A Helping of Common Sense With Those Serving Sizes

The language of measurement can be bewildering, to say the very least. The newest forms of describing size are often incomprehensible, especially for anyone older than 50. What does a byte look like, let alone a gigabyte? How big is a nanosecond? And some of the oldest forms of measuring are equally hard to visualize. How big is an acre? And what’s a hectare?

In the food and health world, we struggle with measurements that are interchangeably given in cups, ounces, teaspoons, grams, liters, cubic centimeters and then, maybe the most confusing, serving sizes.

We have made the point before--but perhaps it bears repeating--that serving size is an incredibly vague term that can mean different things to each of us. A serving of fine chocolate (or even a Snickers bar) to people with self-control is probably one piece. But there are some among us (and we know who we are) for whom a serving is related to a sitting (in other words, how much you eat at one sitting). That could be closer to a whole box of candy. And maybe when you order a pizza, you eat a whole pizza. Is that a serving size?

When the U.S. Department of Agriculture first issued its now almost universally recognized food pyramid, one of the biggest problems for people was not how to interpret the graphic message (fruits, vegetables and grains on the bottom, chocolate on the top), but what the various serving sizes meant.

Even the eventual clarifications didn’t help much. For example: One serving of vegetables equals a half-cup of cooked or chopped vegetables or a cup of raw leafy vegetables; one serving of protein food equals 3 ounces of meat, 1 egg, a half-cup of cooked beans or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

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But what does an ounce look like? If you don’t measure out your vegetables, what does a half-cup look like? And are these really serving sizes? If you eat peanut butter by putting your finger in the jar (shame on you!), how much is 2 tablespoons?

The Nutrition Facts panel on food packages lists calories, fat, carbohydrate, etc. in terms of servings sizes that are designed to help you compare one product with another. The USDA measurements are intended for simple food items and major food groups. But when consumers try to combine and apply these helpful (but somewhat confusing) tools, they are often left as befuddled as those of us who are still pondering RAM and 64K of memory.

For years, dietitians have used plastic food models to demonstrate the size of an “average serving,” but, unless you’re lucky enough to have a dietitian in residence, you may not be able to visualize these amounts. In a recent issue of Food Insight, a publication of the International Food Information Council, the editors put together a handy list of recognizable comparisons to help sort out serving sizes:

* Half-cup of fruit, vegetables, cooked cereal, pasta or rice equals a small fist.

* 3 ounces of cooked meat, poultry or fish equals a deck of cards.

* One tortilla equals a small (7-inch) plate.

* Half a bagel equals the width of a large coffee lid.

* One muffin equals a large egg.

* 1 teaspoon of margarine or butter equals the tip of a thumb.

* 2 tablespoons of peanut butter equals a golf ball.

* One small baked potato equals a computer mouse.

* One pancake or waffle equals a 4-inch CD.

* One medium apple or orange equals a baseball.

* Four small cookies (like vanilla wafers) equal four casino chips.

* 1 1/2 ounces of cheese equals six dice.

If you eat out a lot, it may be harder to control the portion sizes, but you certainly can control how much you eat. It’s very easy to make friends with the concept of the “doggy bag.” One International Food Information Council recommendation is to order once and enjoy twice: Eat half your dinner at the restaurant and take the rest home for lunch the next day. Or try ordering a salad and sharing a large entree.

Since it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to figure out that your stomach has had enough, eat slowly and enjoy the flavors and sensations. If you are snacking, try not to eat out of the bag. Put the chips in a bowl so that you can actually see how much you eat. Try not to eat automatically. Pay attention.

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The bottom line, of course, is that the numbers that make up the various recommended portions are all relative and nobody needs to become neurotic in the pursuit of health. Some common sense and simple planning can help anybody eat a good, health-promoting diet. The basic principles are simple and easy to follow, even without using a calculator or a measuring cup. Eating a variety of nutritious, low-fat foods will give us just about everything we need to stay healthy without emptying our wallets to support the nutritional supplement industry.

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Dr. Sheldon Margen is professor of public health at UC Berkeley; Dale A. Ogar is managing editor of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. They are the authors of several books, including “The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition.” Send questions to Dale Ogar, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, or e-mail daogar@uclink4.berkeley.edu.