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What Serving Sizes Look Like

What Does a Serving Size Look Like?

Since we're living in the age of enormous super-sized portions, bottomless this, and all-you-can-eat that, we've really lost sight of what an actual serving size is. And for those of us trying to lose or maintain our weight, we know we need to tone down our portion sizes, but what does that look like on our plate? These visual reminders should help.

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Food One Serving Equals . . .
Breads, pasta, cereal, cooked grain, etc.
  • One slice of bread (size of CD case)
  • Half a bagel (size of a hockey puck)
  • One-cup cereal (two hands cupped together)
  • Half-cup cooked grain or pasta (one cupped palm)
Fruits
  • One piece of fruit (size of a tennis ball)
  • Half-cup cut-up fruit, raw, cooked, frozen, or canned (size of seven cotton balls)
  • One-quarter cup dried fruit
  • Three quarters cup 100 percent fruit juice
Veggies
  • Half cup cut up veggie, raw, cooked, frozen, or canned (looks like the bulb part of a lightbulb)
  • Half-cup cooked, canned or frozen legumes
  • One-cup leafy greens
  • Three quarters cup 100 percent vegetable juice
Meat, chicken, or fish
  • Three ounces (palm of your hand, deck of cards, or checkbook)
  • One egg
Dairy
  • One ounce of cheese (size of one thumb)
  • Half-cup ice cream, cottage cheese, or pudding
  • One-cup milk or yogurt
Nuts
  • One-third cup (small handful)
  • One-tablespoon nut butter (size of both your thumbs)
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