Ideal portion sizes rice/pasta/grains/milk substitutes for vegans

[thegreenjudy]

I am trying to lose a bit of weight and have been looking for ideal portion sizes for vegans when it comes to Grains/Pasta, Tofu, Milk Substitutes etc.

Unfortunately most of the data I found is either not consistent (some say 1 oz per person others 2 oz others say 100 g dry weight per main meal..but that actually already contains more than one portion I guess)... or they don't show the dry weight and as it is based on a standard diet and don't take into account vegan needs.

I found the vegan food pyramid which tells me how many portions I should be eating a day (eg Legumes, Seeds, Beans = 2-3 portions a day, Grains = 6-11 ..although I would have thought it would be better to eat more
beans than grains...)..

Anyhoo - the question is: how big should a portion be? I am from the UK and don't do cups..anyone knows the measurements in dry weight and grams??

Thing is, I always end up cooking too much and then don't want to waste it and my portion sizes increase significantly! So I know I eat too much. I am also trying to cut down on baked stuff and sugar and fats. But I would be grateful if anyone could let me know what a portion size should REALLY look like...

Edit: Oh I also noticed that on some pyramids they recommend more whole grains than fruit and veg...actually I want to go more easy on the whole grain side and increase my veg intake...

[Blackpoolvegan]

Anyhoo - the question is: how big should a portion be? I am from the UK and don't do cups..anyone knows the measurements in dry weight and grams??

Hello! I'm doing Weightwatchers at the moment, and find that 50g dry weight of rice, pasta, or any grains, is a good-sized portion. (This is 5 ProPoints approx on WW: 10g seems to equal 1 PP.) Half a tin of drained cooked beans (usually this comes up about 115g) I find is sufficient generally (this is 3-4 PP on WW). I think the dry weight of beans, lentils, and so on, works out about the same as grains.

This generally makes a sizeable meal for me (doesn't feel like a diet!) - you might find you need a little more or less. You should have room for some veg as well.

I find personally that about the same amount of grains and pulses in the same meal seems to do the trick - keeps me full for ages.

The exception is breakfast, which is 60g of oatmeal made with 200ml of Kara milk - 7 points on WW. Breakfast of champions!

Hope this all helps.

[Andy_T]

Hello Greenjudy,

in Italy, I was told that the "rule of thumb" for pasta is to use 100 grams per person. It is also the rule I use when cooking for my family.

So for the purpose of losing weight, using only 50 grams might make sense.

What might be even better, of course, is not to use white rice, pasta and bread at all (that is what I am doing right now for that very reason) but rather eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Best regards,
Andy

[Espirito]

Thanks for sharing :)