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    Speaking of Health
    Saturday, September 20, 2025

    Strategies to control portions

    Topics in this Post
    • Get healthy recipes and tips
    • Nutrition
    • Weight-loss (Bariatric) Surgery
    Forking vegetable salsa on plate

    Losing weight and eating healthy may seem difficult. You may be unsure of how much you should eat to lose weight. It can be difficult to estimate portion sizes. Using the visual cues listed here will help you get close to actual recommended serving sizes.

    Here are some ways to help judge a healthy portion.

    Fruit — One serving is equivalent to a tennis ball:

    • 1 medium whole fruit
    • 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit

    Vegetables — One serving is equivalent to one or two baseballs:

    • 2 cups of raw, leafy vegetables (two baseballs)
    • 1 cup of chopped, cooked or canned raw veggies (1 baseball)

    Grains — One serving is equivalent to a hockey puck:

    • 1 slice whole-wheat bread
    • 1/2 cup of cooked pasta, potatoes or rice

    Protein foods — One serving is equivalent to a hockey puck:

    • 3 ounces of cooked meat

    Fat — One serving is equivalent to one die:

    • 1 teaspoon butter, margarine or oil

    Get additional healthy weight resources, and learn more about losing weight.

    By Mayo Clinic Health System staff.

    Topics in this Post
    • Get healthy recipes and tips
    • Nutrition
    • Weight-loss (Bariatric) Surgery

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