Counting how much food to eat can be hard. It is not always easy to imagine what 3 ounces or 2 spoons look like on the plate. The hand portion size method is an easy way to estimate portions without weights or measures
It works because the hand of every person is different. Big folks usually have bigger hands and need more food, while little people have smaller hands and eat less. So the meat portion that is less than a fist adjusts for the eater.
Use Your Hand to Measure Food Portions
Various food groups match parts of the hand. A fist matches one cup, which works for vegetables or fruits. Half of a fist is half a cup.
The palm with its thickness shows around 3 ounces of proteins. For men two palm portions per meal work well as a guide. A cupped hand matches about half a cup, used for wine, normal beer or carbs.
Fats add up fast, so the hand helps to control the calories. A portion of a thumb matches one spoon, perfect for oil, nuts, nut butter or cheese. One portion of oil, butter or nut butter is about half or the whole thumb.
An open hand estimates portions of popcorn, pretzels or chips, they should fit in these spaces.
For vegetables like lettuce two handfulls suffice for a good portion. Cheese is measured by two fingers in width and length. Those hand-based tips are used by health professionals and all folks.
A fist, thumbs and fingertips help to estimate one cup, one spoon and one teaspoon.
Weighing the food is the most exact mode. Weights, cups and spoons give the best results. They however are not always practical, especially eating outside or on the go.
The hand method is not perfect, but it reaches almost 90 percent of the accuracy. It is a simple and quick way to estimate portions, even if it does not give exact numbers. Restaurants expanded their portions over years, so it is good to have fast control of the amount on theplate.