Pics: Formula to determine the right amount of food to eat

Picture for illustration

There are no official guidelines on portion sizes. However, this handy guide would be very useful formula to figure out the right amount of food to eat at a time. According to Sian Porter, a consultant dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, 'Most people don't know what an appropriate portion should look like, but even healthy food contains calories. You can make really healthy choices and still eat too much.'
Research has shown repeatedly that we are no good at working out how much food should be on our plate - study participants frequently over-estimate serving size, under-estimate calorie content, and fail to compensate for large helpings at subsequent meals. So how can you work out how much to eat, without calorie-crunching or taking scales to the supermarket?
Good Health has the answer at hand - literally. We asked Sian Porter to work out what an appropriate portion of basic foods should be and how this looked relative to the size of your hand.

MEAT: PALM OF THE HAND

 
A serving of any meat should be the size of the palm of your hand (but not your fingers).
The steak pictured is about 100g and the thickness of a deck of cards.
'Aim to have a portion of protein this size at every meal - you should spread protein throughout the day as we process it better in smaller, regular amounts,' says Sian Porter.
'But don't have more than 500g of red meat in a week. 'Choose other protein such as fish, beans, or pulses.'

WHITE FISH: WHOLE HAND

 
White fish such as cod, haddock or pollock is very low in fat and calories so the portion can be the size of your hand when laid flat, including your fingers (about 150g and 100 calories).
'White fish is great, because its protein is naturally low in fat,' says Sian Porter.
'It has only a small amount of omega-3s, but is a good source of selenium, important for the immune system and healthy hair and nails.'

UNCOOKED SPINACH: TWO DOUBLE HANDFULS

 
This is how much raw spinach you need for one of your five a day (80g) - practically a whole bag - and the same serving size applies to any salad leaves.
'You should have vegetables with every meal and, as the picture shows, a couple of slices of lettuce in a sandwich won't cut it,' says Sian Porter.
 'So buy a pot of salad to have on the side.'

SMALL FRUITS: TWO CUPPED PALMS

 
An 80g five-a-day portion of small fruit such as berries (or larger fruit cut up in a fruit salad) is roughly what you can fit in your cupped hands.
'A packet of blueberries is about 250g, which is three portions - so you don't have to eat the entire punnet,' says Sian Porter.
'There'd be no harm eating this much (it would give you around 90 calories), though grapes would have more sugar and 161 calories.'

VEGETABLES: CLENCHED FIST

 
To count as one of your five a day (80g) a serving of veg needs to be at least the size of your fist.
'Twice this amount of broccoli would technically count as two of your five a day, though variety is key - aim for a rainbow selection of different coloured veg ' says Sian Porter.
'Have several portions of veg - they should fill half a plate.'

UNCOOKED PASTA: CLENCHED FIST

 
This might look small, but pasta doubles in weight once cooked, as it absorbs water. There's 75g here, giving 219 calories.
A portion of uncooked rice is also the size of your fist.
Carbs, for energy and fibre, should make up just a quarter of your plate (protein should make up another quarter, the rest should be veg).
More than this will pile on calories from extra sauce, too.

NUTS: ONE PALM

 
This might look small, but pasta doubles in weight once cooked, as it absorbs water. There's 75g here, giving 219 calories.
A portion of uncooked rice is also the size of your fist.
Carbs, for energy and fibre, should make up just a quarter of your plate (protein should make up another quarter, the rest should be veg).
More than this will pile on calories from extra sauce, too.


POTATO: CLENCHED FIST

A portion of carbs should be around 200 calories (250 for a man),' says Sian Porter.
'The potato here is 180g giving 175 calories, but baking potatoes can be twice as big - so think about sharing one between two.'
It's the same for sweet potatoes - but unlike white potatoes these would count as one of your five-a-day.

BUTTER: THUMB TIP
Any fat - butter, oil, and spreads such as peanut butter (shown here) - should be a serving no bigger than a teaspoon, or the size of the end of your thumb, from the knuckle to the tip of the nail, and no more than two or three portions a day.

CHOCOLATE: INDEX FINGER

 
A piece of chocolate the size of your index finger works out at around 100 calories (or about 20g - if you're a bigger person you'd get slightly more), and this would be an appropriate treat.

 CHEESE: TWO THUMBS

 
Cheese should be around 30g, the length and depth of both thumbs. There are around 125 calories here, giving a third of your daily calcium. 'This shows you could easily eat 100 calories without thinking,' says Sian Porter. The same amount grated will go further, making a heap the size of your fist.

 CAKE: TWO FINGERS
A piece of cake should be the length and width of two fingers. (One end can be a bit fatter than two fingers if you're cutting it in a wedge). This makes it around 185 calories (200 for a bigger person) - fine as a treat or snack.

Source: DailyMail