Determine recommended serving size

Updated 31 May 2024

If you are unsure of the recommended serving size for a food, use the following visual guide:

Vegetable serving two cupped hands. Oil or butter serving 1 fingertip. Fruit and grains service 1cupped hand. Nut butters and dairy serving 1 walnut-sized ball. Protein serving 1 open palm

Recommended serving sizes for key food groups—vegetables, oil and butter, fruit and grains, nut butters and dairy, and protein—appear as images, such as a cupped hand or fingertip. For example, the recommended serving size for vegetables is one cup—roughly the amount of vegetables that fits in two cupped hands.