The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) has launched a practical guide to portion sizes to help people understand which foods to eat, how often and in what quantities. 

The guide – Find Your Balance: Get portion wise – is designed to complement the Government’s Eatwell Guide, which provides guidance on the proportions of the main food groups that make up a healthy diet. Easy-to-use measures have been devised for most foods, based on hands or spoons to help adults eat sensible portions. 

Commenting on the guide, Bridget Benelam, nutrition communications manager at the BNF, said: “In order to maintain a healthy weight we should ensure that our diets contain the right balance of foods in sensible amounts. This isn’t just about eating less; it’s also about eating differently.”

Ms Benelam added that the amount of food needed varies and so “if you’re tall or very active you may need more and could have larger portions, and if you have a slighter build or are trying
to lose weight, you may need smaller portions.”