Proper portions means proper balance of macronutrients and control of caloric intake. A portion – as opposed to a serving size, which is stated on a Nutrition Facts Panel or in the Food Guide – is the amount of food you actually eat in one sitting.

Most people are used to eating more than an allotted serving size of foods like bread, pasta, rice and meat. Fats and oils are also often eaten in quantities that exceed a serving just because few people bother to measure.

If you want to trim down, paying attention to your portion sizes is a simple way to cut calories, fat, and carbohydrate intake. The table at the top has the weight-loss-friendly portion sizes and the visual references that will help you estimate them correctly.