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Congratulations! You have made the important dietary and nutritional decision to purchase your own personal kitchen scale. Owning a kitchen scale is a great way to learn what specific serving sizes look like. The average person will overestimate a portion size by two and a half times. This means when asked what a four ounce serving of pasta looks like, most people will choose a portion that is closer to ten ounces.

If you are trying to lose or maintain your weight, or perhaps just lead a healthier lifestyle, a personal kitchen scale is the key to your success. The first step is selecting and purchasing your kitchen scale. The second step is using your kitchen scale. Do not let this fabulous tool sit on your kitchen counter untouched. Follow the few simple tips below and you will able to use your personal kitchen scale efficiently and effectively, with maximum results for your efforts.

Tip Number One – Most scales have the option of weighing in either metric or standard units. Make sure your scale is set to the unit of measure you are accustomed to using. If you are unsure of how to set the unit of measure on your scale, consult the owner’s manual that came with the scale.

Tip Number Two – Make sure you are measuring only what you are eating. For example, remove the food you are measuring from the container or box it came in before weighing it. It may seem like a small amount, but you do not want the weight of the packaging included in your food portion measurement.

Tip Number Three – Liquid, gelatinous, or otherwise messy food that cannot be weighed directly on the scale should be weighed in a container. This may sound like an obvious piece of advice, but do not forget to calibrate your scale to the weight of the bowl or container you are using to measure your non solid foods. This means you can set the scale to essentially subtract the weight of the container from the final measurement of your food. Again, you do not want the weight of a bowl added to the food you are attempting to portion for yourself.

Tip Number Four – This is the last and perhaps most important tip. Use extreme care when weighing raw foods. You may want to cover your scale plate with plastic wrap or use a container when weighing raw foods such as meats, poultry, pork, fish, and certain dairy products. Also, regularly cleaning the surfaces of your kitchen scale with an antibacterial solution is of utmost importance in food handling safety. To some, this may sound extreme, but according to the February, 2009 issue of The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, “food borne diseases are estimated to cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year.” The last thing you want to do when trying to change your eating habits for the better is give yourself some type of food borne disease from improperly caring for your kitchen scale.