If you are looking to improve your diet you need to keep track of what you eat, so it’s important to understand portion sizes. It can be very easy to misjudge the size of food and you may end up eating far more calories than you realise!

It can be hard to know exactly what ‘a portion’ is. The guide below from the British Heart Foundation is a simple and easy way to know if you are portioning your foods correctly to meet your daily guidelines of calorie and nutrient intake.

Credit: British Heart Foundation

Credit: British Heart Foundation

Recommended daily portions

(based on 1500 kcal for women, 1800 kcal for men)

 

Fruit and vegetables

Women: 5+ portions

Men: 5+ portions

Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and other starchy carbohydrates

Women: 7 portions

Men: 8 portions

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins

Women: 2 portions

Men: 3 portions

Dairy and alternatives

Women: 3 portions

Men: 3 portions

Oil and spreads

Women: 1 portion

Men: 2 portions

 

Source: British Heart Foundation