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What is a standard serve? When nutritionists talk about a "serve of vegetables", exactly how much do they mean? Is it a cup or a couple of spoonfuls? Check out the official list of standard serves from the 2013 edition of the Five Food Groups as published in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating so you know how much is meant.
Vegetables and legumes/beans
One serve means:
- ½ cup (75g) cooked green vegetables (broccoli, green beans, peas etc)
- ½cup (75g) cooked orange vegetables (carrots, pumpkin)
- 1 cup (35-40g) raw green leafy vegetables or salad greens
- ½ cup (75g) cooked dried or canned beans, chickpeas or lentils, no added salt
- 75g starchy vegetables eg 1 small or½ medium potato, or equivalent of sweet potato, taro, sweet corn or cassava
- 75g other vegetables eg 1 small-medium tomato
Fruit
One serve means:
- 1 piece (150g) of medium-sized fruit eg apple, banana, orange, pear
- 2 pieces (150g) of small fruit eg apricots, kiwifruit, plums
- 1 cup (150g) diced, cooked or canned fruit, no added sugar
- ½ cup (125ml) 100% fruit juice - only occasionally
- 30g dried fruit eg 1½ tablespoons sultanas or 4 dried apricot halves - only occasionally
Grains (cereal) foods, mostly whole grain
One serve means:
- 1 slice bread or ½bread roll or flat bread (about 40g)
- ½cup cooked rice, pasta, noodles
- ½ cup cooked porridge or polenta
- 2/3 cup (30g) breakfast cereal flakes
- ¼ cup (30g) muesli
- 3 crispbread
- 1 crumpet (60g) or 1 small English muffin or scone (35g)
- ½cup cooked barley, buckwheat, semolina, cornmeal, quinoa
- ¼cup flour
Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans
One serve means:
- 65g cooked lean red meats or about 90-100g raw weight eg beef, lamb, pork, venison, kangaroo such as:
- ½cup lean mince
- 2 slices roast meat
- 2 small chops
- 80g cooked poultry eg chicken, turkey (about 100g raw weight)
- 100g cooked fish fillet (about 115g raw weight)
- 1 small can tuna or salmon, no added salt, not in brine
- 2 large eggs (120g)
OR Vegetarian protein alternatives
- 1 cup (150g) cooked beans, lentils, chick peas, split peas or canned beans
- 170g tofu
- Handful (30g) nuts or seeds or nut/seed paste, no added salt
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives
One serve means:
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk, fresh, UHT or reconstituted dried
- ½cup (125ml) evaporated unsweetened milk
- 1 carton or 3/4 cup (200g) yoghurt
- 2 slices cheese or 40g block or wedge 4x3x2cm of hard cheese eg cheddar
- 1/2 cup (120g) ricotta
Fats and oils
The AGHE includes a small daily allowance of 7-10 grams of "unsaturated spreads, oils, nuts and/or seeds" but doesn't create a separate group for these. It says to use these in small amounts.
Source: Australian Guide to Healthy Eating 2013 Educator edition. National Health and Medical Research Council: Canberra, 2013. Or go to Eat for Health website.
Downloads / Fact Sheets
Download "Portion caution", my free colour fact sheet showing how portion sizes have gradually increased over the past 10 years and how these are a major contributor to the obesity problem.
FAQs
Helpful rules of thumb. Here are a few helpful serving size guidelines to remember: One cup of raw leafy vegetables or a baked potato should be about the size of a baseball or average-sized fist. Three ounces of cooked lean meat or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.
What is the recommended serving size of food? ›
Helpful rules of thumb. Here are a few helpful serving size guidelines to remember: One cup of raw leafy vegetables or a baked potato should be about the size of a baseball or average-sized fist. Three ounces of cooked lean meat or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.
What is standard portion size? ›
Serving size (or standard portion size) is determined by the FDA for each food and is based on the amount of that food a person would typically eat in a sitting. It is not the amount that is necessarily ideal for you and does not give you all the information about what you should be eating for a healthy diet.
What are the USDA recommended serving sizes and portions? ›
Table 1.
| Food Groups | Amounts for 2000 calories | Dinner |
|---|
| Vegetables (cups) | Amounts for 2000 calories 2.5 | Dinner 1.5 |
| Fruits (cups) | Amounts for 2000 calories 2 | Dinner .5 |
| Dairy (cups) | Amounts for 2000 calories 3 | Dinner 1 |
| Protein foods (oz) | Amounts for 2000 calories 5.5 | Dinner 3.5 |
2 more rows2 How Does FDA Define “Serving Size”? A serving size is the amount of food customarily consumed (i.e., typically eaten) in one sitting for that food (section 403(q)(1)(A)(i) of the FD&C Act).
What does standard serving size mean? ›
Serving size is a standardized amount of food. It may be used to quantify recommended amounts, as is the case with the MyPlate food groups, or represent quantities that people typically consume on a Nutrition Facts label. Portion size is the amount of a food you choose to eat — which may be more or less than a serving.
What are the 5 guidelines for serving food? ›
Five keys to safer food manual
- keep clean;
- separate raw and cooked;
- cook thoroughly;
- keep food at safe temperatures; and.
- use safe water and raw materials.
Suggested daily portions from each food group:
Fruit and vegetables: 5+ portions per day. Starchy carbohydrates: 3-4 portions per day. Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins: 2-3 portions per day. Dairy and alternatives: 2-3 portions per day.
How much is a serving size? ›
A “serving size” is a standard amount of a food, such as a cup or an ounce. Serving sizes can help you when choosing foods and when comparing similar items while shopping, but they are not recommendations for how much of a certain food to eat.
What are real portion sizes? ›
Portion size is the amount of food you choose to put on your plate and actually eat. Serving size is the amount of a specific food or drink that people typically consume.
A serving size defined by the USDA Food Patterns is always the same as a serving size on a food label. may differ from the serving size on a food label. typically matches the portions served in restaurants. cannot be practically measured outside a laboratory.
What is the ideal meat portion size? ›
A standard serve is (500–600kJ): 65g cooked lean red meats such as beef, lamb, veal, pork, goat or kangaroo (about 90-100g raw) 80g cooked lean poultry such as chicken or turkey (100g raw) 100g cooked fish fillet (about 115g raw) or one small can of fish.
What foods should you eat every day? ›
Food groups in your diet
- eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day (see 5 A Day)
- base meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta.
- have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks)
- eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein.
A serving, or serving size , is the amount of food listed on a product's Nutrition Facts label, or food label (see Figure 1 below). Different products have different serving sizes. Sizes can be measured in cups, ounces, grams, pieces, slices, or numbers—such as three crackers.
How do you determine serve size? ›
First, look at the serving size and the number of servings per container, which are at the top of the label. The serving size is shown as a common household measure that is appropriate to the food (such as cup, tablespoon, piece, slice, or jar), followed by the metric amount in grams (g).
Who determines a serving size? ›
The FDA defines the "Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed" (RACC) tables used by food manufacturers to determine the serving size on the Nutrition Facts Panel, and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services labels.
How much food should I eat in a day? ›
It's estimated that the average man should be eating 2,500kcals a day, or 2,000kcals for a woman, which gives us an idea of roughly where our intake of energy needs to be. Some days you might eat more and others less - it's the average that is important rather than individual days.
What is the food serving rule? ›
Serve from the left
If the place where you work gives its guests empty plates and later fills them at the table, those plates should be given to the customer from the left side. Sides such as vegetables and bread can also be delivered from the left and they should also be removed from the left.
How much food does a person need per day to survive? ›
While the human body can survive without food for some time (even weeks if hydration is maintained), the average person needs 2000 - 2400 calories per day to maintain caloric balance, and more if they are engaged in strenuous activity.
How much food is needed per person? ›
Each adult will consume 1 pound of food total; children, about 1/2 pound. The more options you have, the less you need of each; decrease the main course portion sizes by 1 to 2 ounces if served on a buffet.
Download "Portion caution", my free colour fact sheet showing how portion sizes have gradually increased over the past 10 years and how these are a major contributor to the obesity problem.