PORTION POINTERS
Portion, por shun, n. the amount of a given item that you eat at a meal. E.g. The runner's portion of pasta at dinner was much bigger than the basket weaver's.
Serving, suhr ving, n. a reference amount that enables you to determine the nutritional content of an item. E.g. He ate a big bowl of soup which was about two six-ounce servings.
HUDS indicates serving sizes in its nutritional summary, but these are just reference points for gauging nutritional content. For instance, if your portion is 4 oz of whole wheat spaghetti, that's half of the listed serving size, so you're eating half of the listed calories, fiber, etc. If your portion is 12 oz, you're eating 1.5 times the calories. Use the serving sizes as a reference, not a guide.
Portions differ from person to person. Studies show that if you serve yourself a smaller portion, you'll eat less. Rather than extending your meal by mindlessly picking at food, be a conscious eater and stop when you feel full. Eating slower will help you gauge when you're sated, because your body takes a little while to realize it's been fed. Plus putting less food on your plate leads to less waste if you don't eat it!
Smallest bowl: holds about 1/2 cup, or one serving of a grain like rice, or 1.5 oz of banana chips
Soup cup: holds about 6 oz of liquid like soup, or 1 cup of solids
Wide-edged bowl: holds about 8 oz of pasta or 1 1/2 cups of soup
Straight-edged bowl: holds about 1 1/2 cups of soup or 2 servings of cereal
Glasses: holds about 12 oz of liquid
Coffee cup: holds about 6 oz of liquid
