Portions Versus Servings and WHY the Difference is Crucial

Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live – Socrates

Thousands of years before the obesity epidemic, Socrates offers advice about food, drink and it’s purpose. We realize we need food and water to survive in the most basic of ways, but how much is needed? Specifically, what constitutes a portion of food or drink versus a serving? I’m not talking about caloric needs, macronutrient ratios, or basal metabolic rates (though those are all worthy of individual topics). What makes a portion of food? Can you look at a plate and know you’re eating 2 servings of protein? The short answer is yes, with some practice. 

 

Portion Versus Serving

Let’s start with the basics:

A portion is the amount of food you put on your plate.

A serving is a specific amount of food defined by common measurements, such as cups or tablespoons.

See the difference already? A portion is an arbitrary measure because it’s uncertain how much of that food exists. Are you eating one serving of vanilla ice cream at ~145 calories per 1/2 cup, or a portion of unmeasured tastiness piled high in your bowl? 

Daily Serving Recommendations

Using serving recommendations can be an easy alternative to tracking calories or weight watcher points. You can weight or measure your food before preparing it, or eyeball the plate to guestimate
how many servings your portion equals out to be.

Generally speaking, most people should aim to consume the following per day:

• 4-5 servings of vegetables
• 3-5 servings of fruit
• 4-6 servings of carbohydrates
• 3-5 servings of protein (including dairy)
• 3 servings of fat

How much food is in one serving? What does one serving look like?
I know, it's easy to say how much you should be eating, but what does it mean?


1 serving of vegetables: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup of other vegetables (cooked or raw), OR 3/4 cup of vegetable juice. One serving contains ~25 calories.

1 serving of fruit: One medium apple, orange or banana 1/2 cup of chopped (cooked or canned fruit), OR 3/4 cup of fruit juice. One serving contains ~60 calories.

1 serving of carbohydrates: 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of rice/cooked cereal/pasta, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, OR 1 flat tortilla. One serving contains ~70 calories.

1 serving of protein: One egg, 2-3 oz. cooked meat, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, 1/3 cup of nuts. One serving contains ~110 calories.

1 serving of fat:1 tsp. oil/butter/margarine/mayonnaise, 1/8 of an avocado, 7 almonds. One serving contains ~45 calories.

 What about the USDA Food Pyramid/MyPlate?


Here's the recently re-designed USDA recommendations:

The USDA believes we should divide our plates into quarters, which can be helpful if you're used to not eating vegetables or consuming large protein portions. It doesn't discuss portion size (how big is that plate you're eating off of?) or serving size (25% of a large dinner plate can easily lead to double-sized servings). I'm not a fan. 


Back to Serving Sizes...
Looking for a more comprehensive list of serving size equivalents? Here ya go (Source here): 

Vegetables (25 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate)

1/2 C Cooked vegetables (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, cabbage, etc.)

1 C Raw vegetables or salad greens

1/2 C Vegetable juice

Fruits (60 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrate)

1 small Apple, banana, orange, nectarine

1 med. Fresh peach

1 Kiwi

1/2 Grapefruit

1/2 Mango

1 C Fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries)

1 C Fresh melon cubes

1/8th  Honeydew melon

4 oz Unsweetened juice

4 tsp Jelly or jam

Dairy: Fat-Free and Very Low-Fat Milk (90 calories per serving)

1 C Milk, fat-free or 1% fat

3/4 C Yogurt, plain nonfat or low-fat

1 C Yogurt, artificially sweetened

Very Lean Protein (35 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving)

1 oz Turkey breast or chicken breast, skin removed

1 oz  Fish fillet (flounder, sole, scrod, cod, etc.)

1 oz Canned tuna in water

1 oz Shellfish (clams, lobster, scallop, shrimp)

3/4 C Cottage cheese, nonfat or low-fat

2 Egg whites

1/4 C Egg substitute

1 oz Fat-free cheese

1/2 C Beans, cooked (black beans, kidney, chick peas or lentils): count as 1 starch/bread and 1 very lean protein

Lean Protein ( 55 calories and 2-3 grams of fat per serving)

1 oz Chicken - dark meat, skin removed

1 oz  Turkey - dark meat, skin removed

1 oz  Salmon, swordfish, herring

1 oz Lean beef (flank steak, London broil, tenderloin, roast beef)*

1 oz Veal, roast or lean chop*

1 oz Lamb, roast or lean chop*

1 oz Pork, tenderloin or fresh ham*

1 oz Low-fat cheese (with 3 g or less of fat per ounce)

1 oz Low-fat luncheon meats (with 3 g or less of fat per ounce)

1/4 C 4.5% cottage cheese

2 medium Sardines

* Limit to 1 - 2 times per week

Medium-Fat Proteins  (75 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving)

1 oz Beef (any prime cut), corned beef, ground beef**

1 oz Pork chop

1 Whole egg (medium)**

1 oz Mozzarella cheese

1/4 C Ricotta cheese

4 oz Tofu (note this is a heart healthy choice)

** Choose these very infrequently

Carbohydrates/Starches (80 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrate per serving)

1 slice Bread (white, pumpernickel, whole wheat, rye)

2 slices Reduced-calorie or "lite" bread

1/4 (1 oz) Bagel (varies)

1/2 English muffin

1/2 Hamburger bun

3/4 C Cold cereal

1/3 C Rice, brown or white, cooked

1/3 C Barley or couscous, cooked

1/3 C Legumes (dried beans, peas or lentils), cooked

1/2C  Pasta, cooked

1/2C  Bulgar, cooked

1/2C  Corn, sweet potato, or green peas

3 oz Baked sweet or white potato

3/4 oz Pretzels

3 C Popcorn, hot air popped or microwave (80% light)

Fats (45 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving)

1 tsp Oil (vegetable, corn, canola, olive, etc.)

1 tsp Butter

1 tsp Stick margarine

1 tsp Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Reduced-fat margarine or mayonnaise

1 Tbsp  Salad dressing

1 Tbsp  Cream cheese

2 Tbsp Lite cream cheese

1/8th Avocado

8 large Black olives

10 large Stuffed green olives

1 slice Bacon

I know you might be thinking "why are potatoes listed under starches and not vegetables?" or "why are olives listed under fats". The truth is, many agencies have differing views of how to categorize foods (are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? The debate wages on).  Whether you divide carbohydrates into starchy (grains) and fibrous (vegetables) is up to you; if you have any questions about your dietary needs please consult your doctor. 

If you're looking for help constructing a well-balanced diet or exercise plan, contact me at SeeMeFit. I believe in constructing diet plans based on your caloric needs and body composition goals, focusing on eating whole, unprocessed foods.