What is a serving size?

A serving size is the amount of food the nutrition numbers are for. Every calorie, protein and sodium value on a label or menu guide refers to it.

Quick facts

On packaged food	Shown at the top of the Nutrition Facts table
On chain menus	Usually one item as served, sometimes in grams
Watch for	Pizza per slice, drinks per size, sauces per portion

Turn grams of protein, carbs, fat or alcohol into calories.

Try a sample:

If you eat two servings, you get twice the numbers. That sounds obvious, but it's the most common way calorie counts go wrong.

Restaurant guides often list weight in grams, which helps compare items of different sizes.

Pizza chains list nutrition per slice. A small Domino's Pepperoni Feast is 240 calories per slice, so two slices are 480.

Pleit shows pizza as two slices, so it compares fairly with a sandwich or a bowl.