The easiest way to cut calories is to have a slightly smaller serving. We're generally a bit too generous with our portion sizes – check out the photos below to see what a 'medium' serving of different foods looks like.
Red Meat – 1 portion – 120g
Lean red meat is a good source of protein and iron. Many of us are trying to eat less red meat, but there's no need to cut it out completely. Just be mindful of portion size – a 120g serving contains around 162 calories and 5.4g of fat.
Salmon – 1 medium fillet – 125g
Include at least two portions of fish a week, one of oily fish like salmon. 1 portion is around 287 calories & 18.7g of fat.
Pasta – 1 medium serving – 70g
Allow 70g dried pasta per person (same with rice). It might not look a lot, but it will absorb water during cooking. 1 portion is around 265 calories.
Jacket Potato – 1 medium – 180g
Not as big as you thought? A 'medium' potato cooked is 180g, and 'large' 220g. Around 175 calories & 213 calories respectively. Eat the skin for extra nutrients.
Veggies – 1 serving – 80g
Only 27 calories in 80g of raw carrots. And they count as one of your 5-a-day. This is the ONLY food category where we say the more the better – so don't worry too much about a 'portion'.
Fruit – 1 serving – 80g
Only 28 calories in 80g of blueberries – a perfect snack plus one of your 5-a-day. However fruit does contain natural sugars, and while that's not the type to worry about, just be mindful of calories if you're trying to lose weight.
Crisps – 1 serving – 30g
Yes, a depressingly small amount! Definitely one to remember when tucking into a big bag. 30g is the size of a packet of crisps from a multipack, and contains around 153 calories and 7.6g of fat.
Biscuits – 1 serving – 14g
That's just one sandwich type biscuit – like a Bourbon. Just one biscuit contains 68 calories, 3g fat and 4.2g sugar. Hard to stop at one – you can see how the numbers rack up.
Cheese – 1 serving – 30g
About the size of a match box – a portion of cheese should be around 30g, which is 125 calories. Also counts as 1 portion towards your 3 portions of dairy per day.
Chocolate – 1 serving – 30g
Sooo hard to stop at just 30g, unless chocolate is not your thing. Best to buy in portion controlled multipacks. A 30g serving contains around 156 calories and 9.3g fat.
Food Portion Sizes, by Food Standards Agency
About Nutracheck
Nutracheck is a top-rated food diary App and website. We track calories and 7 key nutrients - carbs, sugar, fibre, protein, fat, saturated fat and sodium. Our mission is to give our members insight into what they are eating to empower them to make more informed food choices. We've been helping people achieve their weight management goals since 2005.
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