A KISS Guide to Servings versus Portions

A serving is a standardized amount of a specific food group developed by experts.

For example, a half cup of pasta or one ounce of cheese is one serving. Serving sizes are developed by nutrition and health professionals and are designed to suit the nutrient requirements of the general population. Canada's Food Guide and the Food Pyramid are guides based on serving sizes.

A portion is the actual amount that you eat.

You may have heard of the term portion distortion. This is a phenomenon where portions have steadily grown in size for over the last few decades. A portion can refer to the amount of food on your plate or the amount of food in a package.

For example, Canada's Food Guide advises that adults eat six servings of grain products every day. According to the Food Guide, one serving of cooked pasta equals half a cup. If you eat 1 cup of cooked pasta for dinner (your personal portion) it actually represents two standardized servings according to Canada’s Food Guide.

Quick tip: portions are personal and servings are standardized

When used correctly, tracking servings can have a powerful effect on weight loss. In my next post I'll show you how to use your personal portions and standard serving sizes to your weight loss advantage.