How to Scale Down Your Portions

A portion is the amount of food you put on your plate. Use these suggestions to keep portions in control and manage your weight.

Baseball — Baseball

A baseball or an average-sized fist equals about 1 cup and is a good portion of raw or cooked vegetables, whole fruit, low-fat dairy and cereal.

A fist next to a portion of broccoli — Two Fists

Aim for eating about 2 cups of fresh greens and 2 cups of other colorful vegetables daily — 2 cups is the size of your fists put together.

Tennis Ball — Tennis Ball

It’s very easy to overload your plate with pasta, rice and potatoes. Make your portion the size of a tennis ball or ½ cup.

Deck of Cards — Deck of Cards

Enjoy lean proteins in 3-ounce portions, which is about the same size as a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.

Thumbs up — Thumb

Use your thumb to gauge a 1 tablespoon portion of peanut butter, sunflower butter other nut and seed spreads and healthy oils.

Postage stamps — Postage Stamp

Keep portions of added sugars to the size of a postage stamp.

Handful of almonds — Handful

Unsalted almonds and walnuts are a healthy snack. Keep them to a small handful of 10 – 20.

This content reviewed by Michelle MacDonald, MS, RDN, CDE, February 2020.