Serving Size VS. Portion Size – Do You Know the Difference?

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Serving Size VS. Portion Size

We all hear that we need to watch our portions but were you aware that your serving size is different than your portion size?

Here at PFC Liz B speaks every Tuesday to our guests.  She is a clinical dietician and she loves sharing her knowledge with PFC.

This past Tuesday she talked about a very important topic; Serving size vs. portion size.  It was great to hear our guest speak out and share their knowledge while also listening and learning many concepts that they now can take home and incorporate at their home environment.

Serving Size
When you are looking at a packaging for your food your probably looking for calories, sugars, fat content and more.  But, do you check what the actual serving size is on the package?  This can make a big difference in your calorie counting and when looking at your nutrition intake.

Here is an example take a look at the nutrition facts for m&m’s.  Just under the words “Nutrition Facts” there is this “Serving Size 10 Pieces 20 g”.  10 Pieces is not all that is in a bag of m&ms.  Instead of assuming there are 103 calories in a full bag now you know to check the actually serving size.

Portion  Size
Your portion size is the actual amount you put onto your plate.  So in the example above with the M & M package.  Lets say in the bag there are 20 M & M’s and you eat the whole bag.  You now will look at the actual serving size, which is 10 pieces and times this by 2.  Making the calories at 206 and all other information double.

This is a very basic explanation of serving vs. portion size.  Be sure to add this knowledge to your new lifestyle change! We here at Premier Fitness Camp in Utah believe in a multi-tiered approach at our weight loss camp involving fitness, nutrition, and education so you are well prepared to make all of the necessary changes on your journey to a healthier life!

Bonnie Jameson – Health Counselor
“No one diet works for everyone!”

Bonnie received her training to practice Health Counseling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school integrating all the different dietary theories—combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA food pyramid, the glycemic index, the Zone and raw foods.

While attending The Institute of Integrative Nutrition she was taught to transform lives by world experts in nutrition and wellness with people like Andrew Weil, Arthur Agatston, Barry Sears, Mark Hyman and Geneen Roth, David Wolf among many others. She is a board certified Holistic Health Practitioner by the American Associations of Drugless Practitioners

“Before becoming a health counselor I was very unhealthy. I would wake up in the morning and make cookies just about every morning. I would go throughout the day with spurts of high energy but then would sleep as soon as it was gone.

I soon had health issues including thyroid, endometriosis, and weight gain. Which all effected my work, school, enthusiasm for life and getting anything done during the day. Since learning about the importance of food and lifestyle I have been able to balance out all health issues and now have well balanced energy throughout the day, which gives me the ability to help others.

This journey of mine was a challenge for me at first. I was told to cut out all sugar but was not taught what to eat and found myself craving sugar more and more. Then I attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Not only did my schooling teach me to incorporate healthy foods that were best for me but also I learned how to help others.” ~Bonnie