Salmon is not only a great source of protein but also important Omega – 3 fats. When picking salmon it’s always best to go with wild caught over farmed. Wild caught salmon have a higher percentage of Omega – 3 fats, more antioxidants and they contain significantly less toxins then farmed fish. Wild caught salmon from Alaska  is considered the best choice among the various varieties.

When serving a portion of salmon, or many other types of fish, the best way to visualize a serving size is to compare it to a deck of cards. Generally a piece this size will weight about 3.5 to 4 ounces depending upon the thickness of the piece.

The two pictures above show a 3.5 ounce piece of premade/flavored salmon that I purchased at my local store. The first pictures gives you a side by side comparison. The second shows the deck of cards directly over the piece.

I also have raw salmon fillets that I keep in the freezer. These are precut, raw fillets that are individually packaged. They are sold as individual servings according to the bag they came in. The fillets are a bit thicker then the premade/flavored fillets so they weigh in at 4 ounces each.  As you can see from the picture below the fillet is a bit bigger then the deck of cards:

In the second picture the deck of cards has been placed directly over the salmon. A bit of the salmon extends past the deck of cards. This is a 4 ounce fillet.

Food Pyramid Serving

1 ounce of fish is equal to 1 food pyramid meat

4 ounces of salmon is equal to 4 food pyramid meat servings

Diabetic Food Exchange

1 ounce of fish is equal to one meat/protein exchange

4 ounces of salmon would then be equal to 4 meat/protein exchanges

Food Package Serving

1 salmon fillet (3.5 to 4 ounces in size) is only 1 serving according to the food package. Note the difference between the food pyramid and the food package serving. Remember to be aware that the food package serving size is usually different then what is considered.

For more information on serving sizes, portion sizes and the food pyramid check out the Size It Up link in the right column.

As I was busy preparing strawberries for the kids I got to thinking about exactly what is one serving of strawberries. A quick check through my sources revealed that there is several answers to that question.

1 food pyramid serving = 1/2 cup fresh fruit

1 diabetic fruit exchange = 1 1/4 cup fruit (with skin, core, etc)

1 food package serving = 6 whole strawberries OR 1 cup of halves

Hmmm….not completely helpful. Then again strawberries are made by nature and come in various sizes and shapes unlike commercially produced packaged foods which are manufacturer to an exact weight. So here’s some strawberries and possible serving sizes:

6 whole strawberries is also equal to:

1 cup of strawberry halves

Which, as far as I can figure out is equal to:

2 food pyramid servings

1 diabetic fruit exchange

1 food package serving

Dietitians frequently refer back to the food pyramid. One of the things discussed in my first semesters nutrition class was what actually makes up a food pyramid serving. We also discussed the difference between a food pyramid serving and a serving according to the nutritional information on the package. There’s a bit more information about how the two are different here on this page: Size It Up – Portion Sizes. I thought that seeing a visual representation of typical serving sizes might also be helpful.

Here’s the first entry into the Size It Up category – pasta or ziti rigati to be exact. According to the food pyramid pasta is in the grain category.

1 serving of grains = 1 ounce dry pasta OR 1/2 cup cooked pasta = 15 pieces dry pasta

Here’s the same amount of pasta cooked and served on a 9 inch dinner plate. Wow, I never realized how small an amount 1 serving looked like until now. Sorry about the sauce covered pasta. I forgot to take the picture before adding the sauce so I picked out pieces that weren’t totally coated.

One serving of pasta according to the box nutritional label is 2 ounces of dry pasta.

 1 serving on the food label = 2 ounces of dry pasta

2 ounces of dry pasta = 30 pieces of dry pasta = 2 food pyramid servings of grains

Here’s the pasta cooked and served on a 9 inch plate. One food label serving but 2 food pyramid servings.

At least that looks more like a normal meal size especially if you added a few meatballs and a serving of veggies. Just remember that there is a difference between what the box suggests as a serving size and how many grain servings are actually in it.

We live in the land of super sized everything! How do you know what a real portion or serving size looks like when most of the time we are confronted with huge portions. As a result, we now look at these portions as normal. We are frequently told that buying bigger is a better value and saves money. Unfortunately it’s costing us our health.

The first thing to do to take back control of your health is to learn what an actual portion size looks like. The next thing is to is to discover how serving sizes on a food label is different from a serving size according to the food pyramid.

Food Pyramid Serving Versus Food Label Serving

There is a difference between these two types of servings. The food pyramid breaks down food into different food groups….grains, meat/beans, fruit, vegetables, milk/dairy and fats. The number of servings for each group is expressed as a range of numbers such as 3 to 5 servings or 6 to 11 servings. The reason there is no exact number for each group is due to the fact that each person’s dietary needs will vary based on age, sex, activity level and any health issues. The number of servings you personally will depend upon the amount of calories you need daily.

1 food pyramid serving size will depend upon the type of food. For example a food pyramid serving of grains is the equivalent of 1 ounce or any one of the following:

• 1 ounce of dry pasta or rice
• ½ cup of cooked pasta, rice or cereal
• 1 slice of bread
• 3 cups popped popcorn
• 1 cup of most ready to eat cereal

A food label serving is different from a food pyramid serving. The serving size on a food label is decided by the company making the food product. Ultimately the food label suggested serving size might actually contain several food pyramid servings.

Here’s a good example. Perhaps you are comparing two bagels. One is a huge 5 ounce bagel and the other is a smaller 2 ounce bagel. The package on the larger bagel indicates it contains 2 servings. The packageing on the smaller bagel states it is one serving. How many servings of grains are you actually eating with each bagel?

Food Label Servings:

5 ounce bagel label says 2 servings

2 ounce bagel label says 1 serving

Food Pyramid Servings:

5 ounce bagel equals 5 grain servings

2 ounce bagel equals 2 grain servings

The actual number of servings would be based on the food pyramid and NOT the label servings. If you see a dietitican these are the servings they will be teaching you about….pyramid servings and not label servings.

As a way to give myself and my own family a visual reminder of what we are actually eating I plan to post pictures of various foods and serving size information.