Serving Sizes Matter

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

ROCHESTER, Minn. — If you're trying to lose weight or even maintain a healthy weight, pay close attention to serving sizes — they are key to weight control.

If your morning bowl of cereal is mounded high in the bowl — it might be two servings, not one. To get your food portions under control along with your weight, check the serving size information included on Nutrition Facts labels.

The December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers these visual equivalents to help you size up a single serving without measuring.

1 cup cereal = a large handful

3 ounces of meat = a deck of cards

3 ounces of fish = the size of a checkbook

1 cup vegetables = the size of your fist

1 medium apple or orange = the size of a tennis ball

1/2 cup cooked pasta = an ice cream scoop

1 ounce of cheese = four stacked dice

1 teaspoon of butter = the tip of your thumb to the first knuckle

Mayo Clinic Jacksonville — Erik Kaldor 904-953-2299

Mayo Clinic Scottsdale — Lynn Closway 480-301-4337

Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call toll free 800-333-9037, extension 9PR1.

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