Portion Size versus Serving Size
Portion size differs from serving size. A portion can be more or less of a serving size.
On the Nutrition Facts panel you'll see serving size listed. There is a value listed in grams, cups or ounces, based on a standardized serving for that particular food. But, many manufacturers don't use the standardized serving size. For example, the FDA's Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion for beverages, is 8 fluid ounces (2). If we look at the popular drink Sobe, you'll see 20 fluid ounces listed as a serving size (3). Serving size on the nutrition facts panel can still be a great tool for comparing nutrient values across various products when the serving sizes are consistent.
Portion Distortion: Over the past few decades, portion sizes have grown. Sodas used to be 12 ounces and now are sold in containers as much as 64 ounces. Burgers today are twice as large as they were twenty years ago and almost double the calories! A standard bagel has grown from 3 inches in diameter to 6 inches in diameter (4).
NLEA Serving Size: NLEA serving sizes are based on sizes developed from the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which is a guide for manufacturers (5). The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 has given the FDA authority to require nutrition labeling for foods and a requirement for claims about nutrients (eg: high in calcium). The serving sizes are based on standard reference amounts.
Google It! If you want to know the milligrams (mg) of calcium in, say, broccoli - google "broccoli and calcium". Google draws from the USDA database using NLEA serving sizes. It's a very easy way to to find nutrient amounts in foods.
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines have a great interactive tool that helps you visualize serving sizes for different food groups. Because portion sizes and serving sizes are somewhat confusing, the Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee is pushing for us to start thinking in cup-equivalents. For example, the recommendation for daily fruit and vegetable consumption varies between age groups and gender, but an average is 5 cups a day (6). It's much easier to think about cups or cup equivalents, than grams or ounces.
- Portion size is the amount of food that you might consume at a meal or as a snack.
- Serving size is the measure of a food or a drink (1).
On the Nutrition Facts panel you'll see serving size listed. There is a value listed in grams, cups or ounces, based on a standardized serving for that particular food. But, many manufacturers don't use the standardized serving size. For example, the FDA's Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion for beverages, is 8 fluid ounces (2). If we look at the popular drink Sobe, you'll see 20 fluid ounces listed as a serving size (3). Serving size on the nutrition facts panel can still be a great tool for comparing nutrient values across various products when the serving sizes are consistent.
Portion Distortion: Over the past few decades, portion sizes have grown. Sodas used to be 12 ounces and now are sold in containers as much as 64 ounces. Burgers today are twice as large as they were twenty years ago and almost double the calories! A standard bagel has grown from 3 inches in diameter to 6 inches in diameter (4).
NLEA Serving Size: NLEA serving sizes are based on sizes developed from the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which is a guide for manufacturers (5). The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 has given the FDA authority to require nutrition labeling for foods and a requirement for claims about nutrients (eg: high in calcium). The serving sizes are based on standard reference amounts.
Google It! If you want to know the milligrams (mg) of calcium in, say, broccoli - google "broccoli and calcium". Google draws from the USDA database using NLEA serving sizes. It's a very easy way to to find nutrient amounts in foods.
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines have a great interactive tool that helps you visualize serving sizes for different food groups. Because portion sizes and serving sizes are somewhat confusing, the Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee is pushing for us to start thinking in cup-equivalents. For example, the recommendation for daily fruit and vegetable consumption varies between age groups and gender, but an average is 5 cups a day (6). It's much easier to think about cups or cup equivalents, than grams or ounces.
Cup-equivalents for food groups from the 2015 Dietary Guidelines
If you look at the image above, you can see how a whole strawberries, orange juice and dried fruit (raisins) all have different portion sizes that make up a 1/2 cup-equivalent of fruit.
References
- Serving Sizes and Portion Sizes. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm. Last updated September 30, 2013. Last accessed February 27, 2016.
- Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21. US Food and Drug Administration. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=101.12. Last updated April 1, 2015. Last accessed February 27, 2016.
- Green Tea Nutrition Information. Sobe. http://www.sobe.com/#!/product/view/id/22. Last accessed February 27, 2016.
- Portion Distortion Interactive Slide Show. National Institute of Health. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/portion-distortion.htm. Last updated April 1, 2015. Last accessed April 7, 2016.
- Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. US Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/iceci/inspections/inspectionguides/ucm074948.htm. Last updated November 25, 2014. Last accessed February 27, 2016.
- Key Elements of Healthy Eating Patterns. Dietary Guidelines. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-1/a-closer-look-inside-healthy-eating-patterns/#figure-1-1-cup-and-ounce-equivalents. Last accessed February 27, 2016.
Last updated April 7, 2016
