Portion Control Made Easy: Visual Guide Using Ghanaian Foods
Last Updated: December 2024 | Ghana Food-Based Dietary Guidelines 2023
No weighing scale? No problem. Your hands are the perfect measuring tool—and you carry them everywhere.
This visual guide uses Ghana's official hand portion method to show you exactly how much jollof rice, fufu, waakye, and other Ghanaian foods to eat for your goals. No calorie counting, no complicated math—just simple visual cues.
Table of Contents
- The Hand Portion Method Explained
- Building the Perfect Ghanaian Plate
- Portion Sizes for Every Ghanaian Food
- Portions for Different Goals
- Common Portion Mistakes
- Restaurant & Chop Bar Portions
- FAQs
The Hand Portion Method Explained
Why Your Hands Are Perfect Measuring Tools
✅ Always available (can't forget them at home!)
✅ Scaled to your body (bigger person = bigger hands = needs more food)
✅ Simple to use (no math required)
✅ Works anywhere (home, chop bar, parties)
✅ Backed by science (Ghana FBDG official method)
The 4 Basic Hand Measurements
1. PALM = Protein Portions
What: Size of your palm (fingers not included!)
Thickness: As thick as your palm
Use for: Fish, chicken, beef, beans, eggs
Examples:
- Grilled tilapia: 1 palm
- Chicken breast: 1 palm
- Beans: Fits in cupped palm
Servings per meal:
- Women: 1 palm
- Men: 1-2 palms
2. FIST = Carbohydrate Portions
What: Size of your closed fist
Use for: Rice, fufu, banku, kenkey, yam, plantain
Examples:
- Jollof rice: 1 fist
- Fufu: 2 balls = roughly 1 fist
- Boiled yam: 1 fist-sized piece
Servings per meal:
- Weight loss: 1 fist
- Maintenance: 1-2 fists
- Muscle gain: 2-3 fists
3. THUMB = Fats/Oils Portions
What: Tip of your thumb = approximately 1 tablespoon
Use for: Cooking oil, shito, palm oil, butter
Examples:
- Oil for cooking: 1 thumb
- Shito on waakye: 1 thumb
- Groundnut paste: 1 thumb
Servings per meal: 1 thumb (maximum!)
4. TWO CUPPED HANDS = Vegetable Portions
What: As much as fits when both hands are cupped together
Use for: Kontomire, cabbage, okro, garden eggs, salad
Examples:
- Kontomire in stew: 2 cupped hands
- Cabbage salad: 2 cupped hands
- Okro: Fill both cupped hands
Servings per meal:
- Minimum: 2 cupped hands
- Ideal: 3+ cupped hands (you can't eat too many vegetables!)
Building the Perfect Ghanaian Plate
The Plate Division Method
Imagine your plate divided into sections:
🍽️ HALF PLATE (50%) = Vegetables
- Fill HALF your plate with vegetables
- 2 cupped hands of kontomire, cabbage, salad, etc.
- Lowest calories, highest nutrition
🍽️ QUARTER PLATE (25%) = Protein
- Fish, chicken, beans, eggs
- 1 palm-sized portion
- Keeps you full
🍽️ QUARTER PLATE (25%) = Staples
- Rice, fufu, banku, yam
- 1 fist-sized portion
- Provides energy
🍽️ MINIMAL = Fats/Oils
- 1 thumb used in cooking
- Small amount shito
Sample Ghanaian Plates Using This Method
WAAKYE PLATE (650 calories):
- Waakye: 1 fist (350 cal)
- 2 boiled eggs: Size of palm (140 cal)
- Large cabbage salad: 2 cupped hands (30 cal)
- Gari: Small handful (100 cal)
- Shito: 1 thumb (30 cal)
Visual: ½ plate salad, ¼ plate waakye, ¼ plate eggs + gari
FUFU & SOUP PLATE (580 calories):
- Fufu: 2 balls = 1 fist (280 cal)
- Light soup: 1-1.5 cups (150 cal)
- Fish in soup: 1 palm (150 cal)
- Kontomire in soup: 2 cupped hands (50 cal)
Visual: Bowl with soup covering half, fufu on side = ¼ plate equivalent
JOLLOF RICE PLATE (720 calories):
- Jollof rice: 1 fist (430 cal)
- Grilled chicken: 1 palm (180 cal)
- Mixed vegetable salad: 2 cupped hands (60 cal)
- Cooked with 1 thumb oil already in rice (50 cal)
Visual: ½ plate salad, ¼ plate jollof, ¼ plate chicken
Portion Sizes for Every Ghanaian Food
PROTEINS (1 Palm per Meal)
| Food | Visual Portion | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled tilapia | 1 palm-sized fish | 150 |
| Grilled chicken | 1 palm (no fingers), thickness of palm | 165 |
| Boiled eggs | 2 eggs = roughly palm size | 140 |
| Beans (cooked) | Fits in cupped palm | 120 |
| Fried fish | 1 palm (avoid for weight loss!) | 280 |
STAPLES/CARBS (1 Fist per Meal for Weight Loss)
| Food | Visual Portion | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Jollof rice | 1 closed fist | 430 |
| Waakye | 1 closed fist | 350 |
| Fufu (cassava) | 2 balls = roughly 1 fist | 332 |
| Banku | 2 balls = roughly 1 fist | 330 |
| Kenkey | 1.5 pieces = 1 fist | 380 |
| Boiled yam | 1 fist-sized piece | 180 |
| Boiled plantain | ½ medium plantain = small fist | 116 |
VEGETABLES (2-3 Cupped Hands per Meal)
| Food | Visual Portion | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Kontomire stew | 2 cupped hands | 40-80* |
| Cabbage salad | 2 cupped hands | 30 |
| Okro soup | 2 cupped hands | 50-100* |
| Garden egg stew | 2 cupped hands | 60-120* |
*Depends on oil used—use minimal!
FATS/OILS (1 Thumb per Meal MAX!)
| Food | Visual Portion | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking oil | Tip of thumb = 1 tbsp | 120 |
| Shito | Tip of thumb = 1 tbsp | 45 |
| Palm oil | Tip of thumb = 1 tbsp | 120 |
| Groundnut paste | Tip of thumb = 1 tbsp | 95 |
Portions for Different Goals
FOR WEIGHT LOSS (Women: 1,400-1,600 cal/day)
Breakfast (400 cal):
- Carbs: 1 fist (oats, bread, waakye)
- Protein: 1 palm (eggs, fish)
- Vegetables: 1 cupped hand (tomatoes, salad)
- Oil: ½ thumb in cooking
Lunch (600 cal):
- Carbs: 1 fist (jollof, fufu, kenkey)
- Protein: 1 palm (fish, chicken)
- Vegetables: 2-3 cupped hands (load up!)
- Oil: 1 thumb (shito or in cooking)
Dinner (500 cal):
- Carbs: ½ fist (smaller portion)
- Protein: 1 palm
- Vegetables: 3 cupped hands (fill up on these!)
- Oil: ½ thumb
FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE (Women: 1,800-2,000 cal/day)
Per meal portions:
- Carbs: 1-2 fists
- Protein: 1-2 palms
- Vegetables: 2-3 cupped hands
- Oil: 1 thumb
FOR MUSCLE GAIN (Men: 2,500-3,000 cal/day)
Per meal portions:
- Carbs: 2-3 fists
- Protein: 2 palms
- Vegetables: 2-3 cupped hands
- Oil: 1-2 thumbs
FOR DIABETICS (Blood Sugar Control)
Critical adjustments:
- Carbs: ½-1 fist maximum per meal
- Protein: 2 palms (slows glucose absorption)
- Vegetables: 3-4 cupped hands (fiber controls blood sugar)
- Oil: 1 thumb
- Choose low-GI carbs: Kenkey, yam fufu, unripe plantain
Common Portion Mistakes Ghanaians Make
Mistake #1: "Small Fufu" = 4 Balls (800 calories!)
What people think: 4 balls is "small" or "normal"
Reality: 4 balls = 664 calories from fufu alone!
Fix: 2 balls maximum (332 cal) = 1 fist
Mistake #2: Pouring Oil Instead of Measuring
What people do: Pour oil freely into pot ("small small")
Reality: "Small small" = ½ cup = 960 calories!
Fix: Measure 2-3 tablespoons (2-3 thumbs) for 6-person pot = 240-360 calories total
Mistake #3: Tiny Vegetable Portions
What people do: 2 spoonfuls kontomire in soup
Reality: Vegetables should be HALF your meal!
Fix: 2 CUPPED HANDS of vegetables per meal
Mistake #4: Eyeballing Jollof Rice
What people think: "Moderate" serving
Reality: Often 3-4 fists = 1,200+ calories!
Fix: Serve onto plate first, compare to fist, remove excess
Mistake #5: Not Counting "Small" Shito
What people think: Small shito doesn't count
Reality: 3-4 tablespoons shito = 180 calories!
Fix: 1 thumb (1 tablespoon) only
Restaurant & Chop Bar Portions
How to Estimate Portions When Eating Out
WAAKYE VENDOR:
What they give you: Often 2-3 fists of waakye!
What to do:
- Order "small waakye"
- Compare to your fist when served
- If too much, leave some (or share!)
- Load up on free cabbage salad instead
Smart order: "Small waakye, two eggs, plenty salad, small shito"
FUFU SPOT:
What they give you: Often 3-4 balls of fufu
What to do:
- Order "2 balls only"
- Ask for "extra kontomire in soup"
- Request "small oil" in soup
Smart order: "Two balls fufu, light soup, extra vegetables in soup, small oil please"
JOLLOF RICE SPOT:
What they give you: Huge portion (3+ fists!)
What to do:
- Ask for "small portion" upfront
- Or order full, eat 1 fist worth, save rest for later
- Add grilled (not fried) protein
- Request extra coleslaw
Smart order: "Small jollof rice, grilled chicken, extra coleslaw"
PARTY BUFFET:
The trap: "I'll just try everything small"
Reality: 5 small scoops = 1,500+ calories!
Strategy:
- Survey all options first (don't load plate blindly)
- Choose 1-2 favorite dishes only
- Use hand portions (1 fist rice, 1 palm protein)
- Fill remaining plate with salad
- ONE plate only—no going back!
FAQs
Do I need to measure every meal forever?
No! The hand method is for LEARNING appropriate portions.
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-2): Measure carefully, calibrate your portions
Phase 2 (Weeks 3-4): Check occasionally, you're getting the hang of it
Phase 3 (Month 2+): Automatic—your brain knows what 1 fist looks like!
Check-in: If weight starts creeping up, return to careful measuring for 1 week.
My hands are small. Do I eat less than someone with big hands?
YES—that's the beauty of this method!
Smaller person = smaller hands = smaller portions = fewer calories needed
Larger person = larger hands = larger portions = more calories needed
The method auto-adjusts to your body size! No complicated calculations.
Can children use the hand method?
YES! Perfect for children:
Child's portion = child's hand size:
- 1 child fist of rice (much smaller than adult fist)
- 1 child palm of protein
- 2 child cupped hands of vegetables
This teaches healthy eating from young age!
What about soups and stews?
For soups/stews containing vegetables + protein:
Bowl should contain:
- Protein: 1 palm-sized piece of fish/meat
- Vegetables: 2 cupped hands (kontomire, okro, garden eggs)
- Broth: 1-1.5 cups
- Oil: Cooked with 1 thumb oil (for whole pot, divided among servings)
Pair soup with:
- Fufu: 1 fist (2 balls)
- Banku: 1 fist (2 balls)
- Rice balls: 1 fist (2 small balls)
How do I measure waakye toppings?
Waakye base: 1 fist (350 cal)
Toppings (choose wisely):
- Protein: 1 palm (2 eggs OR fish) = 140-150 cal
- Gari: Small handful (~¼ cup) = 100 cal
- Shito: 1 thumb = 30 cal
- Salad: 2 cupped hands = 30 cal
Total: ~650 calories—perfect!
What to skip:
- ❌ Fried plantain (adds 150 cal)
- ❌ Spaghetti (adds 180 cal)
- ❌ Meat pie (adds 300 cal!)
The Bottom Line
Portion control doesn't require scales or apps—just your hands!
The 4 measurements:
- PALM = Protein (fish, chicken, beans, eggs)
- FIST = Carbs (rice, fufu, banku, yam)
- THUMB = Oils (cooking oil, shito)
- 2 CUPPED HANDS = Vegetables (kontomire, cabbage, okro)
The perfect plate:
- ½ plate vegetables
- ¼ plate protein
- ¼ plate staples
- Minimal oil
This method is:
✅ Simple (no math!)
✅ Portable (works anywhere)
✅ Scaled to your body
✅ Ghana FBDG official method
✅ Proven to work
Start using it TODAY:
- Look at your next meal
- Compare portions to your hands
- Adjust as needed
- Repeat until automatic!
Download Free Resources
📥 Printable Hand Portion Guide (Hang on fridge!)
📥 Perfect Plate Visual (½ veg, ¼ protein, ¼ carbs)
📥 Restaurant Ordering Cheat Sheet
📥 Portion Sizes for 50+ Ghanaian Foods
Related Guides:
- 30-Day Ghanaian Weight Loss Meal Plan
- 15 Best Ghanaian Foods for Weight Loss
- Ghana 6 Food Groups Guide
- Eating Out Healthy in Ghana
Start measuring with your hands today—no scale needed! 🤚🇬🇭
About: Based on Ghana's 2023 Food-Based Dietary Guidelines hand portion method. All portions are evidence-based and tested for Ghanaian foods and eating patterns.
