Estimating Portions

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Visually comparing common objects to food portions can help you estimate the size of a portion when you don’t have measuring cups or a food scale handy. Here are some examples of common objects and food portions of the same size:

  • Average woman’s fist: 1 cup
  • Baseball: 1 cup
  • Checkbook: 3 ounces cooked fish
  • Computer mouse: medium baked potato
  • Deck of cards: 3 ounces cooked meat or poultry
  • Tennis ball: 1/2 cup cooked food
  • Tip of your thumb: 1 teaspoon

Originally Published May 6, 2010

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