Estimating Portion Sizes
Found this out on the web and thought others might be interested or have more to add.
It's easy to estimate portion sizes by using the size of different, familiar object such as an average woman's hand (men may need to estimate down a little bit).
A closed fist is about the size of 1 cup.
Your thumb is about one ounce of:
cheese
one tablespoon of salad dressing
one tablespoon of peanut butter.
Your thumb tip is about one teaspoon--use this for determining the size of fats, such as butter, margarine, mayonnaise, or oil.
You can also use inanimate objects to estimate serving portions.
A serving of cereal is not whatever fits in your cereal bowl-1 ounce of cereal is the size of a tennis ball.
A computer mouse is the size of a medium 5-ounce (150 g) potato
A small bar of soap is the size of a 3 to 4 (90 to 120 g) ounce serving of chicken, fish, or meat.
If your meal plan calls for 1 ounce of cheese, that's the size of four dice.
If you're eating spaghetti, 1/2 cup portion would be about 32 strands.
A hockey puck is about the size of a 3-ounce (90 g) bagel
Be wary when eating out at a restaurant. Split an entree with someone else or ask the waiter to put half the entree in a doggie bag before you even touch it. Most restaurants serve 8 to 10 ounce (240 to 300 g) entree portions at dinner, unless otherwise specified on the menu. At lunch, it's usually a 4 to 6 ounce (120 to 180 g) portion.
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