A handy measuring method

I am the girl who you never want to ask to "guesstimate" anything. I have zero sense of direction and no ability to visualize size or distance. Once when training for a race I accidentally ran 32 miles. Let's not get into how I did this, just know it was not pretty. I threw up in front of a group of people in Pacific Beach and had to have my roommate bring me a Gatorade in the shower while attempting to get myself together to attend her birthday dinner that night. All through the getting ready process she kept asking me, "Well I mean didn't you begin to think it seemed a little long?" The answer was, no I didn't. I just sort of knew I was running a long distance that day and it never occured to me it was waaaaaaaaaay too long.

These helpful tips listed below are perfect for the measurement challenged person such as myself.They make it much easier to estimate portions. Use the props suggested at home to get an idea for the size and put them into practice when you're eating out or when trying to figure out your fruit and veggie intake for the day; it's easier then you think when you figure a large salad is easily two cups of veggies. Another good tip that I use at home is measuring out 1 cup of cereal, fruit, etc., placing it in a bowl and then continue to use the same bowl and you can eyeball it every time.

Props Used to Estimate Food Portions
The Grain Group
1/2 cooked cup rice ---- tennis ball
1 pancake (1 ounce or 5") ---- compact disc (CD)
1 piece of cornbread (2 ounces) ---- bar of soap
1 slice of bread (1 ounce) ---- audiocassette tape
1 cup of pasta/spaghetti (2 ounces) ---- a fist
1 cup of cereal flakes (1 ounce) ---- a fist

The Vegetable Group
1 cup green salad ---- baseball or a fist
1 medium baked potato (1 cup) ---- computer mouse or a fist- Smaller than the standard potato!!
1/2 cup cooked broccoli ---- light bulb
1/2 cup serving ---- 6 asparagus spears; 7 or 8 baby carrots; 1 ear of corn on the cob

The Fruit Group
1/2 cup of grapes (15 grapes) ---- light bulb
1/2 cup of fresh fruit ---- 7 cotton balls
1 medium size fruit ---- tennis ball or a fist
1 cup of cut-up fruit ---- baseball or a fist
1/4 cup raisins ---- large egg

The Milk Group
1 1/2 ounces hard cheese ---- 9-volt battery or your index and middle fingers
1 ounce of processed cheese ---- your thumb
1 cup of ice cream ---- baseball

The Meat and Beans Group
2 tablespoons peanut butter (= 2 oz. meat) ---- ping-pong ball
1 teaspoon peanut butter (= 1/3 oz. meat) ---- fingertip
1 tablespoon peanut butter (= 1 oz. meat) ---- thumb tip
3 ounces grilled/baked fish or chicken ---- checkbook
3 ounces cooked meat, fish, poultry ---- your palm, a deck of cards or a cassette tape

Discretionary Calories

Fats, Sugars and Sodium
teaspoon butter, margarine ---- stamp, the thickness of your finger or knuckle to thumb tip
tablespoons regular salad dressing ping-pong ball

Snack Foods
1 ounce of nuts or small candies ---- one handful
1 ounce of pretzels ---- two handfuls
1/2 cup of popcorn ---- one man's handful
1/3 cup of popcorn ---- one woman's handful

Serving Dishes/Utensils
1/2 cup ---- custard cup or mashed potato scoop
1 1/2 cups ---- large cereal/soup bowl
1 1/2 cups of pasta, noodles ---- dinner plate, not heaped
1/2 cup of pasta, noodles ---- custard cup or mashed potato scoop

I got these ideas from the website
calorie count .