Know the difference between portion size and serving size

Portion control is a smart weight-loss strategy. Vonda Wright, MD, reveals the difference between a serving size and a portion size for smart nutrition.

Transcript

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[MUSIC PLAYING] Make sure you're not supersizing your portion. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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Hi. I'm Dr. Wright. If you can't figure out why you're not losing weight, maybe you're confusing portion size with serving size.

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What's the difference? A portion is the amount of a specific food you choose

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to eat for dinner or a snack. Portions, of course, can be bigger or smaller than the recommended serving size.

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A serving is a unit of measure used to describe the amount of food recommended for each food

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group. It's the amount of food listed on the nutrition facts panel on the packaged food.

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It's also the amount of food recommended in the US government's dietary guidelines for Americans.

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For example, 6 to 11 servings of whole grains are recommended daily.

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A recommended serving of whole grains would be one slice of bread or a half-cup of rice or pasta.

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That's not 6 to 11 portions, where a portion could mean a large bowl of pasta

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rather than a half-cup. Keep your eye on your portions. How do they compare with the recommended serving sizes?