|
Most Americans do not carry weight scales or measuring cups with them to restaurants and thus may have difficulty determining what a standard serving size represents. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) began using common household items as references for what a serving might look like. For example, 3 ounces of meat on a plate (one serving) might look like a deck of cards. A one-cup serving of raw vegetables would be able to fit into the palm of an average woman’s hand.
The following examples of serving sizes and their approximate visual equivalents were determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and ADA. They are applicable to adults and children over the age of 2 years.
| Food Group |
Type of Food |
One Serving |
Looks Like |
| Grains |
Bread |
1 slice (1 ounce) |
An audio cassette tape or 3.5-inch computer disk |
| Pasta, rice, oatmeal, grits (cooked) |
1/2 cup (1 ounce) |
Half a baseball or a small computer mouse |
| Bagel |
1 mini bagel (1 ounce) |
A hockey puck |
| Muffin (2.5-inch diameter) |
1 muffin (1 ounce) |
N/A |
| Dry breakfast cereal |
1 cup (1 ounce) |
A baseball or a fist |
| Pancake (4.5-inch diameter) |
1 pancake (1 ounce) |
A CD disk |
| Cornbread |
1 small piece (1 ounce) |
A bar of soap |
| Crackers (whole wheat) |
5 crackers (1 ounce) |
N/A |
| Crackers (saltines, snack crackers) |
7 square or round crackers (1 ounce) |
N/A |
| Popcorn (popped) |
3 cups (1 ounce) |
N/A |
| Raw, leafy vegetables (salad greens) |
1 cup |
A baseball |
| Vegetables |
Green peas, spinach, collards, kale, turnip greens, kernel corn (cooked) |
1/2 cup |
A small computer |
| Corn on the cob |
1 small ear (6 inches long) |
A small computer mouse |
| French fries |
10 french fries |
N/A |
| Baked potato |
1 small potato |
A deck of cards |
| Vegetable juice |
3/4 cup |
A fist |
| Carrots |
1 medium carrot |
A 6-ounce can |
| Baby carrots |
6 baby carrots |
N/A |
| Celery |
1 large stalk (11 to 12 inches long) |
N/A |
| Tomatoes (raw) |
1 small whole tomato (2.25-inch diameter) |
N/A |
| Fruits |
Fresh fruit (apples, pears, peaches) |
1 medium fruit |
A baseball |
| Sliced fruit (peaches, apples) |
1/2 cup |
A small computer mouse |
| Fruit juice (apple, orange, grape, grapefruit) |
1 cup |
A 6-ounce can |
| Grapefruit |
1/2 medium fruit (4-inch diameter) |
N/A |
| Grapes (seedless) |
1/2 cup (16 grapes) |
N/A |
| Raisins |
¼ cup |
A half-egg |
| Milk |
Milk |
1 cup (8 ounces) |
A large pint carton |
| Yogurt |
8-ounce cup |
A baseball |
| Cheese (hard) |
1.5 ounces |
A stack of 4 dice or two 9-volt batteries |
| Cheese (pre-sliced) |
2 slices |
N/A |
| Cheese (ricotta) |
1/2 cup |
N/A |
| Cottage cheese |
2 cups |
N/A |
| Meat and Beans |
Beef and poultry (cooked) |
2 to 3 ounces |
A deck of cards |
| Fish (grilled or baked) |
2 to 3 ounces |
A checkbook |
| Eggs |
1 egg |
N/A |
| Peanut butter |
2 tablespoons |
A ping pong ball |
| Dry beans and peas (black beans, garbanzo, kidney, pinto or soybeans and black-eyed or split peas) |
1 cup (2-ounce meat equivalent) |
A baseball |
| Soups (split pea, lentil and bean) |
1 cup (2-ounce meat equivalent) |
N/A |
| Oils and Fats |
Margarine and spreads |
1 teaspoon |
One dice |
| Vegetable oils (canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, olive and cottonseed) |
1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) |
The tip of your thumb |
There are no recommended serving sizes for drinking water, which has no calories. However, many health experts agree that healthy adults may need 11 to 16 cups (approximately 2.7 to 3.7 liters) of water per day to ensure adequate hydration. Total water intake includes water from a variety of sources, such as juice, milk, broth, tea, coffee or soda.
MyPyramid, the USDA’s new interactive food guide pyramid, considers sodas, fruit punch, beer, wine and distilled spirits as discretionary calories. All are major sources of sugar and calories, without significant nutritional value. For most people, discretionary calories range from 100 to 300 calories a day, limiting serving sizes for these beverages. |
/doctor_89.jpg "ulcerative colitis tips")