Knowing What a Normal Portion Size Looks Like

Page last modified on: June 18, 2008

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 three to four 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 eight 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.

Portion sizeSize equivalent
one ounce of poultry or meata matchbox
three ounces of poultry or meat (the recommended size for a meal)a deck of cards or a bar of soap
three ounces of fisha checkbook
one ounce of cheesefour dice
medium potatoa computer mouse
two tablespoons of peanut buttera ping pong ball
one cup of pastaa tennis ball
one bagela hockey puck
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