Serving Sizes for Fruit and Vegetables
ChristieisReady
Posts: 708 Member
Since I'm always wondering what a "serving size" of a vegetable actually is, I went and looked it up. And made a chart. And am sharing it here. Obviously, a serving size of apple is 1 apple, but what about apricots (it's 3). If you're ever in doubt, it looks like "1 cup" is a good rule of thumb, but here's the exact servings and their calorie contents. (Ok, not EXACT. Just, you know, more accurate.)
**note: this is for RAW produce unless otherwise noted, in which case it's STEAMED. Roasting, sauteeing, etc. add their own nutritional spin, so this is just the plants.
**note: this is for RAW produce unless otherwise noted, in which case it's STEAMED. Roasting, sauteeing, etc. add their own nutritional spin, so this is just the plants.
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These are good "rules of thumb" but they are loose.
For example a serving of apple is one medium apple. If the apple is large it could be more than one serving, if small it could be less than one. Medium can be pretty subjective if you are counting calories.0 -
Well, there's about a 15 calorie difference in between apple sizes. So, unless you are eating a LOT of apples, the delta isn't really a meaningful difference. You know when you're eating a medium apple (say, a pink lady) vs an extra small (like a crab apple). If you NEED to the gram measurements, well, then you'll need to use a scale and calculate to the gram. But for lifestyle use, a loose guideline is perfect. Having been counting calories on and off for 5 years, I can tell you that micromanaging 15 calories will make you crazy, and may cause stress eating.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Medium can be pretty subjective if you are counting calories.
Been there, done that.
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ChristieisReady wrote: »
Well, there's about a 15 calorie difference in between apple sizes. So, unless you are eating a LOT of apples, the delta isn't really a meaningful difference. You know when you're eating a medium apple (say, a pink lady) vs an extra small (like a crab apple). If you NEED to the gram measurements, well, then you'll need to use a scale and calculate to the gram. But for lifestyle use, a loose guideline is perfect. Having been counting calories on and off for 5 years, I can tell you that micromanaging 15 calories will make you crazy, and may cause stress eating.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Medium can be pretty subjective if you are counting calories.
Been there, done that.
Which is about the same thing I just said (minus the personal stress eating problem). It is a good rule of thumb guide.0 -
You cant measure accurately with cups... I dont like it lol, it should be by weight0
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I've become so accustomed to weighing in grams. And I like to track fiber and carbs and sugar that they contain, so I weigh on a scale.0
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To me, the only reason I look at the serving size is to calculate how many calories my portion has.
My portion is how much I feel like eating right now. That may be 2 servings or it may be 2/3s of a serving.
That's one reason why I love my food scale. I can eat exactly the amount I want to eat no matter what the government or manufacturer has chosen for their arbitrary serving size.0 -
To me, the only reason I look at the serving size is to calculate how many calories my portion has.
My portion is how much I feel like eating right now. That may be 2 servings or it may be 2/3s of a serving.
That's one reason why I love my food scale. I can eat exactly the amount I want to eat no matter what the government or manufacturer has chosen for their arbitrary serving size.
I feel the same. Serving size just gives calories based on a particular weight. I have never thought of them as a recommended serving to eat.0 -
I try to be accurate with everything I eat. Yes, even fruit.
Maybe a 15 calorie difference isn't a big deal, but say you eat 3 pieces of fruit a day, and you're under by 15 cals each, making that 45 calories per day, or 315 per week. It adds up quickly. Then you may be posting on the forums, "why am I not losing???" Or "I'm not losing enough but I'm doing everything right!!!"0 -
Sigh at cup units again...0
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Sigh at cup units again...
I don't weigh my food. I do know what a cup looks like. You have a WHOLE DATABASE on here for food by the gram. This is a quick takeaway for me to know that I'm getting at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I thought it might be useful to someone else.
I'm not saying this is all you need or that this tool is for everybody. I made it, it's useful to me, I'm sharing it.
If you're checking this out and pausing to say "I don't like what you've made here. It's accurate, but it's not exact and it's not what I want to use", well, this is why your friends don't like you.
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I had spent months weighing veggies, as I had a goal to eat 1lb of them daily. This was 150g at each of 3 meals, or some partition of 484g veggies. I can eyeball a "serving" of 150g pretty easily now, whether it's chopped greens, or a bowl of steamed squash and broccoli.0
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Thanks for sharing this chart! It's a great quick guideline! Personally, I usually eat 1-2 cups of veggies 1-2 times per day, totaling about 3-4 cups a day. My daily smoothies almost always have 1 cup of baby spinach in them! Every flavor except strawberry, the colors don't blend very well. LOL!0
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ChristieisReady wrote: »Sigh at cup units again...
I don't weigh my food. I do know what a cup looks like. You have a WHOLE DATABASE on here for food by the gram. This is a quick takeaway for me to know that I'm getting at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I thought it might be useful to someone else.
I'm not saying this is all you need or that this tool is for everybody. I made it, it's useful to me, I'm sharing it.
If you're checking this out and pausing to say "I don't like what you've made here. It's accurate, but it's not exact and it's not what I want to use", well, this is why your friends don't like you.
Well it wasn't directed at you but at the author of the chart, but whatever...0 -
ChristieisReady wrote: »Sigh at cup units again...
I don't weigh my food. I do know what a cup looks like. You have a WHOLE DATABASE on here for food by the gram. This is a quick takeaway for me to know that I'm getting at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I thought it might be useful to someone else.
I'm not saying this is all you need or that this tool is for everybody. I made it, it's useful to me, I'm sharing it.
If you're checking this out and pausing to say "I don't like what you've made here. It's accurate, but it's not exact and it's not what I want to use", well, this is why your friends don't like you.
Well it wasn't directed at you but at the author of the chart, but whatever...
Actually, she is the author of the chart...Since I'm always wondering what a "serving size" of a vegetable actually is, I went and looked it up. And made a chart. And am sharing it here.1 -
Thank you for making the chart. Its nice to have a guide for times when I'm away from my scale!1
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I can't stand arbitrary serving sizes and cup as a measurement (sorry, op, no offence, they are good as guidelines, but we have to adjust for real life, right?). I try to be pragmatic. So I'm doing a mix of weighing and counting, it's close enough for maintanance, at least, and I value consistency over accuracy here. I aim to have vegetables for every meal and eat three different fruits every day.
For breakfast, lunch and supper, I divide vegetables into portions of as near 80 grams as possible. For dinner, as a side, 100 grams of peas or green beans, or around 120 grams of Brussel sprouts. These are frozen, so it's possible to portion like that. Roasted parsnip, I'll use one large. Artichoke, one large or two small. Salad greens, I fill a small bowl. Potatoes, I weigh before peeling, and select to 2-4 to get as close to 300 grams as possible. Sweet potato, I use one small, or split one large for two dinners. If I'm making a soup/casserole, I have to decide what will spoil after "opening" so that I either use all of it at once, or plan to use it in another dish, unless it can be eaten raw during the next few days.
When I buy fruit, I try to find items that have a nice size, but it's not always possible. I will eat one whole peach, pear, banana or apple, one or two passion fruits, tangerines or plums, two apricots, 6-8 litchis, one or a half orange. I portion out grapes, melons and pomegranate by weight divided by days before they spoil, pineapple by chunks, pomelo by sections. I also slice and freeze bananas for smoothies, and use 100 grams with 80 grams of strawberries or blueberries, also frozen.0 -
On "accuracy".... you DO realize that fruit can vary calorically from harvest, to harvest, right? Like, they're not IDENTICAL so you are never going to have absolutely accurate measurements unless you test the caloric values of everything you eat (and I promise no one in the world has time for that). It's a delta of 1-2 calories, but if you need every. single. calorie. - that's not happening. Ever.
So... remember that this isn't a lab experiment. You're not eating in a vacuum. Be a little flexible, it's good for you.
And, yes, as Alatariel75 noted, I *am* the author.0 -
Great tool for the tool box. Thanks for your time!
\m/0 -
chastity0921 wrote: »Thank you for making the chart. Its nice to have a guide for times when I'm away from my scale!
This!
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Disappointed at all the negative comments on this feed. That was really nice of you to share!
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Thank you. You've done an amazing job! I'll certainly use it, especially for my kids.
I try to encourage my kids to eat 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables per day but it's hard to work out what that really means. Your chart is a great help.0 -
@ChristieisReadyLovee_Dove7 wrote: »chastity0921 wrote: »Thank you for making the chart. Its nice to have a guide for times when I'm away from my scale!
This!
Exactly what came to my mind!
Thanks for making up the chart as I imagine it took some time. I recognized Jicama but didn't realize they were also referred to as Yambeans. nom nom 0 -
Personally, (and this is my personally and I don't expect it to apply to anyone else) I find these serving sizes to be far too small. Based on my calorie goals I'd eat much more.
My "rule of thumb" is: "How much can I fit in and still hit macros"... whatever that amount happens to be is for me, a serving size. If I break up macro percentages by meal, it makes it simplest but my serving sizes match my calorie goals and are often rather large... especially of veg since it's so calorically light depending on the vegetable.0 -
A serving size for anything is how much I feel like eating. I weigh it on the scale and have at it.0
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ChristieisReady wrote: »
This is a quick takeaway for me to know that I'm getting at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I thought it might be useful to someone else.
OK, I guess I can understand that. I get a little frustrated by those "serving" recommendations too. But what was the source for deciding that these are the amounts that satisfy the recommendation that you should have at least 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Is it the same organization recommending 7 servings and defining what a serving is? Do they say what criteria they used in defining the serving for different fruits and vegetables?
Plus, there's such disparity among the nutritional value of the various servings. A half cup of cucumber or celery doesn't offer as much value to me in terms of nutrients as half cup of blueberries or cooked spinach.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »There's such disparity among the nutritional value of the various servings. A half cup of cucumber or celery doesn't offer as much value to me in terms of nutrients as half cup of blueberries or cooked spinach.
That much is true. But I got these from several different health/government sources, such as the USDA and WHO. It probably WOULD make more sense to quantify a serving by caloric or fiber or glucose content, but that's not what the people guiding nutritional minimums are doing. I myself eat more than a cup of vegetables at any given time, but I made this to make sure I was meeting MINIMUMS. And to make sure, when I feed my nieces and nephews, that I'm meeting their dietary needs as well.0 -
The WHO's serving size for "five a day" policies is 80 grams isn't it ? That would make some apples almost two servings.0
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ChristieisReady wrote: »I'm a fairly well-educated woman, but as an American, I have no real frame of reference for "grams". Ounces, yes. Grams, no.
1 gram = about 2 paper clips0
This discussion has been closed.
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