What is a standard serving of meat?

A standard serving of meat, poultry, or fish is 3 ounces (85 grams) cooked, roughly the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand. The USDA recommends 5-6.5 ounce-equivalents of protein per day for most adults.

How many grams is a cup of rice?

One cup of cooked white rice weighs approximately 186 grams (6.6 oz). One cup of uncooked rice weighs about 185 grams and yields roughly 3 cups cooked. One USDA serving of grains is ½ cup cooked rice (about 93 grams).

What is the difference between a serving and a portion?

A 'serving' is a standardized amount defined by the USDA or FDA for nutrition labeling. A 'portion' is the amount you actually eat. Portions are often larger than servings — a restaurant pasta dish might be 3-4 servings.

Food Portion Sizes: Ounces, Grams, and Servings Guide

Standard USDA Serving Sizes

Food Group	1 Serving	Grams	Visual Estimate
Meat/poultry	3 oz cooked	85 g	Deck of cards
Fish	3 oz cooked	85 g	Checkbook
Pasta/rice	1/2 cup cooked	~90 g	Half a baseball
Vegetables	1 cup raw / 1/2 cup cooked	~75-150 g	Baseball (raw)
Fruit	1 medium piece	~120-150 g	Tennis ball
Cheese	1.5 oz	42 g	4 stacked dice
Bread	1 slice	~28 g	CD case size
Nut butter	2 tablespoons	32 g	Golf ball
Cooking oil	1 teaspoon	~4.5 g	Fingertip

Protein Weights (Cooked)

Ounces	Grams	Calories (approx)
3 oz chicken breast	85 g	140
4 oz salmon	113 g	230
6 oz steak	170 g	340
8 oz (half pound) burger	227 g	430

Raw vs Cooked Weight

Meat loses 25-30% of its weight during cooking. A raw 4 oz (113 g) chicken breast yields approximately 3 oz (85 g) cooked. When recipes specify "4 oz cooked," start with about 5.5 oz (155 g) raw.

Quick Weight Conversions for Food

1 ounce = 28.35 grams
100 grams = 3.53 ounces
1 pound = 453.6 grams = 16 ounces
1 kilogram = 2.205 pounds = 35.27 ounces

Convert food weights with our weight converter.