

6 fl. oz.

1 medium

1 cup

3 oz. turkey,

2 oz.

American

cheese, 2

slices bread

1 small bag

16 fl. oz.

King Size

(4 oz.)

2 skins

2 cups

lettuce, 6 oz.

chicken, 6

Tbsp.

dressing, 3/4

cup croutons

2 large sticks

1/8 of 9-inch

pie, 1 cup ice

cream

12 fl. oz.

Home

Work

Work

Restaurant/

Out with

friends

Slightly

hungry

Hungry

Not

hungry/

Bored

Very

hungry

7

105

205

373

108

–

560

333

855

296

623

155

*Approximations based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “My Pyramid Tracker,” and online dietary

and physical activity assessment tool (www.mypyramidtracker.gov/default.htm).
8 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

How can I control portions at home?

Y

ou do not need to measure

and count everything you eat

for the rest of your life—just do

this long enough to recognize typical

serving sizes. Try the ideas listed below to

help you control portions at home.

● Take the amount of food that is 

equal to one serving, according to 

the Nutrition Facts, and eat it off a plate 

instead of eating straight out of a large box or bag.

● Avoid eating in front of the 

TV or while busy with other 

activities. Pay attention to 

what you are eating and fully 

enjoy the smell and taste of 

your foods.

● Eat slowly so your brain can 

get the message that your 

stomach is full.

● To control your intake of the 

higher-fat, higher-calorie parts 

of a meal, take seconds 

of vegetables and salads 

instead of meats 

and desserts.
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 9

● When cooking in large batches, freeze food that 

you will not serve right away. This way, you will not 

be tempted to finish eating the whole batch before the 

food goes bad. And you will have ready-made food for 

another day. Freeze leftovers in amounts that you can 

use for a single serving or for a family meal 

another day. 

● Try to eat meals at regular intervals. Skipping meals or 

leaving large gaps of time between meals may lead you 

to eat larger amounts of food the next time that 

you eat.

● When buying snacks, go for single-serving prepackaged 

items and foods that are lower-calorie options.

● Make snacks count. Eating many high-calorie snacks 

throughout the day may lead to weight gain. Replace 

snacks like chips and soda with snacks such as low-fat 

or fat-free yogurt, smoothies, fruit, or 

whole-grain crackers.

● When you do have a treat

like chips or ice cream, 

measure out 1/2 cup of ice 

cream or 1 ounce of chips, as 

indicated by the Nutrition 

Facts, eat it slowly, and 

enjoy it!
10 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

Is getting more food for your

money always a good value?

Have you noticed that it only costs a few cents more to

get larger sizes of fries or soft drinks at restaurants?

Getting a larger portion of food for just a little extra

money may seem like a good value, but you end up with

more food and calories than you need.

Before you buy your next “value combo,” be sure you are

making the best choice for your wallet and your health. If

you are with someone else, share the large-size meal. If you

are eating alone, skip the special deal and just order what you

need.
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 11

How can I control portions when

eating out?

esearch shows that the more often a person eats out, 

the more body fat he or she has. Try to prepare more 

meals at home. Eat out and get take-out foods less 

often. When you do eat away from home, try these tips to

help you control portions:

● Share your meal, order 

a half-portion, or 

order an appetizer as a 

main meal. Examples 

of healthier appetizers 

include tuna or chicken 

salad, minestrone soup, 

and tomato or 

corn salsas.

● Take at least half of 

your meal home. Ask 

for a portion of your 

meal to be boxed up so you will not be tempted to eat 

more than you need.

● Stop eating when you begin to feel full. Focus on 

enjoying the setting and your friends or family for the 

rest of the meal.

● Avoid large beverages such as “supersize” sugarsweetened soft drinks. They have a large number of 

calories. Instead, try drinking water with a slice of 

lemon. If you want to drink soda, choose a calorie-free 

beverage or a small sugar-sweetened soft drink.

R
12 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

● When traveling, pack a small cooler of 

foods that are hard to find on the road, 

such as fresh fruit, sliced raw vegetables,

and fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Also,

pack a few bottles of water

instead of sweetened soda or

juice. You can also bring

dried fruit, nuts, and seeds

to snack on. Since these foods

can be high in calories, have

small portions (1/4 cup) measured out in

advance. If you stop at a restaurant, try to choose 

one that serves a variety of foods such as salads, grilled or 

steamed entrees, or a plain baked potato. Consider 

drinking water or low-fat or fat-free milk instead of 

sugar-sweetened soft drinks with your meal. If you choose

a higher fat option like french fries or pizza, order the 

small size or ask for a single slice of pizza with vegetable 

toppings such as mushrooms, peppers, etc.

Remember...

The amount of calories you eat affects your weight and

health. In addition to selecting a

healthy variety of foods, look at

the size of the portions you eat.

Choosing nutritious foods and

keeping portion sizes sensible

may help you reach and stay at a

healthy weight.
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 13

Additional Reading

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services (DHHS) and U.S. Department

of Agriculture (USDA). www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.

DHHS Publication No. HHS–ODPHP–2005–01–DGA–A.

January 2005. 

Finding Your Way to a Healthier You: Based on the “Dietary

Guidelines for Americans.” DHHS and USDA.

www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/pdf/brochu

re.pdf. DHHS Publication No.

HHS–ODPHP–2005–01–DGA–B. 2005.

Guidance on How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts

Panel on Food Labels. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html. Updated November

2004. 

My Pyramid Food Guidance System. USDA Center for

Nutrition Policy and Promotion. www.mypyramid.gov.

Portion Distortion II Interactive Quiz. National Heart, Lung,

and Blood Institute. http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion/index.htm.

2004.
14 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

Weight-control Information Network Brochures

Active at Any Size. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Publication No. 04–4352. April 2004. 

Better Health and You: Tips for Adults. Part of the series

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Across Your Lifespan.

NIH Publication No. 04–4992. Updated March 2006.

Walking...A Step in the Right Direction. NIH Publication

No. 04–4155. August 2004. Available in English and

Spanish. 

To request a free brochure, call the Weight-control

Information Network at 1–877–946–4627 or log onto

www.win.niddk.nih.gov.
Just Enough for You—About Food Portions | 15

Weight-control Information Network

1 WIN WAY

BETHESDA, MD 20892–3665

Phone: (202) 828–1025

Toll-free number: 1–877–946–4627

FAX: (202) 828–1028

Email: win@info.niddk.nih.gov

Internet: www.win.niddk.nih.gov

The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) is a

national information service of the National Institute of

Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of

the National Institutes of Health, which is the Federal

Government’s lead agency responsible for biomedical

research on nutrition and obesity. Authorized by Congress

(Public Law 103–43), WIN provides the general public,

health professionals, the media, and Congress with up-todate, science-based health information on weight control,

obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues.

Publications produced by WIN are reviewed by both

NIDDK scientists and outside experts. This publication

was also reviewed by Samuel Klein, M.D., Danforth

Professor of Medicine and Director, Center for Human

Nutrition, Washington University, and Marie-Pierre StOnge, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Fellow, New York Obesity

Research Center, St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center.
16 | Just Enough for You—About Food Portions

This publication is not copyrighted. WIN encourages users

of this brochure to duplicate and distribute as many copies

as desired.

This publication is also available online at

www.win.niddk.nih.gov.

NIH Publication No. 03–5287

January 2003

Updated August 2006

National Institute of Diabetes and

Digestive and Kidney Diseases

NIH Pub No. 03-5287

January 2003

Updated August 2006