Portion Size vs Serving Size: What's the Difference?

Performance nutrition for dancers includes eating a balance of foods that provide lean protein, wholesome carbohydrates and healthy fats. But once you have your pantry and refrigerator stocked up, you may be faced with the question of how much do you need to eat? With more people relying on take-out meals, and restaurants offering increasingly larger plates of food, it can be difficult to know what an appropriate portion size is. 

Food labels use "serving size" to describe the recommended amount of food for one person. A "portion" is the amount of food you choose to eat, which may be more or less than a serving. In many cases, food labels and the "Nutrition Facts" may be a helpful guide for an individual trying to make healthy decisions about food and nutrition, but these guides can also be misleading and contribute to a dancer under- or over-eating. 

I'm not a proponent of counting calories or grams of protein, carbs or fat. These numbers can be deceptive and contribute to a fixation on numbers, rather than just enjoying a wide variety of food -- and trusting yourself and your body that you are getting enough to eat. In general, I recommend that dancers keep their meal planning simple (because life is hard enough) and follow this simple model for a balanced meal:

• Start with a lean source of protein
• Add a healthy source of carbohydrate
• Include an antioxidant-rich whole fruit or vegetable
• Round out with a healthy fat

While, moderation is the key, when portions or eating seem out of control, a few guidelines can help get you back on track. Begin by removing distractions when you're eating; eat from a plate, not a package; and use smaller dishes, such as a small bowl for cereal or yogurt and a lunch plate for dinner. It may also be helpful to take a moment and review some of the common "servings" and "portions" for common foods a dancer consumes daily.

Protein

One serving of protein is 7-8 grams on a label. An average portion recommended for a dancer is about 3 to 4 ounces of protein per meal or about 21 to 28 grams of protein. For example, 3 ounces of chicken is the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand, while a one ounce serving (7 grams) of peanut butter is the size of a ping pong ball. 

Additional examples of foods providing one ounce of protein include:

1 egg

2 egg whites

¼ cup shredded chicken, beef or pork

¼ cup of tempeh

4 ounces of tofu or about ½ cup

¼ cup soybeans (edamame)

¼ cup raw nuts or seeds 

2 tablespoons of nut butter (peanut, almonds, or soy) 

½ cup of beans (kidney, pinto, garbanzo, navy)

Dairy foods are also a great source of protein and include:

1 ounce or ¼ cup shredded hard cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Havarti, Mozzarella or other hard cheeses)  

¼ cup cottage cheese

1 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2% or whole milk)

6 to 8 ounces (1 cup) yogurt

Fat

One serving of fat is approximately equal to 5 grams of fat on a label. A reasonable portion of for a dancer is 1-3 servings per meal, but keep in mind this may be in addition to fat found in other foods, such as meat, fish or nuts for example -- to ensure adequate intake. One teaspoon is about the size of your thumb and examples of food servings providing approximately 5 grams of fat include:

1 teaspoon of vegetable oil (olive, canola, coconut)

1 teaspoon of butter

1 tablespoon of regular fat salad dressing (2 tablespoons of light dressing)

1 tablespoon of cream cheese

2 tablespoons of guacamole

1/4 of medium avocado

1 tablespoon nuts or 1 tablespoon nut butter

2 tablespoons hummus

2 tablespoons ground flax or chia seeds

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate containing foods include fruits, vegetables, dairy products, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Serving sizes vary widely among these different foods, but in general one carbohydrate serving is the equivalent to 15 grams of carbohydrate. 

Depending on the dancer's age, weight and amount of activity/intensity of a dancer's training, he or she may need a minimum of 60 grams of carbohydrate per meal, 30 to 45 grams for a pre-dance snack and approximately 45 to 60 grams for a recovery snack. Therefore, to understand what this means in terms of breakfast, 1 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 small banana and a cup of milk would provide about 60 grams of carbohydrate. For reference, a medium sized iced pumpkin pie latte (with no whip cream) provides about 70 grams of carbohydrate. So, although the breakfast meal may seem like a lot for some dancers, many underestimate the amount they are consuming in some of these other foods and snacks.

Following are examples of what a single serving of carbohydrate is, but keep in mind a dancer's portion at a meal or snack may need to be more. An everyday comparison for "eyeballing" these portions is 1 cup of pasta is the size of a baseball and a serving of fruit is about the size of a tennis ball.

Breads, cereals, and grains

• ½ cup of cooked oatmeal (instant, old fashioned or steel cut)
• 1 ounce (3/4 to 1 cup) cup of cold cereal 
• ¼ cup granola or grape nuts cereal
• ½ cup of cooked pasta, rice, quinoa or other grain
• 1 regular slice of bread (any variety)
• ½ of a small bagel, hamburger, or hot dog bun
• 1 ounce (6-inch) tortilla 

Starchy vegetables and legumes

• ½ cup cooked peas or beans (kidney, black, lentils, chickpeas)
• ½ cup cooked corn or 6 inch on cob 
• ½ cup potato (red, Idaho, etc) and yam/sweet potato

Crackers and Snacks

• 3 squares of graham crackers
• 1-ounce or handful of crackers, pretzels or snack mix (i.e. wheat thins, goldfish, etc.)
• 3 cups popped popcorn 

Fruit

In general, 1 fruit serving is:

• 1 small piece of fresh fruit
• 1 cup of fresh sliced fruit 
• ½ cup canned fruit or unsweetened fruit juice
• 2 tbsp dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, etc) 

Dairy

In addition to providing carbohydrates to the meal, the following dairy foods are a good source of calcium and vitamin D. In general, the following dairy foods provide 1 serving of carbohydrate: 

• 1 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2% or whole milk)
• 6 oz of yogurt (plain or Greek)

Non-Starchy Vegetables

Non-starchy vegetables include asparagus, leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, collards, Brussel sprouts, etc. They provide important nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants and are essential for a dancer to consume on a daily basis. However, these vegetables are much lower in carbohydrates than starchy vegetables (i.e. corn, beans, and potatoes) and thus can be difficult for a dancer to meet his or her carbohydrate needs by only consuming non-starchy vegetables. Therefore, a healthy dancer needs to include a variety of wholesome carbohydrates in their meal planning. 

About the Author:  Val Schonberg is a Registered, Licensed Dietitian with a Master's degree in nutrition science and is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics.  She is an active member of the Minnesota Dance Medicine Foundation and International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. She enjoys enlightening dancers about food, eating and overall wellness through her speaking engagements around the country and at her nutrition practice in Atlanta Georgia. For questions or additional information, you can check out her website at www.enlightenUnutrition.com or contact Val directly at 612-865-6813.