Measure servings and control portions

Measure servings and control portions

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Eating too much of any food, even low-calorie vegetables, can result in weight gain.
Therefore, people should avoid estimating a serving size or eating food directly from the packet. It is better to use measuring cups and serving size guides. Guessing leads to overestimating and the likelihood of eating a larger-than-necessary portion.

The following size comparisons can be useful for monitoring food intake when dining out:

Quarter of a cup is a golf ball
One-half of a cup is a tennis ball
1 cup is a baseball
1 ounce (oz) of nuts is a loose handful
1 teaspoon is 1 playing die
1 tablespoon is a thumb tip
3 oz of meat is a deck of cards
1 slice is a DVD
These sizes are not exact, but they can help a person moderate their food intake when the correct tools are not available.