It can be difficult to know what portion sizes are appropriate if you have never seen/been told what the measurements are for different foods. The government website ‘Eat for Health’ provides information on what one portion size a range of foods is considered to be. They also outline the number of serves of each food group you are recommended to meet based on age and gender. This can be a useful guide in ensuring people are not significantly over eating and therefore gaining weight/struggling to lose weight or following an unbalanced diet. Some people may be eating far too much of one group which then displaces other important food groups.
This blog will outline some portion sizes of common foods from the five foods groups.
Grains
This is a common area that people trip up on. They can be following an extremely healthy diet and making wonderful choices but if their portions of grains are too excessive then the weight can be difficult to lose. Grains are excellent for us but unfortunately they are very energy dense and what most people perceive to be an appropriate portion is far more than is recommended. The kilojoules can therefore quickly add up. However, a small amount of carbohydrate at each meal is recommended.
Rice : ½ cup cooked
Pasta: ½ cup cooked
Bread: 1 slice
Bread roll: ½ medium
Muesli : ¼ cup (30g)
Porridge: ½ a cup of cooked
Wheat cereal : 2/3 cup (30g)
Dairy
Most of us don’t consume an adequate amount of dairy products/dairy substitutes. The below measurements will help you to determine how many, if any, serves you are getting.
Yoghurt: ¾ cup of yoghurt (200g)
Cows milk/soy milk/almond milk: 1 cup (250ml)
Cheese: 2 slices of cheese (40g)
Ricotta cheese: ½ cup (120g)
Vegetables
Most Australian’s don’t even come close to their recommended serve of vegetables. We should be getting five serves a day. You can’t really over-eat on most vegetables with the exception of the few carbohydrate rich varieties.
Potato/sweet potato: ½ medium
Corn: ½ cup
All other: ½ cup of cooked or 1 cup of salad vegetables
Fruit
We should be having two serves of fruit each day. Fruit juice is counted as a serve of fruit but it is advised to completely eliminate this and stick with the whole fruit.
Small fruit e.g. apricot, kiwi fruit: 2 pieces
Average sized fruit e.g. apple, orange: 1 piece
Grapes: 20
Juice: ½ a cup (125ml
Diced/canned: 1 cup
Meat/Protein
Once again, this is a group that Australians tend to greatly overdo.
Red meat: 65g cooked, lean meat
Chicken: 80g cooked
Fish: 100g
Eggs: 2
Legumes: 1 cup
Remember that you don’t have to have just one portion of each, each day. The portions may seem small but you are allowed multiple serves across the day.
Contact us for results focused nutritional advice
This article was written by our dietitian Belinda Elwin who is a Dietitians Association of Australia member and Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Nutritionist. If you have questions about nutrition, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with a simple and effective routine targeted to your concerns. Contact us today!
