Healthy Portion Sizes: 5 Visual Cues

With the holidays quickly approaching, you may be tempted to indulge in more cheap meals than usual, partaking in the heaping plates of food that the holidays always bring. But you're also well aware that that's just not a good idea. If you keep healthy portion sizes in mind, however, you won't lose any of the gains you worked so hard to achieve all year long! While it can be confusing and tricky to remember healthy portion sizes, some great visual reminders can help keep you easily on track.

Meat

Meat, including chicken, beef, fish, and pork should be rationed to 3 ounces. If you're not sure how big that is, think of the size of your palm. Obviously not every cut of turkey or ham will be perfectly palm-shaped, but you can use your best judgment to find healthy portion sizes.

Fruit

Fruits come in all shapes and sizes, cut or whole and canned or fresh. You should look for medium-sized whole fruits and 1 cup of cut or canned fruit. Remembering this is a little easier since both should be about the size of one fist. (But we recommend going for the fresh varieties as often as possible!)

Vegetables

Just as diverse as fruits, different vegetables have different healthy portion sizes as well. Cooked vegetables have a recommended portion size of 1 cup while salad is recommended at 2 cups. Need help remembering? One cup of cooked vegetables is the size of 1 fist while 2 cups of salad is the size of 2 fists.

Dairy

The healthy portions for dairy are a little trickier to visualize. Cheese should have a 1.5-ounce serving size while milk and yogurt have a 1-cup serving size. You can equate the serving size for cheese to the size of your pointer finger and the size of a fist for milk and yogurt.

Bread, Grain, and Cereal

When it comes to healthy portion sizes for bread, grain, and cereal, there are a few pointers to keep in mind. Luckily, you only need one hand to remember all of them. Bread should be eaten in slices that are the size of 1 flat hand. Grains should be eaten in small quantities, half a cup or 1 handful. As for dry cereal, an appropriate serving size is 1 cup or the size of 1 fist. As always, remember to limit the number of sugary foods, sauces, and gravies and put more fruits and vegetables on your plate than meat, bread, and grains for the healthiest holiday of all! Want to make sure that you're never slacking with healthy portion sizes, no matter where you are? Our original meal management bags are designed to help you keep your prepped meals by your side, ensuring you have no excuses to slack. Find the perfect style for you among our gym backpacks, gym totes, messenger bags, and more!