How big is a portion? Use your own hand to estimate it
How big is a portion? A kitchen scale gives the exact answer, but your hand is always with you. Health bodies such as the British Dietetic Association, the British Heart Foundation and the NHS use palms, fingers and spoons to describe portions.
Try it: explore each food group by hand, check how your own palm compares with the 140 g reference, and build a dinner plate to see how it lines up with the Eatwell Guide. These are rough guides, not rules.
You read a recipe that says "one portion of rice" and stare at the pan. How much is that? A kitchen scale answers it exactly, but you will not carry one to a restaurant, a friend's dinner or a work canteen. Your hand, though, is always with you. Health bodies such as the British Dietetic Association and the British Heart Foundation use hand shapes to explain portions, so it is worth knowing how well they work and where they stop working.
Why portions are hard to judge
People tend to eat more when more is put in front of them. A 2014 review that combined many studies found that doubling a portion raised how much people ate by about 35% on average, and the effect was smaller when people paid close attention to their food. You do not need to be obsessive about this. It simply helps to have a rough picture of what a normal portion looks like, so a "big" one does not quietly become your default.
Try it: portions by hand
Pick a food group below. The hand and household measures come from the British Heart Foundation, the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and the NHS. They are indicative, not exact.
Build a plate with palms
Now try a dinner. Set how many palms of each food you would put on the plate. The picture shows how much of the plate each one takes, by area. This is a picture of space, not of weight or calories.
Your palm is a handy ruler, not a rule. Use it when there is no scale, and check it against a scale once to see how close it is.
Where hand measures fall short
Sources do not always agree. For starchy food, the BHF describes roughly a palm, while the BDA counts a portion in smaller units such as 2 to 3 tablespoons of boiled rice or pasta, or one slice of bread. Guidance counts "portions" across a whole day, and one meal can hold more than one. Calorie-dense foods like nuts, oils and cheese are small in volume but add up quickly, which is why those are measured with a thumb, spoon or matchbox rather than a palm.
Hands also cannot tell you how much oil went into the pan or how a dish was made. If you track your intake for a medical reason, or you are managing a condition, use a scale and ask your doctor or a registered dietitian what suits you.
A simple way to start
Choose one meal this week and measure it once with a scale, then compare it with your hand. After that, trust your eyes and your hunger. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication (especially for diabetes or blood pressure), or have or had an eating disorder, talk to a doctor or dietitian before changing how you eat. This guide is general information, not medical advice.