How to master the art of serve sizes and portions

Slide of quiche and green salad on a plate

When it comes to figuring out how much food should be on your dinner plate, or what size takeaway to order, how do you do it? Every day we are challenged to choose healthier food and drinks, but we also need to consider the right amount for our individual bodies, based on our needs and how active we are.

Most Australians don’t consume the recommended number of serves from the Five Food Groups outlined in the Australian Dietary Guidelines¹. Furthermore, we are eating too much food that is high in energy and low in nutrients (known as ‘discretionary foods’), such as such as biscuits, pastries, cakes, fast foods, and sugar sweetened soft drinks.

Discretionary food items including croissants and other pastries in a cabinet at a cafe

The serving sizes (amount offered) for many discretionary foods and drinks has increased over the years.²As a result, our portion sizes (amount consumed) have increased as well, leading to higher energy intakes. Surveys show that more than 30% of energy intake each day is coming from discretionary foods. This is a problem because eating too many discretionary foods increase our risk of developing obesity and chronic disease such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The impact on our health can be worsened if we are not engaging in enough physical activity and movement each day.

Understanding portion sizes

For many Australians, there is a disconnect or lack of awareness about portion sizes and how these relate to the serves recommended in the Australian Dietary Guidelines.³ It can be confusing to wrap your head around, but there are tools and tricks you can use to help guide you and understand how much is the right amount to serve up at each meal.

The first thing is to understand the difference between a serve and a portion size.

A serve size is used to quantify the recommended amounts of food, to help you standardise what you’re eating, as used in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. This does not change.
A serving size may refer to quantity listed in the nutrition information panel on a food product and is determined by a food business – which explains why it may vary from product to product.
A portion size is the amount of food you put on your plate or consume during an eating occasion or single meal.

What’s a serve?

The Australian Dietary Guidelines describes the best approach to eating for a long and healthy life. They provide us with serve sizes for the food groups required for adults and children, as well as online nutrition calculators to estimate your daily number of serves from each food group.

You can visit the Eat for Health website for a visual representation of what a standard serve size looks like for each food group.

What’s your portion size?

We all lead different and varied lives, so there is no one-size that fits all when it comes to portion size. Choosing the right food and drink is vital for good health, but we also need to understand the food and drink portion sizes we buy, or what we serve onto our plates. Getting your portion sizes right can be difficult.

The amount of food on your plate/consumed each day is determined by your age, gender, height, physical activity levels and physical health. But there may be lots of other reasons why you choose certain food and how much you choose to eat. For example, time, what’s in your pantry or fridge, budget, what you’re feeling like, how much you like the food, the plate size and how hungry you feel. It’s no wonder we all struggle with get it right every day!

If we serve ourselves large portions, it is highly likely we will consume too many extra kilojoules, which can result in gaining weight, making our diets unbalanced, upset our digestive systems, and increase our food budget too.

The art is working out all the above and still make sure you get the nutrients and goodness your body needs to help it function each day, manage any current health problems and minimise your long-term risk of chronic disease.

Two people serve themselves food at a buffet

Tips to getting it right

Start by choosing plenty of colourful and tasty vegetables – every day. Our plates should be packed with these high-fibre providers, filling us up and providing many diverse vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies healthy.
Be mindful of how you serve up your food – are you hungry? What’s the plate size? What else have you eaten today? Using a slightly smaller plate or bowl can help to achieve a better portion size.
Watch out for food labels. The serving sizes suggested on food labels are not always based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines serve size – so compare them to the guidelines and you may be able to have some leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner!
Avoid upsizing or supersizing when eating out. ‘Regular’ meals and drinks have increased in size over the years so choose the smaller serves for better health.
Eating mindfully means eating without distractions. Eat slowly. Be conscious of every bite, tune into your body and understand when you’ve eaten enough. Turn off the phone or TV.

Woman examines a food label in the supermarket

A step in the right direction 

While making changes to your eating patterns can sometimes seem daunting and overwhelming, the best thing to do is start small and make the first step. By simply checking in on your serving and portion sizes, you’ll be on the path to a healthier you. 

If you need tailored dietary advice, speak with your health professional or Accredited Practicing Dietitian.

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