Ok, this is a really fun way to remember portion sizes. Anytime there is a visual you can use, it helps to remember.

In the following chapter you will see some plate illustrations that can help you see what your plate will actually look like, but the examples below are the portion sizes and will help you remember what that looks like.

Vegetables

Serving size: 1-2 cups

4-5 servings a day

·        Two cups of mixed greens are two baseballs.

·        One cup of raw vegetables is a baseball.

·        One medium baked potato or sweet potato is a computer mouse.

·        For vegetable or fruit juice, 8-10 ounces is about three-quarters of a soda can.

Fruits

Serving size: 1 medium size or ½ to 1 cup

3-4 servings a day

·        One medium piece of raw fruit is a tennis ball.

·        One cup of berries or chopped fruit is a baseball.

·        A fourth of a cup of dried fruit is a golf ball.

Carbs, Bread, Cereal, Pasta, Rice

Serving size: 1 slice bread, ½ bagel or English muffin, ½ cup rice, oatmeal or grain, ¾ - 1 cup dry cereal

1-3 servings a day

·        A half of a whole-grain 3-ounce bagel, a half of a whole-wheat English muffin, or a half of a whole-grain hamburger bun is a hockey puck.

·        One whole-wheat pita or one whole-wheat flour or corn tortilla is an average-sized saucer.

·        Four whole-grain crackers are four tea bags.

·        Two low-fat whole-wheat pancakes are two compact discs.

Dairy

Serving size:  1 cup milk, yogurt or cottage cheese, 1 oz. cheese

1-2 servings a day

·        One cup of milk (skim, low-fat, 1 percent, Lactaid, acidophilus, soy, rice, and nut milks) or one cup of plain, low-fat, sugar-free, or soy yogurt, is a baseball.

·        An ounce of hard cheese is a tube of lipstick.

Fats

Serving size : 1 tablespoon of oil, 2 tablespoons of nuts or nut butter

      1-3 servings a day

·        One tablespoon of oil (olive, canola, flaxseed, peanut, sesame, walnut, or other oil), salad dressing, mayonnaise, nut butters, nuts, or seeds is one checker.

·        2 tablespoons of avocado, nuts or nut butter is a serving, = size of a ping pong ball

Protein, Meat, Chicken, Fish, Beans, Legumes

Serving size : 3 - 4 ozs.

      2-4 servings a day

·        When it comes to meat, I recommend 3-4 ounces—roughly the same size as your palm or a deck of cards—as part of a healthy meal

·        Beans or legumes would be the same