Portion Size Calculator

How are the daily servings worked out?

Each diet type is stored as a fixed set of servings written for 2,000 kcal. The calculator multiplies every group by your calories ÷ 2,000 and rounds to one decimal. At 1,500 kcal on the Balanced setting that is a factor of 0.75, giving 4.5 grain oz-equivalents, 4.1 protein oz-equivalents, 1.9 cups of vegetables, 1.5 cups of fruit, 2.3 cups of dairy and 3.8 tsp of fats.

What happens if I enter fewer than 1,000 or more than 5,000 calories?

The input is clamped to the range 1,000–5,000 kcal before scaling, with no warning on screen. Entering 800 returns exactly what 1,000 returns (3 grain oz-equivalents on Balanced), and entering 6,000 returns the 5,000 figures (15 oz-equivalents of grains). An entry of 0, which is also what a cleared box becomes, is treated as 2,000.

What do oz-equivalents and cups refer to?

Grains and protein are counted in ounce-equivalents, and vegetables, fruit and dairy in cups. One grain oz-equivalent is a slice of bread, a cup of ready-to-eat cereal or half a cup of cooked rice, pasta or oatmeal. One protein oz-equivalent is 1 oz of cooked meat, poultry or fish, 1 egg, ¼ cup of cooked beans, 1 tbsp of nut butter or ½ oz of nuts or seeds. Fats are shown in teaspoons.

How do the five diet types differ?

Only the 2,000 kcal starting numbers change. Low-carb drops grains to 2 and raises protein to 8 and fats to 7 tsp. High-protein sets protein at 10 oz-equivalents with 4 of grains. Vegan sets grains at 8, protein at 6 and fruit at 3 cups. Mediterranean uses 5 grains, 5 protein, 4 cups of vegetables, 3 cups of fruit and 8 tsp of fats. Balanced uses 6, 5.5, 2.5, 2, 3 cups of dairy and 5 tsp.

Why does the vegan result show text instead of a dairy number?

The vegan preset has dairy set to 0, so the row is relabelled "Calcium-rich foods (servings)" and shows the message "Focus on fortified plant milks, tofu, legumes" rather than a quantity. The tool does not convert those foods into servings of its own.

Does it adjust for age, sex, activity or health conditions?

No. The only inputs are a calorie number and a diet type, so two people entering 2,000 kcal get identical servings. Allergies, pregnancy, medical diets and sport-specific needs are outside what the code models, and a dietitian or doctor is the right source for those.

Do the servings add up to my calorie target?

Not by calculation. The servings are scaled proportionally and the tool never totals the calories of the foods you choose, so the actual energy depends on which foods fill each group. Use the numbers as a plan for balance across groups, then check real intake with a nutrition label or tracking app.