How much is a palm of chicken?
Your hand is the measuring cup you always have. Pick a food and a hand to see what it holds.
85 gone palm of chicken breast
- Calories
- 140
- Protein
- 27 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 0 g
Hands differ, so these are starting points. A palm here is 3 oz, a fist 1 cup, a cupped hand 1 oz, a thumb tip 1 tablespoon (CDC).
What your hand measure means and what to do next
A palm of chicken, fish or steak is about the protein one plate needs for a 170 lb person, 22 to 27 g. A fist is a serving of vegetables, rice or beans. A cupped hand of nuts or a thumb of cheese is a lot of calories for its size, so those foods keep to the small measures. Build a plate as a palm of protein, a fist or two of plants, a cupped hand to a fist of a starch and a thumb tip of fat.
Next, tap the foods into the meal checker, which starts most foods on the same hand measures, and see how the plate grades.
The hand measures
| Hand | About | For |
|---|---|---|
| Palm, no fingers | 3 oz (85 g) | Meat, fish, chicken, tofu |
| Fist | 1 cup, or a medium fruit | Rice, pasta, vegetables, beans, cereal |
| Cupped hand | 1 to 2 oz | Nuts, chips, pretzels (the calculator uses 1 oz) |
| Thumb | 1 oz | Cheese |
| Thumb tip | 1 tablespoon | Oil, butter, nut butter, dressing |
These are the CDC's measures from its diabetes meal planning page. A bigger person tends to have bigger hands and need more food, so the measure scales a little on its own. For a balanced plate: a palm of protein, a fist or two of vegetables, a cupped hand or fist of a starch, a thumb tip of fat.
2 sources
- CDC. Diabetes Meal Planning: hand portionscdc.gov
- Gebhardt SE, Thomas RG. Nutritive Value of Foods. USDA ARS, Home and Garden Bulletin 72, 2002ars.usda.gov
