Portion control by weight.

[Johntodd]

Hi! I hope this is the right place to post this.  I consider it reference material.

 

I'm looking for a chart to do portion control by weight.  I will have a new kitchen scale and want to put a dinner plate on it and measure out the food by weight, taring after each addition.

 

But I don't know how much each item should weigh.  It would seem a simple prospect to Google this, but my searches have been in vain.  I find plenty of charts comparing food to the size of my hands, by I want a weight chart for the scale.

 

Can you help me, please?

 

Thanks!

-Johntodd

 

[chefmd]

If you google "how many calories in ..." you will get an interactive chart with calories and nutritional values.

 

Example:

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+calories+in+cooked+rice&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb

[Johntodd]

Chefmd, that's very good, I like it!  I'll bookmark that because I know I will be using it.  Thanks!

 

But what I am looking for is basically  "how much constitutes one serving of (X)".  I know people have different ideas of serving size.

 

Maybe this is one of those things I have to figure out through experience.  Serving meals day after day and weighing at each step.  Write that down and it creates a database in the computer.  Then print the chart myself?  How do restaurants do this?  They can't afford experimentation like that early on.

 

Thanks!

[Deryn]

I don't run a restaurant, but, can't you decide what weight you want your portion to be (i.e. 4 oz., 6 oz. etc. depending on what it is) and then use that as your guide for weighing the portions? If you think the size is too large or too small, reduce it or increase it - a bit of trial and error is probably necessary.

 

If you are on a diet, then maybe you want to take calories/oz into consideration in deciding portion size. I imagine some restaurants get their foods from Sysco or similar places, already portioned. Others made a decision on portion cost probably based on cost/price and/or what else is being served on the plate, etc.

[Okanagancook]

Health professionals use a system of standard portion sizes to formulate meal plans to meet peoples' nutritional needs.  Each portion size from each food group (i.e. meats or fruit, etc) represents a specific nutritional profile.  So by formulating meal plans specifying how many servings of each food group, health professionals can demonstrate to clients what their food intake should actually look like.

This website, although it is from Australia, shows what constitutes a serving size and then on the left hand side they give a sample 'meal plan' for a female and a male.  This should give you an idea of what, say, lunch should look like for the average customer.  It will only provide you with a guide.  Hope that helps. 

 

Here is the link:  http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/serve-sizes

[Johntodd]

Good stuff!  All of you, thanks!  This is all good info!

 

Love the Australian site, although I will skip the 65g of kangaroo meat! LOL!

 

Thanks again!

-Johntodd

[Okanagancook]

The Australians are very advanced when it comes to their Dietitians. At the Olympic Games in Sidney they had an amazing amount of information about the food being served. Everything had a full nutritional analysis and the database had an fantastic search program allowing the athletes to find the food they wanted based on a nutritional profile. So if an athlete was trying to follow their meal plan at the games, they could do so quite easily. And, the ethnic food choices were astounding. A model for future games.

Glad you like the website.

Cheers

[Lisa Shock]

When I was in culinary school, we were told a main course standard plate should be 5oz protein, 4oz veg, and 3oz starch. (plus garnish, pan sauce, gravy, pickles, whatever) This assumes that an app or salad was served first, and maybe a dessert later.

[Johntodd]

@Lisa;

 

Excellent guideline.  That's where I will start.

 

Thanks!

[lesliec]

With the suggestions above you should be well set up, but it occurs to me you could work backwards.

 

Presumably you've been cooking for a while and have an idea of portion size based on what the finished plate looks like.  So plate something as you normally would, but note the weight of each item as it goes on.

[Johntodd]

@lesliec;  That's a great idea.

 

Then that's the plan, folks!   I'll update this thread in the future with my brilliant tales of unfortunate cookery! 

 

Thanks!

-Johntodd

[gulfporter]

Hi! I hope this is the right place to post this.  I consider it reference material.

 

I'm looking for a chart to do portion control by weight.  I will have a new kitchen scale and want to put a dinner plate on it and measure out the food by weight, taring after each addition.

 

But I don't know how much each item should weigh.  It would seem a simple prospect to Google this, but my searches have been in vain.  I find plenty of charts comparing food to the size of my hands, by I want a weight chart for the scale.

 

Can you help me, please?

 

Thanks!

-Johntodd

You don't say if you are doing this for weight loss purposes, but if you are, here's my story.  

 

I fell victim to middle-age spread.  Gained about 5 pounds a year, between ages 40 and 48.  It happened so slowly; but in the end I was 40 pounds overweight.  Got fed up when I went shopping and realized I was a size 14.  Here's how I lost the weight (rather painlessly) and went from size 14 to size 6 in about 4 months. 

 

I used salad plates for all my meals.  I continued to cook 'regular' meals for myself and my husband, but I ate ONE portion on a salad plate.  Whatever would fit, that was it.  

 

I'm 62 now, and a size 8.  Whenever my scale goes up more than 2 pounds, I go back to the salad plate.  Works like a charm.  No weighing food, no special low fat diet, no separate meals for me and hubby.  

[NEPolarbear]

Check out this scale.

 

Takes all the guess work out of everything.

 

 

EatSmart™ Nutrition Pro Scale - Digital Food and Nutrient Calculator

http://www.eatsmartproducts.com/kitchen-scales