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 size | Size equivalent |
|---|---|
| one ounce of poultry or meat | a 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 fish | a checkbook |
| one ounce of cheese | four dice |
| medium potato | a computer mouse |
| two tablespoons of peanut butter | a ping pong ball |
| one cup of pasta | a tennis ball |
| one bagel | a hockey puck |