What is a portion size?

Great question! A portion size is the recommended amount of a particular food. All foods have different portion size recommendations and can depend on the size of the food e.g. 1 banana is a portion of fruit whereas 2 kiwis is one portion of fruit or the nutritional composition of food e.g. nuts are energy dense so a recommended portion size is considerably smaller than what you might think.

How do I measure a portion size?

Using your fist can act as a really nice guide. Always use dry/raw foods when measuring portion sizes to ensure consistency. Your fist will work nicely for carbohydrates like pasta/rice/oats/couscous. Wondering what a portion size of bread/potatoes looks like? Well 2 thin slices (sliced pan) = 1 portion of bread & 2 medium or 4 small (egg-sized) potatoes = 1 portion of potatoes! Your palm will act as a guide for protein sources like meat & fish while your thumb will help you to determine a portion size for fat sources like cheese & nuts/seeds!

How many portions should I have each day?

This is a hard question to answer without knowing a lot more information about you as an individual. Your gender, age, weight, physical activity levels and goals will all influence this. This is why we always recommend an individualised approach to nutrition. We know that carbohydrates fuel high-intensity exercise so if your lifestyle is predominantly sedentary, you will require less carbohydrates in comparison to an athlete who trains for several hours per day. Your protein intake should always be consistent regardless of your activity levels, aiming for ~4 protein feedings per day!

Check out our other blog post where we discuss portion sizes in relation to fruit & vegetables!