Portion
Quick tips on how everyday measures like a ladle, a mug or a handful compare to an actual portion, for fast estimates in the kitchen.
What is the cup measure for in the kitchen?
The cup is the basic tool of the portion definitions and is fixed at 240 milliliters. One fist corresponds to the same volume.
How is a watermelon portion worked out?
One portion of watermelon corresponds to one sixteenth of an 8-kilogram watermelon. Slice thickness is where this calculation goes wrong most often.
Yogurt or ayran, which one is a portion?
Both are from the milk group but their measures differ: one portion of yogurt is 200 milliliters, of ayran 350 milliliters.
How do you keep the portion in check when eating out?
When you eat out, you are not the one who sets the portion. The tools left to you are the order of the courses, sharing, and how much is left on the plate.
Why is the banana portion different from the others?
In most fruits one portion is 150 grams; in bananas it is 100 grams. The measure is given not by pieces but by the length of a hand.
How much meat is eaten in a week?
For ages 18-49 the guideline gives meat, chicken, fish and eggs as 1.5 portions a day in total. Fish is 2 portions a week, eggs 2.5 portions.
How do you think about a dessert portion?
The guideline gives desserts in its table of optional choices as multiples of a standard 75 kilocalorie amount. Baklava is 4-7 and kadayıf 6-7 times that amount.
Do olives take the place of liquid oil?
The guideline gives olives in a separate table as an alternative to liquid oil: the amount equivalent to one dessert spoon of oil ranges from 4-5 to 10-12 pieces depending on the variety.
What do matchbox and finger measures tell you?
The guideline describes some portions through everyday objects. One portion of white cheese is two matchboxes or three fingers thick.
Why are hand measures better than size terms?
The guideline found that terms like medium and small are understood differently even by trained people. A hand measure stays fixed for the person using it.
Does choosing a low-fat product change the portion?
In the dairy group it does not. The guideline deliberately kept the portion amounts of low-fat and full-fat products similar.
Why should half of your grains be whole grain?
The guideline's recommendation is clear: at least half of the recommended total grain consumption should be 100 percent whole grain.
General information notice. This content is prepared to support general nutrition literacy; it does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment and is not personal nutrition advice. A plan tailored to you can only be prepared by a licensed dietitian; if you are pregnant, have a chronic condition, take regular medication, are feeding a child, or have a clinical condition, a physician and dietitian check is required before starting a plan.
Find a Dietitian