FOOD PORTIONS EXPLAINED

Posted 07 November 2006

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR PORTIONS

MEAL PLANS: BREAKFASTS | LUNCHES | DINNERS | SNACKS | RECIPES

We know that lots of you find portion sizes difficult to understand and even harder to enter into the nutrition pages, but hopefully this page will make the whole thing much clearer.

We use portion sizes because we wanted to give you a simple eating principle that would give you a healthy balance, would achieve results, but was practical to fit into your everyday life.

Once you get to know roughly what size a portion is, you can stick to the basic guidelines of the balance of good health for the rest of your life without every meal time turning into a difficult calorie counting equation.

Although we don’t want you to think too much about calories (because it can become baffling), the following principle should give you a clearer understanding of exactly what a portion is:

Fruit and vegetables = 50 calories per portion*
Bread, cereals and potatoes = 125 calories per portion
Milk and Dairy = 100 calories per portion
Meat, fish and alternatives = 100 calories per portion
Fats, oils and junks = 150 calories per portion

*These portions of fruit and vegetables should not be confused with those toward your five-a-day, which are based on an 80g serving.

To make things more user friendly, we have put together this guide to some of the meals that people eat on a regular basis.

This is not a diet plan, although it does contain plenty of healthy options for a balanced diet. Instead, use it as a reference for the number of portions in your food.

Once you look up your food, you will be able to enter them hassle-free into the nutrition section of the Today Page (or the right-hand side of the nutrition page) rather than selecting from dropdowns in the nutrition pages. 

If you use food labels (and the above calculations) to work out your portions, bear in mind that you will not eat exact portions all of the time. If you are eating less than a portion break it down into quarters of a portion.

When you eat fractions of a portion, you will need to round up or round down. Be sensible, but bear in mind that if you always round down, you probably aren’t going to lose weight.

Hopefully you will find plenty of the foods that you eat in the lists below, but we’d love some more ideas to add to these pages.

If there is a meal or snack that you eat on a regular basis, please feel free to send it in and we’ll do our best to convert it to portions and publish it for you.

Send your favourite meals now!

Printable version

2 weetabix or 40g branflakes or any other wholegrain cereal, 1/3 pint of milk, topped with half a sliced banana.
Portions: 1 bread, cereals and potatoes; 1 dairy; 1 fruit

3 tbsp muesli topped with small pot low fat yoghurt (approx 150g) and a glass of fruit juice (150 ml)
Portions: 1.5 bread, cereals and potatoes; 1 dairy;  1.5 fruit

2 slices of wholemeal toast (medium sliced) with low fat spread and marmite or 3 tsp peanut butter.
Portions: Spread/Marmite: 1.5 bread, cereals and Potatoes; 0.25 fats, oils and junk. Peanut butter option: 1.5 bread, cereals; 1 meat, fish and alternatives.

Porridge (40g oats) 1/2 pint liquid ( ½ milk and ½ water); large handful of berries
Portions: 1 bread, cereals and potatoes; 1 dairy; 1 fruit;

2 eggs poached or boiled with 2 slices wholemeal toast
Portions: 2 meat, fish and alternatives; 1.5 bread, cereals and potatoes

Strawberry and banana smoothie (blend 1/2 banana and a good handful of washed strawberries with1 pot low fat yoghurt and 1/3 pint milk)
Portions: 2 fruit and 2 dairy

2 rashers of grilled lean bacon, 1 low fat sausage, 3tbsp beans, 2 grilled tomatoes and a poached egg and 1 slice wholemeal toast.
Portions: 4 meat, fish and alternatives; 1 vegetables;  0.75 bread, cereals and potatoes

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Printable version

Chicken Pasta Salad (see recipe); an apple
Portions: 1 meat fish and alternatives; 2 bread, cereals and potatoes; 3 vegetables; 1 fruit

Wholemeal pitta filled with ½ small tin tuna in brine mixed with one heaped teaspoon low fat mayonnaise and salad; bowl strawberries with 2 tablespoons low fat fromage frais
Portions: 1.5 bread, cereals and potatoes; 1 meat, fish and alternative; 0.5 fats; oils and junks; 0.5 vegetables; 1 fruit; 0.5 dairy

1 medium baked potato with low fat cottage cheese and salad; small box of raisins
Portions: 2 bread, cereals and potatoes; 1 dairy; 0.5-1 vegetable depending on size of the salad; 1 portion of fruit

Bagel with smoked salmon and very low fat cream cheese; small pot of yogurt
Portions: 2 bread, cereals and potatoes; 0.5 meat, fish and alternatives; 2 dairy

Sandwich (two slices wholemeal bread) with low fat spread (thinly spread); reduced fat cheddar cheese, 2 slices ham; carrot and pepper sticks with hummus
Portions: 2 bread, cereals and potatoes; 0.25 fats, oils and junks; 1 dairy; 1.5 meat, fish and alternatives; 1 vegetables;

Wholemeal roll, spread with low fat spread, grilled chicken breast and roasted vegetables, two satsumas
Portions: 1 bread, cereals and potatoes; 0.25 fats, oils and junk; 1.25 meat; fish and alternatives; 1.5 vegetables; 1 fruit

½ carton fresh soup (not cream based), wholemeal roll; cereal bar
Portions: 2 vegetables; 2 bread, cereals and potatoes

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Printable version

Baked Salmon steak, 6 new potatoes; Broccoli; baby corn; mange tout
Portions: 1.5 meat, vegetables and alternatives; 2 bread, cereals and potatoes; 2 vegetables

Spaghetti bolognaise, made with 300g extra lean mince; chopped carrots, onion, peppers, mushrooms, served with 75g uncooked pasta
Portions: 2 meat, fish and alternatives; 2 vegetables (may vary according to the recipe); 2 bread, cereals and potatoes

Chicken stir fry (1 breast per person) served with pre-packed stirfry, cooked in a tbsp olive oil served with noodles
Portions: 1.5 meat, fish and alternatives; 1 vegetables; 1 fats, oils and junks; 1.75 bread, cereals and potatoes

Grilled lamb chop (with visible fat removed); mixed vegetables (green beans, peas and carrots) 6 dry roasted potatoes (roasted with garlic salt)
Portions: 2 meat, fish and alternatives; 2 vegetables; 2 bread, cereals and potatoes

Small grilled steak, jacket potato with teaspoon low fat spread, broccoli; carrots
Portions: 2 meat, fish and alternatives; 2, bread, cereals and potatoes; 0.5 fats, oils and junk; 1.5 vegetables

Chick pea salad (1 can chick peas, chopped red onion, cucumber, tomato, red pepper; feta) served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing
Portions: 1.5 meat, fish and alternatives; 2 vegetables; 1.5 dairy; 0.5 fats, oils and junk

Vegetarian Chilli (made with peppers, courgettes, onions, kidney bean, quorn); brown rice
Portions: 1.5 meat, fish and alternatives, 2 vegetables, 2.25 bread, cereals and potatoes

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Printable version

Toasted teacake; low fat spread; tsp sugar free jam
Portions: 1.5 bread, cereals and potatoes; .75 fats, oils and junks

Handful mixed nuts
Portions: 1 meat, fish and alternatives

3 plain rice cakes
Portions: 1 bread, cereals and potatoes

Fruit: 1 kiwi fruit; large handful berries; ½ grapefruit; bunch of grapes; apple; 4 dried apricots; large slice of melon; ½ a mango; 1 nectarine; 1 pear; ½ banana; 1 tablespoon dried fruit
Portions: 1 fruit

2 crumpets thinly spread with low fat spread
Portions: 1.5 bread, cereals and potatoes; 0.25 fats, junks and oils

1 cereal bar eg Kelloggs Nutri Grain
Portions: 1 bread, cereals and potatoes

Small bottle low fat milkshake
Portions: 2 dairy

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