Do you ever wonder just how much food you should be eating?
It’s hard to know in this world of enlarged portion sizes. When you go out to eat, you get enough food for two people. When you go to the grocery store, cuts of meat are enormous.
Since 1993, portions for TV dinners or dine-out meals have increased by 50 percent.
So when it comes to knowing how much you actually need to eat, it can get out of hand pretty quickly.
Here’s an easy way to remember what a portion really looks like, provided by the Daily Mail. You can judge how much you should eat based on the size of your hands.
A meat or oily fish portion should be about the size of your palm. This size doesn’t include your fingers, it’s just the area from your wrist to where your fingers begin. The thickness should be like a deck of cards.
However, a portion of white fish can be the length of your whole hand, including your fingers.
For a serving of vegetables or pasta, go for a serving size that’s about the size of your fist. For vegetables, this should be a minimum serving size. For pasta, it’s the maximum. A potato serving should be about the size of a fist, too, so if you have a larger potato, think about splitting it with someone.
For smaller fruits, one serving is about the size of two cupped hands.
But what about junk foods?
If you’re having a piece of cake, you can indulge in a piece that’s about the length and width of two of your fingers.
If you’re eating cheese, you can go with a piece that’s about the length and depth of your thumbs.
For fats, which includes butter, oil, or various nut butters, you should cut yourself off at a chunk that’s about the length of your thumb knuckle to the end of your thumbnail.
And chocolate? You can indulge in a piece that’s about the size of your index finger.
Now you know how much is in a serving, go forth and eat!
