How to calculate and divide the ideal meal portion for you

How do you manage the ideal portion of your meal every day? Are you spooning food onto your plate at will?

Yes, most people do rely on instinct or just about how much they eat. Maybe the standard you use is whether you are full enough or not with these portions. In fact, according to the Ministry of Health's recommendation, you should count and control the portion of your meal to make it ideal. That way, your nutritional intake is balanced and you avoid the risk of being overweight.

However, some people find it difficult to count and measure portions every time they want to eat. Well, there is actually an easy way to control the ideal portion of a meal. Read the trick below.

How to Calculate the Ideal Meal Portion?

The following recommended meal portions apply to adults who need 2,000 kilo calories a day. Keep in mind that everyone has different needs. Especially if there are special conditions such as diabetes or obesity. So, you should consult directly with your doctor or nutritionist to determine how many portions of food you can eat daily.

Staple food

You can choose carbohydrate sources such as rice or noodles to meet your daily calorie needs. If you usually eat rice, it is recommended that you consume 500 grams of rice a day. If you choose noodles, you can consume up to 1,000 grams a day.

One hundred grams of rice is equal to one cup or one adult fist. So, you need five cups or five sticks of rice a day. You can divide it strategically. Start with one and a half head of rice in the morning. This is followed by two heads of rice during the day and one and a half balls of rice at night.

Vegetable and fruit

Based on recommendations from the Ministry of Health, adults should consume 400 to 600 grams of vegetables and fruit a day. To divide it, make sure two thirds are vegetables and the remaining third is fruit.

According to nutritional guidelines published by the Ministry of Health, one hundred grams of cooked vegetables (without sauce or sauce) equals one cup. Since you need at least 400 hundred grams a day, divide the vegetables by one cup serving for breakfast, one and a half cups for lunch, and one and a half cups for dinner.

For fruits, you need to consume one and a half to two cups a day. Imagine the size of a field orange or an apple. That's the size of one cup. So, in a day you are encouraged to eat fruit as big as an apple up to two times. Divide into one fruit in the morning before noon and one in the afternoon.

Side dishes

The group of side dishes is divided into two types, namely animal and vegetable side dishes. Within a day, you can meet your nutritional needs with 100 to 400 grams of vegetable side dishes such as tofu and tempeh. For animal side dishes such as eggs, fish, beef and chicken, you can consume 70 to 160 grams a day.

You can combine animal and vegetable side dishes in a day. Suppose you want to eat chicken. Because the need for animal side dishes a day is 160 grams, then for one meal you can consume one medium piece of chicken thigh or one small piece of chicken breast (equivalent to 50 grams). Simply put, you can eat chicken weighing 50 grams up to three times a day. However, try to vary the side dishes in a day for richer nutrition.

Tricks to Divide Space on the Plate by Portion

To make it easier to calculate and control your ideal meal portions, divide your plate into four portions. The left side of the plate, which is 50% of the plate is filled with staples and side dishes. Meanwhile, the right side of the plate, which is the remaining 50%, is filled with vegetables and fruit. For more details, consider the following distribution of the dinner plate.

Source: Ministry of Health

Try not to take the rice as big as a plate and pile it with vegetables and side dishes. This method makes it difficult for you to maintain a balance and control the ideal portion of your meal. From now on, you should follow the division of the dinner plate above.