Food portions: how to choose enough


To achieve or maintain a healthy weight, the amount you eat is as important as what you eat. Do you know how much food is sufficient for you? Do you understand the difference between a portion and a serving? The following information explains portions and servings and provides recommendations to help you eat just the right amount.

What Is the Difference Between a Portion and a Serving?


A portion is the amount of food that you choose to eat at a particular time, whether at a restaurant, from a package, or at home.
A serving, or serving size as indicated on the nutrition facts label of a product or food package, is the quantity of food listed on the product's nutritional information label.
Each product has a different serving size, which can be measured in cups, ounces, grams, pieces, slices, or units, such as 3 crackers.

Depending on how much you choose to eat, the size of your portion may or may not match the serving size.
To determine the number of servings in a container, look at the top of the label. "Servings per Container" appears just above "Serving Size".
In the following example, the serving size for frozen lasagna is 1 cup. However, the container contains four servings. If you want to eat 2 cups, or half the package, you would be consuming two servings.
Calculate to find out how many calories you would actually be consuming.

1 serving = 280 calories

2 servings = 280 × 2 = 560 calories

In this case, consuming two servings would mean consuming twice the calories and other nutrients listed on the food label.

How Have Recommended Portion Sizes Changed?

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed the portion sizes for some foods and beverages to better align labels with the amounts we typically eat and drink.
As a result, some portion sizes on food labels may be larger or smaller than they were before.

How Much Should I Eat?


The portion size on a food label may be greater or smaller than the amount you should eat. This is because the number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight or lose weight may depend on:
- Your age
- Your current weight and height
- Your metabolism
- Whether you are male or female
- How active you are
For example, if you are a 150-pound woman whose primary physical activity is a short walk once a week, you will require fewer calories than a woman of your size who engages in intense physical activity, such as running several times a week.

How Can the Nutrition Facts Label Help Me?

The FDA's nutrition facts label is printed on most packaged foods. The label tells you how many calories, as well as how much fat, protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, are in one serving.

Most packaged foods have more than one serving. The updated food label displays the calorie amount per serving in a larger font than before, making it easier to read.

Other Useful Information on the Food Label

The food label provides additional information about what one serving of the food contains, such as:

TOTAL FAT: For example, one serving of the food shown in Figure 3 below contains 1 gram of saturated fat and 0 grams of trans fats.

ADDED SUGARS: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 recommend that less than 10% of your daily calories come from added sugars.

SODIUM: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 recommend limiting sodium to 2300 milligrams per day or even less for children under 14 years old.

OTHER NUTRIENTS: Americans don't always get enough vitamin D and potassium. That's why the updated food label in Figure 3 includes per-serving information for these two nutrients. Because most Americans generally get enough vitamin A and vitamin C, these nutrients are no longer included on the food label. However, food manufacturers may choose to include them if they wish.