How to measure portions of food is practical so that body weight is maintained

Adjusting the portion of the meal is always a mainstay for reducing and gaining weight. The reason is, the portion of food determines how many calories that enter your body every day. However, the obstacle that you will definitely face when adjusting your meal portions is how to measure food ingredients of various shapes and weights.

For example, you can get 175 calories from eating 100 grams of rice. However, how do you measure 100 grams of rice without a scale?

Is there a more practical way to measure rice, side dishes, or other food ingredients so that you can eat the ideal portion? Check out the following information to reveal the trick.

How to measure out a portion of a meal without a scale

Meal portions can be measured by referring to the List of Food Exchangers (DBMP). According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, DBMP is a list containing the names of food ingredients, weight in grams, weight in household size, as well as energy and nutritional content.

When measuring portions of food, what you need to pay attention to is the household size (URT). URT is a measure commonly used in households, such as glass, spoon, chop, and so on.

For example, 100 grams of rice containing 175 calories is equivalent to one scoop. If you want to get 350 calories from rice, that means you can eat two scoops of rice because it weighs the equivalent of 200 grams of rice.

The same method can also be applied when measuring portions of chicken and other food ingredients. For example, a 40-gram serving of chicken is equivalent to one medium-sized piece of chicken.

Without the need to use a scale, you can estimate how much food you need to eat.

The dosage of food ingredients according to the group

Each food item has a shape and weight that varies. One chicken egg, for example, certainly has a different weight from a duck egg. Then, how do you calculate the meal portion of such a large number of foods?

The Indonesian Ministry of Health classifies foodstuffs in Indonesia into eight groups. From these groups, you can memorize them based on the foods you consume most often.

The following are the amounts of the most commonly consumed food ingredients according to the group.

1.Staple food source of carbohydrates (one serving = 175 calories)

There are many alternatives to staple food besides rice. The calories in one scoop of rice are equivalent to 1 cup of packaged dry noodles, 3 slices of white bread, and ½ cup of vermicelli. If you're looking for a more traditional food, try 1 large slice of cassava or taro.

Staple foods can also be obtained from processed flour, but don't forget to prepare a tablespoon first. The calories in one scoop of rice are roughly the equivalent of 5 tablespoons of flour and 8 tablespoons of rice flour.

2. Food sources of animal protein

Sources of animal protein are divided into three, namely low fat protein (50 calories), medium fat (75 calories), and high fat (150 calories). How to measure protein sources in your meal portion is to look at the pieces as follows:

• Skinless chicken, 1 medium piece
• ⅓ medium sized fish
• Beef 1 medium cut
• 10 meat balls
• 1 large chicken egg
• 1 medium duck egg

3.Food sources of vegetable protein (75 calories)

Vegetable protein sources are dominated by nuts and their preparations, because the protein in nuts is no less than animal protein sources. In order to measure the portion of food from this group, first prepare your tablespoon.

You can get 75 calories from 2 and a half tablespoons of soybeans, and 2 tablespoons of green beans, kidney beans, or peanuts. Meanwhile, in the process, you can consume 1 large tofu or 2 medium-sized pieces of tempeh.

4. Vegetables

Vegetables are divided into three groups. Group A are vegetables with very low calories so that they can be eaten freely, including lettuce, cucumber, and tomato.

Group B are vegetables that contain 100 grams of 25 calories, such as spinach, broccoli, carrots, and pumpkin. The way to measure the portion of group A and B vegetables is to use a glass. One serving is equivalent to one glass.

Meanwhile, group C contains vegetables of which 100 grams contain 50 calories such as katuk leaves, cassava leaves and papaya leaves.

5. Fruits and sugar (50 calories)

All sweet fruits fall into this group. Fruit the size of an apple, banana, and sapodilla can be eaten individually. Meanwhile, one serving of oranges, salak, and various guavas is equivalent to two whole fruits. For mango lovers, one serving is equivalent to ¾ of the fruit.

6. Milk

Usually enough milk is measured in glass units. However, each type of milk contains a different number of calories. A glass of skim milk, for example, contains 75 calories. While a glass of cow's milk and ¾ glass of goat's milk contains 125 calories.

7.Oils and fats (50 calories)

The most appropriate way to measure oil in a portion of a meal is to use a teaspoon. You can get 50 calories by cooking with a teaspoon:

• corn oil
• soybean oil
• olive oil
• peanut oil
• coconut oil, or
• butter

8. Foods without calories

This group contains food items that are consumed in small amounts and have almost zero calories, for example, jelly, vinegar, and soy sauce. Therefore, you only need to adjust the dose at each meal.

Calculating the portion of meals is the simplest way to regulate the intake of calories that enter your body. It may seem difficult at first because of the wide variety of ingredients, but it will gradually become easier as you get used to it.

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