The Serving Size On A Diet

When you are dieting, you will most likely omit certain unhealthy foods and replace them with healthier options. But a healthy diet involves more than choosing the right foods to eat. Healthy weight loss includes exercising portion control to ensure that you eat the right amount as well as the right type of foods.

Importance

Calories and serving sizes are positively connected. Eat too much of any food and you can gain weight. Diet and weight loss involve a balancing act between the calories you put in your body through the consumption of food, and the calories you get rid of through exercise and your body's natural calorie-burning functions. If you are dieting to lose weight, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends that you reduce your serving sizes. Portion control will help you keep an even balance between intake of calories and expenditure of energy.

Recommendations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed a serving size pyramid to help you choose the appropriate serving size of your food while on a diet. If you follow a 1,600 calorie per day diet to lose weight, the USDA recommends that you limit yourself to 5 oz. of grains, 2 cups of vegetables, 1 1/2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of dairy and 5 oz. of meat or beans on a daily basis.

Estimating Serving Sizes

It may sometimes difficult to measure your food in a real-life setting. For instance, you may not always have access to measuring cups or a food scale when you prepare your meals at home, let alone when you are dining at a restaurant or a friend's house. But you can use some estimating tools. A serving of fruit or vegetables, for instance, should be about the size of a baseball. A serving of starchy or fiber-rich carbohydrates, such as a potato, should be about the size of your computer mouse. A serving size of protein, such as meat, poultry, fish or tofu, should be about the size of a deck of playing cards.

Personalization

Serving sizes and portions can be adjusted depending on how old you are, how much you weigh and whether you are male or female. It may prove beneficial to use online tools to get a personalized diet plan that will account for your dietary preferences and medical needs. MyPyramid.gov, the website for the USDA, provides online tools to help you adjust serving sizes. Before you launch a diet, consult with your doctor.