Stop Wasting Time and Start A Diet Plan for Weight Loss

Guide to serving sizes

Use these charts to make up your daily allowances from each group. For some items, it might be worth weighing them out once – serving sizes may be bigger (or smaller!) than you’re used to!

Starchy – bread, other cereals and potatoes

A single serving is:

• 1 slice of bread or toast
• ½ bread roll/bagel
• 2 crispbreads
• 3 small crackers
• ½ pitta or 1 mini pitta
• 1 small chapatti
• 3 tablespoons (tbsp.) breakfast cereal
• 3 tbsp. dry porridge oats
• 2 egg-sized potatoes
• 2 heaped tbsp. boiled rice
• 3 heaped tbsp. boiled pasta
• 1 small plain naan bread
• 1 medium plantain
• 2 small oat cakes
• 1 plain biscuit
• 1 crumpet
• ½ English muffin
• ½ fruit or plain scone
• 1 scotch pancake
• 1 small slice malt loaf
• 3 cups plain popcorn
• 1 small corn on the cob

Tips:

• Aim for at least 2 servings at each meal.
• Choose wholemeal/high fibre varieties of food whenever possible.

Fruit and Vegetables

One serving of fruit is:

• 1 medium size piece of fresh fruit e.g. half a large grapefruit, a slice of melon or 2 satsumas
• 2-3 small pieces of fruit e.g. plums, apricots
• 1 handful of grapes
• 1 medium banana
• 7 strawberries
• 3 heaped tbsp. fruit (stewed or tinned in juice)
• 1 small glass fruit juice (150ml)
• 1 heaped tbsp. dried fruit e.g. raisins, or 3 dried apricots

A serving of vegetables is:

• 3 heaped tbsp. cooked vegetables e.g. carrots, peas or sweetcorn
• 1 side salad (the size of a cereal bowl)
• 1 tomato, 7 cherry tomatoes

Tips:

• Frozen or canned vegetables and fruit are good options too
• Vegetables are low calorie foods – aim to fill at least ½ your plate with them at main meals
• Fruit makes a good snack at any time
• For more about serving sizes of fruit and vegetables for good health, go to the 5 A Day section on the Department of Health’s website.

Meat, Fish and Alternatives

A single serving is:

• 60-90g (2-3oz) cooked lean beef, pork, lamb, mince, chicken, turkey or oily fish (salmon, mackerel and sardines)
• 75-120g (2 ½ – 4oz) raw meat, poultry or oily fish
• 2 thin slices of lean cold meat
• 150g (5oz) of cooked white fish or canned tuna (in brine or spring water)
• 2 eggs
• 5 tbsp. baked beans
• 4 tbsp. cooked peas, beans, lentils or dahl
• 120g (4oz) of soya, tofu or quorn

Tips:

• Try to have 1 serving of oily fish each week for good health
• Lower the fat content of main meals by replacing some meat with beans and pulses e.g. in casseroles, soups, pasta dishes and curries
• Note that the serving sizes for peas/beans etc. are different to the fruit and vegetables section, as they are included for their protein content here.

Milk and dairy foods

One serving is:

• ½ pint (200ml or 1 glass) of milk
• 1 small pot of low fat /diet yogurt / fromage frais
• 1 small matchbox size (30g / 1oz) cheddar or other hard cheese
• 45g (1 ½ oz) of half-fat cheese
• 90g (3oz) cottage cheese
• 60g (2oz) of low fat soft cheese

Tips:

• Use smaller amounts of stronger-flavoured cheese in cooking
• Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk contain just as much calcium as full-fat milk
• Check labels for fat and calorie content. Remember that less than 3g fat per 100g is low fat.

Fat and oils

A serving is:

• 1 teaspoon (1tsp.) butter or margarine
• 1 tsp. of oil or ghee
• 1 tsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. nut butters
• 1 tsp. double cream
• 1 tsp. tahini
• 2 tsp. reduced fat spread / reduced calorie dressing
• 2 tsp. salad cream, reduced-fat mayonnaise or low-fat dressing
• 2 tsp. single or soured cream or half-fat crème fraiche

Tips:

• Choose a reduced fat/low fat spread.
• Always measure out your oil (1 teaspoon per person per recipe) and choose a polyunsaturated or monounsaturated variety ( e.g. olive, rapeseed, corn, soya).
• Replace cream, yogurt, creme fraiche or fromage frais with low-fat no-sugar versions.