You have decided that the time to start eating healthier is now.  You want to portion control your food and you are looking a purchasing a digital scale.  There are simply so many options that it can be overwhelming.  There are three basic types of digital scales on the market to choose from.  Each has their own advantages and disadvantages and this helps to make it confusing.  The three major types of kitchen scales are the digital kitchen scale, the balance scale and the spring scale.

When considering a kitchen food scale, it is important to know how many people you will be having on your diet with you.  If it is just you then you probably do not need a scale that goes all the way to eleven pounds.  A smaller scale may work better for you.  They are portable and will go with you anywhere.

If you are going to be using the scale to weigh out foods for the entire family then a larger one would be needed.  You can get scales that actually will weigh out food enough for your household no matter how large it is.  The size of the scale will typically determine the price so keep this in mind when purchasing one.

The first type of kitchen scale is the spring scale.  This scale uses a spring in it as the name implies to get the weight of food.  It is a very cost effective way to get basic weights for your food.  There are no bells and whistles.  These types of scales have a tendency to break easily.  This is not the best bet if you are trying to figure out how many calories you are getting with the weight of the food item.

The balance scale, which is also known as a triple beam, uses off setting weights to determine how much the item weighs by using two methods.  The first is by physically placing a weight on one side of the scale and the item you wish to weigh on the other.  When the scale balances, you count up the weight and then you have your total.

The other type uses a weight that can be slid to balance the weight.  You place your food item on the scale and then slide the weight until the unit is balanced.  Where ever the slide is will tell you the weight.  These are used on a large scale at most doctor’s offices and gyms.  The problem with either type of balance scale is that if the scale does not have the tare set perfectly you can get an inaccurate weight.

Finally there is the electronic kitchen scale or digital scale.  This is probably the best type of scale to get for dieting.  You can find the higher end scales that can tell you how many calories you are getting from a single food item that is weighed.  You simply program in the type of food you are eating and then weigh it.