Portions v. Servings: What’s the deal?

You hear me talk about it all the time: “Practice Portion Control!” It is so important in order to maintain an optimum weight and stay healthy! However, this recommendation is not always as straightforward and easy to follow as you would think; after all, one portion varies, depending on the food group item, and you have to understand how many servings of such a portion you should consume daily, based on the food. It takes a little extra thought and energy to eat right, but it is worth it!

Let me break it down for you by categories:

Starches: 6-11 servings recommended per day

-1 slice of bread,

-1/2 cup rice/cereal/pasta

-1 cup cereal, 1 tortilla

-1 serving. Fruit or starchy vegetable (i.e. corn, potato) can also count as a starch; however, not all starches should come from this group. Whole grains have nutritional benefits that are good for your health! We eat them for a reason!

Fruits: 2-4 servings

            -1 medium apple/orange

            -1/2 lg. banana

            -3/4 cup juice

            -1/2 cup chopped/cooked/canned fruit

Veggies: 3-5 servings

-       1 cup raw/leafy veggies

-       1/2 cup any other veggies (broccoli, carrots, etc, etc, cooked/raw)

-       3/4-cup vegetable. Juice

Proteins: 2-3 servings

-2-3 ounces of meat is one serving of protein. The following items count as 1 oz of meat; therefore, you would have to have multiple servings of these to reach the 2-3 oz meat equivalent of 1 protein.

                        -1 oz meat:   

-1 egg

-2 tbs. PB

                                    -1/2 cooked beans

                                    -1/3 c nuts

Dairy: 2-3 servings

            -1 cheese stick

            -6 oz yogurt

            -1/2 cup milk

            -1/2 cup frozen yogurt/ice cream (in moderation!!!)

Obviously, this is a lot of info to take in, so don’t worry if you feel confused or overwhelmed at first! Print it out, put it on your fridge, and take a look at it before you pull out your food. That way, you can use this information as a guide, rather than info you have to memorize right away.

Also, you might notice that the recommended serving sizes vary; this is because caloric needs value from person to person as well. Men need more calories (in general) than women, and age, muscle mass, activity level, etc, all play a factor in these needs. If you want to keep it simple: stay on the lower end of servings if you know you have lower caloric needs, and the higher end if you are a very active woman/teen, or active man.  If you are not sure about what your specific needs are, talk to Abu and Aurora on your next visit!