After you decide how many calories you need to eat per day and which foods you're going to eat, don't let super-sized portions ruin your good plans. Try to visualize the items below when you're planning a meal, ordering food out, or grabbing a snack.
For example, the USDA recommends you eat 3 to 4 ounces of meat, poultry, or fish as part of a healthy meal. That's about the size of a deck of cards. One study found that the typical portion size is at least twice as large, and some may be 8 times as large! Reducing your portion size is a good step toward a healthy diet, even if you don't get down to the suggested portion sizes listed here.
| This portion size | is as big as |
|---|---|
| 1 ounce of poultry or meat | a matchbox |
| 3 ounces of poultry or meat (the recommended size for a meal) | a deck of cards or a bar of soap |
| 3 ounces of fish | a checkbook |
| 1 ounce of cheese | four dice |
| A medium potato | a computer mouse |
| 2 tablespoons of peanut butter | a ping pong ball |
| 1 cup of pasta | a tennis ball |
| A bagel | a hockey puck |
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