Have you ever been enjoying a sleeve of Oreos when someone decides to chime in with the fact that, Really, serving size is only three cookies? We hear about “portion sizes”, “portions” and often “portion control” all the time, but what do they mean? Really to mean? Is there a significant difference, or does everyone end up making you feel weird about how many cookies you just ate?
If you are confused, you are not alone. a new consumer survey* from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) reports that while almost half (48%) of the participants correctly defined “Portion size,” that same percentage “incorrectly associates the definition of serving size with that of serving size.” Here’s the difference between serving sizes and portion sizes, and what it means for your health goals.
Serving Sizes: What’s on the Label
Serving sizes are the standardized amount of foods you see at the top of Nutrition Facts labels. A food package can (and often does) contain multiple servings, and a serving size is not meant to tell you how much you should eat at one time. In fact, the The FDA explicitly states that “By law, serving sizes must be based on the amount of food people typically eat, rather than how much they eat.” they should consume.”
In 2016, the FDA made changes to many Nutrition Facts labels so that when people look at calories and nutrients on the label, the serving sizes more closely match what they are consuming. For example, the serving size of ice cream has long been listed as half a cup, but two-thirds of a cup is now much more realistic. But does this mean that two-thirds of a cup of ice cream is how many “they shouldwill you be eating? Not quite.
Portion Sizes: How Much You Really Eat
A serving size is simply the amount of food you eat in one sitting. How much you eat depends on personal preferences and dietary needs—not what the label says to eat.
Some reasons you might want to understand your portion sizes include meeting your nutritional requirements, avoiding food waste, and feeling comfortably full when you eat.
why does it matter
The IFIC survey found that Although serving sizes are not intended to be recommendations on how much to eat, many consumers still use them for that purpose. Equally, Dr Ali Webster says in health line that “it seems that many people have internalized that information as a recommendation about how much to eat when that is not necessarily the case.”
It’s true that understanding serving sizes helps you understand food labels, so you can get a more accurate idea of the nutritional makeup of your food based on how many servings you eat. However, your portions can be much larger or smaller than the serving size for various reasons.
Here’s one way the difference between serving size and serving size could come into play: A serving size of grapes is half a cup (about 16 grapes). However, if you take about two handfuls, your serving size could be a full cup – two servings. Knowing your personal portion size would be necessary to count calories, track macros, or let your doctor know how much fruit you normally get in your diet.
The bottom line
While the serving size of something is going to be the same for everyone looking at the Nutrition Facts label, the serving size depends on your body and your needs. Use serving sizes to understand the nutrition facts of foods. Next, your portion size should be dictated by personal factors like hunger cues and health goals. Soon: Serving sizes are mass produced; serving sizes are individual.
*The poll uses data from interviews with 1,000 adults, over the age of 18, conducted in November 2021 and published in January 2022.
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