Whaddya mean the entire bag of sour cream & onion chips isn’t a single serving? According to whom? Who makes those rules??
(Who, me? Potato chips? Yes. Not as frequently as in times past, but on occasion? Yes. But I digress.)
Serving size and portion size can be difficult things to get right, and they’re not always the same thing. And they can be confusing. And they can feel a bit…unsatisfactory. Yeah, we’ll go with that. Unsatisfactory. And measuring things to get serving size right (so to speak) according to the nutrition labels? Gadzooks but that can be a challenge! I learned that I need to measure before I get too hungry, or I end up with way more than I need to eat and I frequently end up eating it all. Or I measure, and then I double it because that can’t possibly be enough, can it? (Usually? It would have been. Old habits are hard to break!)
Oh and guess what doesn’t help?? Serving size can have two different meanings, depending on what you’re looking at! (The things I learn when I research these topics!)
Portion: how much you eat.
Serving size, according to the USDA MyPlate: how much of a particular category of food to eat.
Serving size, according to the FDA guidelines for nutrition labels: the nutrition listed for a particular measurement of that specific product.
All together now: “I’M SO CONFUSED.” (Wait, is it just me? Tell me it’s not just me.)
What does it mean?
Measure. Measure, measure, measure. Use a scale, or a measuring cup, but measure. Or count. I love getting jelly beans at Easter, and most of the time I will actually count out how many the label says is a serving. (And I’ll swipe the black licorice jelly beans because my silly hubby doesn’t like them. Imagine. Not liking black licorice jelly beans!) Eat out of bowls or off plates, not out of the container the food comes in; for example, a bag of popcorn or a bag of nuts. Drink water. (You’ll feel fuller faster and you may eat less as a result.) Recommended serving sizes tend to be based on 2,000 calorie diets; figure out roughly what your caloric need is going to be and plan accordingly. Size matters, too; a large apple and a small apple may each be an apple, however, the larger apple is probably going to be more than a serving. Understand that a serving of fresh fruit and a serving of fruit juice are not equivalent.
Cheers! Here’s to your health!