Correct Portion Sizes: Here are the Amounts

By EAT SMARTER

Read what portion sizes are correct

Often times there are small remnants of pasta in the pot and small portions of left overs that you end up eating as well. The best trick to avoid this is to portion your food correctly before you even cook it. EAT SMARTER will give you the best portion sizes!

We either throw away or overeat so much food simply because we don’t know how to portion it correctly. But how do we know what the right amount of food to make is? It can be especially hard to know how much to cook when you have guests over. After all who calls their guests ahead of time to find out how many grams of meat they would like to eat? Don’t fear! We will reveal what the best serving sizes are for different kinds of food.

Portion Sizes Per Person

Portion sizes for Fish:

One serving should consist of 200 grams / 7 oz. For children a portion is around 150 grams / 5.3 oz. For people who are buying a whole fish you will have to deduct the weight of the fish head, bones and fins. If you want to eat 200 grams / 7 oz., you should generally buy a fish weighing around 250 grams / 8.8 oz.

Portion Sizes For Meat:

If you want to make red meat for dinner, you should make around 150 grams / 5.3 oz. to 200 grams / 7 oz. per steak or cutlet. If the steak is the base for a bigger meal you should take a little less. For meat sauce a portion is 100 grams / 3.5 oz. to 120 grams / 4.2 oz. For dishes with poultry meat a portion would be around 120 grams / 4.2 oz. to 150 grams / 5.3 oz. If you buy a product with bone you should get around 200 / 7 oz. to 250 grams / 8.8 oz.

Portion Sizes For Grains:

If you want to use rice, polenta or grits as a side dish a portion should be about 50 grams / 1.7 oz. to 80 grams / 2.8 oz. If it is whole grains it should be a little less. This is because whole grains are generally more filling.

Portion sizes of Pasta:

If you are eating pasta as a main dish you should use about 120 grams / 4.2 oz. to 150 grams / 5.3 oz. If you want to eat it only as side dish use around 50 grams / 1.7 oz. to 80 grams / 2.8 oz. For whole grain pasta the same thing is true, eat a little less.

Portion Sizes For Potatoes:

Prepare approximately 150 grams / 5.3 oz. to 200 grams / 8.8 oz. This is about 2 or 3 medium sized potatoes.

Portion Sizes For Vegetables And Salads:

We tend to prepare especially large portions when making vegetables and salads. As a side dish 150 grams / 5.3 oz. of vegetables is enough. The same amount is applied to tomato or cucumber salads. For leafy salads the portions can be a little smaller. Around 80 grams / 2.3 oz. is enough.

Of course these portion sizes are only guidelines, but they can serve as a great basis to start cooking with. Maybe the next time you are cooking, give them a try. If you are still hungry you can always make a little more the next time!