A portion is a serving. Right?

Wrong!

Don’t worry  – most people don’t know the difference between a portion and a serving.

So here’s the skinny on both:

• A portion is how much food you choose to eat at one time – or that you choose to feed your child. It’s what is on your plate based on what you wanted to eat (and it may be 2, 3 or even 4 servings!).
• A serving is a specific recommended amount of food.

The ChooseMyplate.gov website provides valuable information about serving sizes.

Most people don’t consider the serving size when they decide on a portion to eat. That leads to weight gain and over-eating which also leads to unhealthy lifestyles.

People often gain weight because their “portions” contain multiple “servings” of a particular food or food group. One way to gain a better understanding of servings is to equate them to something you know.

For example, these objects demonstrate serving sizes:

• 1/2 cup cooked rice is about the size of a baseball
• A pancake is the size of a CD
• A serving of cheese is the size of a pair of dice or the size of your whole thumb
• 1 cup of cereal is the size of your fist
• 1 baked potato is the size of a computer mouse
• 1 medium fruit is the size of a baseball

The USDA recommends portion sizes based on years of research and analysis.

Servings include:

• one slice of whole-grain bread
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice
• 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes
• 3-4 small crackers
• 2 medium sized cookies
• 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
• 1 small chicken breast
• 1/4 pound hamburger patty

Now compare the portions you normally serve to the actual recommended serving sizes to see where you are on the scale. Most people find that they have 2-3 servings of mashed potatoes in a portion, or 2 servings of chicken on their plate when they eat.

Watch servings when deciding on portions and use ChooseMyPlate.gov as a guide. Build a healthy plate with 3/4 vegetables, fruits, and grains. Leave 1/4 for protein and include some dairy.

Then enjoy a nutritious meal that doesn’t leave you over-stuffed!