How big is a portion?

When you are working on your diet and nutrition, one of the hardest things to know is how much you are supposed to eat.  A big question is always, How big is a portion?  I've always been tolk that a portion of a protein is the size of your palm, but that's just a rule of thumb...or palm as it may be.  But what about other foods.  How much is considered a serving so that you can best estimate what you are putting into your body when you don't have your food scale with you.

Beef

A nice lean piece of beef gets you a good helping of protein and with that comes a dose of fat.  To keep the serving size in line, you need about 3 oz.  That will get you about 225 calories of goodness.  If you're out at a restaurant, they may or may not have the ounces available to you, and you'll probably have to split your steak, but a 3 oz serving is about the size of a deck of cards.

Salad Dressing

We all know that a serving of salad dressing is 2 tbsp.  We all probably as just pour some on to get good coverage.  To guage is, 2 Tbsp of salad dressing is about the size of a golf ball.

Cheese Cubes

Cheese cubes are one of my favorite snacks, but it's hard to know how much is a serving.  A serving of cheese should be 1oz for 110 cals.  1 oz of cheese is about the size of 4 dice.

Ice Cream

I love ice cream and I know it's not good for you, but anything in moderation, right?  A serving of plain old ice cream is generall 1/2 cup (not a half gallon) and around 150 cals.  To judge a serving, it should be about the size of a tennis ball.

Mashed Potatoes

A proper serving of mashed potatoes, not loaded with butter and cream, will be about 110 calories.  The serving size is 1/2 cup which should be about the size of 1/2 of an apple.

Cooked Pasta

Although very carb heavy, without heavy, creamy sauces, it can be a good way to get good grains.  A serving of cooked pasta is generally 1/2 cup and also about 110 cals.  A cup of cooked pasta is about the size of your fist.

Dry Spaghetti

Like cooked pasta, spaghetti is a pretty common noodle for a meal.  A serving of dry spaghetti is about 4 oz and will cost you around 400 cals.  If you're holding a the dry spaghetti tight together, a serving should be around the size of a quarter;

Soup

Soup is great in the winter to warm you up and if you don't have a cream based soup, it's faily light and filling.  Generally, a serving is 1 cup, or the size of a baseball.

Hopefully now you are better equipped to know how much food you should be eating and you're better equipped to venture out on your own into the world of better eating.