For you to successfully control your weight, you need to be able to control what you eat. You can do this if you understand how to use serving sizes. While Portion sizes is how much food you choose to eat from time to time,  Serving sizes are standard measurements given to enable you control your food intake. Recommended food servings for Nigerians is shown in the food pyramid below

 Wondering what a serving of various food looks like? One serving of food is

• 1 slice of bread
• ½ cup rice or pasta (cooked)
• ¾ cup of beans (175ml)
• ½ cup fruit juice
• 1 cup milk or ¾ cup yogurt
• 2 oz. cheese
• 2-3 oz. meat, poultry or fish (this is about the size of a deck of cards)
• 1 cup carrots or 12 baby carrots (about 50 calories).
• One small apple
• ½ cup of orange juice
• Three broccoli
• One large tomato
• One large ear of corn
• 32 small grapes
• Eight large strawberries
• 1 large orange
• 1 medium size banana
• 1 cup of leafy green vegetables
• 2 small bell pepper
• ½ cup berries or grapes
• ½ cup of squash
• 2 cups of leafy vegetables equals 1 cup
• ½ cup of dried fruit is equal to a cup of fresh fruits
• 1 cup sliced cucumber
• 1 cup of cubed watermelon
• 2 tbsp of peanut butter

It should be noted that 1 cup is about 240ml, while half cup is about 120ml.

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