Sorting Out Serving Sizes

Sorting Out Serving Sizes


When you are away from home and do not have measuring cups or a food scale handy, it helps to know what a standard serving size looks like for some common foods. The table gives examples of some everyday items. You can also look at the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods for serving sizes.

Get out measuring cups or spoons, or a food scale to measure some of your favorite foods, so you can see what a serving size looks like.

Sample FoodsServing SizeSimilar Sized Item
Sugar1 teaspoonSmall marble or tip of thumb
Oil, butter, margarine, honey, mayonnaise, ketchup1 tablespoonLarge marble, poker chip, or thumb to first knuckle 
Salad dressing, salsa, hummus, peanut butter2 tablespoons2 large marbles, 1 ping pong ball, or whole thumb
Large egg, dried fruit, nuts¼ cupGolf ball or cupped handful
Burger patty, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, cooked vegetables, mashed potatoes, small baked potato, cooked beans and peas,
canned fruit, ice cream, 3-inch diameter by 1 inch bagel/biscuit/English muffin, cooked rice, or pasta
½ cup or 4 ounces uncooked meat, poultry, or fish (3 ounces cooked)Tennis ball, hockey puck, deck of cards, bar of soap, computer mouse, light bulb, or palm of hand
Chopped raw vegetables/fruit, lettuce (4 leaves), medium apple or orange, small roll, chips, popcorn, pretzels, cereal, soup, yogurt1 cupBaseball or woman’s fist
Cheese1 ounce4 dice or 2 dominoes
Thin pancake, small waffle1CD or DVD disk

 Shows various serving sizes compared to the different part of a hand

© 2006 — April 8, 2022, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

This handout is for informational purposes only. Talk with your doctor or health care team if you have any questions about your care. For more health information call the Library for Health Information at 614-293-3707 or email: health-info@osu.edu.