How much is one serving of food

We often hear about articles on health and wellness using the word ‘serving’; example, it is good a have four servings of vegetables, etc.

Below are some examples of what a serving means for some of the food types:

• Grains: A slice of bread or an ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, half cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta (about the size of half baseball or cricket ball).
• Vegetables: One bowl of raw leafy vegetables (about the size of a small fist), half cup of other vegetables or half cup of vegetable juice.
• Fruits: A medium fruit (medium is defined as the size of a baseball); half cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit; or half cup juice.
• Meat, Poultry, Fish: 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish;
• Dry beans and nuts: Half cup cooked dry beans; or two tablespoons of peanut butter.
• Milk, Curd: One cup of fat-free or low fat milk or curd (yogurt).
• Cheese: One and a half ounces of fat-free or low-fat cheese.

Various objects have been used to describe a ‘serving’, namely, a small fist, baseball, cricket ball, a computer mouse, etc. These will help you eat more of those items that are a must and less of those that you don’t really need.

A serving of raw leafy vegetables or a baked potato should be about the size of a small fist.

One ‘serving’ is a lot smaller than most people think.