Get Portion Wise

Today the British Nutrition Foundation has published an easy way of working out food portions called, Get Portion Wise. Have a look at their website for the full details here.

It’s simple, you can use your hands to work out how big a portion is. Some of these foods catch people out which results in us eating too much, a good example is breakfast cereal, three handfuls is one portion.

They say…”If you really want to measure portion size accurately the best way is to weigh your food but we have provided some practical measures using your hands and spoons that you can use to get an idea of sensible portion sizes.”

Get Portion Wise examples:

• 2 handfuls of dried pasta shapes or rice (75g).
• A bunch of spaghetti the size of a £1 coin, measured using your finger and thumb (75g).
• The amount of cooked pasta or rice that would fit in two hands cupped together (180g).
• A baked potato about the size of your fist (220g).
• About 3 handfuls of breakfast cereal (40g).
• A piece of grilled chicken breast about half the size of your hand (120g).
• A piece of cheddar cheese about the size of two thumbs together (30g).

The healthiest diet contains the following;

• Fruit and vegetables: 5+ portions per day.
• Starchy carbohydrates: 3-4 portions per day.
• Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins: 2-3 portions per day.
• Dairy and alternatives: 2-3 portions per day.

The BBC points out the way of doing this method is a lot like emojis, click here to watch their video.

Check out our health information pages for lots of information about health and illness, just click here.