To ensure optimal health, you need to control your food portions, but how do you know if the food you are serving is adequate for you? While using measuring tools such as scales, cups and spoons is the most accurate method of ensuring correct portion control, it is not always convenient. A method healthcare practitioners generally incorporate in nutrition education is the “Zimbabwe Hand Jive.” (No, I did not make that up, it really does exist) which uses your hands to estimate the portions that are right for you. Have bigger hands? Lucky you, you get a larger portion!

So what is a portion?

Closed fist=  ½ cup solid food or 1 cup liquid

Beverages (hot and cold)

Starches (ugali/sadza/fufu/posho/pap/isitshwala etc,  cassava)*

Fruit

Yam & Potatoes

(*Average portions of starches should not exceed 1 1/2 times the size of the fist)

Two cupped hands= 1 cup

Raw vegetables

Casserole/mixed dishes (Highfields, Egusi, stews etc)

Soup

High fiber, low fat grain snacks (popcorn, some whole grain crackers)

One cupped hand= ½ cup

Fruit salad

Cooked vegetables

Nuts

Beans

Pasta

Rice/ Samp

High fat snacks (pudding, ice cream, chin chin, puff puff, mandazi etc)

Palm of hand=  90-120g (3-4 ounces)

Cooked beef

Cooked poultry (chicken, turkey, birds)

Cooked pork

Cooked fish fillet

Cooked wild game and fowl

Canned fish (Sardines, Titus etc)

Thumb – 1 tablespoon

Peanut butter

Salad dressing

Dips

Use the tip of you thumb to estimate portion sizes for  high fat spreads and oils such as margarine, butter, mayonnaise and oil.

Here’s to your health!

Related articles

• It’s All About The Portion Size (docmatthew.com)
• Is african food healthy? (inspiringhealthylifestyles.wordpress.com)