Portion Sizes: The Practical To-Do List

Practical ways to judge how much food is on the plate without weighing it. Weighing produces better data and worse adherence; hand-based portions scale with body size and survive restaurants.

Key takeaways

• Protein portion: 1 palm
• Vegetable portion: 1 or more fists
• Most useful single change: Fill half the plate with vegetables before serving anything else.
• Commonest mistake: Treating hand portions as precise; they are deliberately approximate.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

Do

• Fill half the plate with vegetables before serving anything else
• Adjust by one portion at a time and wait a fortnight before judging
• Use the same method when eating out
• Add protein or vegetables rather than cutting further if constantly hungry

Do not

• Treating hand portions as precise; they are deliberately approximate
• Cutting below the point where you can sustain the day
• Using this method if you count carbohydrates for insulin dosing

The numbers behind the list

Where the items above come from.

If you change one thing

Fill half the plate with vegetables before serving anything else. It is first on the list above. If the rest feels like too much at once, start there and leave the others.

Where to go next

• Your Questions About Portion Sizes, Answered
• The Short Guide to Portion Sizes
• Portion Sizes — the reference entry
• The Evidence on Weight Fluctuation, Without the Hype
• The Evidence on Weight Maintenance, Without the Hype

When to speak to a doctor

Speak to a GP or dietitian rather than using general portion guidance if you have diabetes requiring carbohydrate counting, chronic kidney disease, or a history of an eating disorder. If focusing on portions is making you anxious about food, stop and speak to your GP; the Beat helpline is 0808 801 0677.

Where this comes from

• NHS — The Eatwell Guide
• British Dietetic Association — portion sizes

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.