What real portion sizes look like

When preparing meals, consider these portion sizes:

• pasta/rice: 1/3 cup cooked*
• meat: 3 ounces
• cheese: 1 ounce
• peanut butter/salad dressing: 1 tablespoon
• butter/mayonnaise: 1 teaspoon

*This portion equals one carbohydrate choice. Most people with diabetes can have three to four carbohydrate choices per meal.

If you choose to have all of your carbohydrate choices in pasta, you will need to avoid other carbohydrate foods (such as milk, fruit, starchy vegetables and dessert) at that meal.

The pictured foods are on a nine-inch dinner plate:

One serving of cheese.

One serving of chicken.

One serving of salad dressing.

One serving of pasta.

One serving of peanut butter.

One serving of butter.

What should you put on your plate?

When you are planning your meals, try to think about what your plate should look like. Use the example below to help you think about how your plate should look.

For breakfast:

• half of your plate should be starches
• the other half should be split between protein and fruit.

For lunch and dinner:

• half of your plate should be full of non-starchy vegetables
• the other half should be split between protein and starches
• a small dish of fruit, if you want.