The Right Size Portion
People tend to finish what’s on their plate – just as their mothers taught them. But how much is on their plate typically has more to do with the size of the spoon used to serve it, the generosity of the chef who cooks it or the diameter of the plate it’s placed on than the nutritional and caloric needs of the diner.
To get your weight in order, you have to control your portions and watch your servings – concepts that are easy to confuse. What’s the difference? A portion is the amount of anything we choose to eat at one time, and a serving is one unit of a particular food group.
Nutrition experts determine how many servings of dairy, grains, protein, etc., a person should have according to his size, activity level and weight loss or maintenance goals. To find out the number of servings of particular food groups you should get, go to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Nutrient Data Laboratory or talk to a nutrition advisor.
To get your portions under control, free yourself from thinking more is better when it comes to food. Even though an “all you can eat” restaurant seems like a bargain for your wallet, it’s most likely a bum rap for your health. So how do you get portion-smart? You’ve got to see the buffet through new eyes.
Serving sizes are smaller than most of us imagine. According to a survey by the American Dietetic Association, more than half of the participants overestimated serving sizes.
To know what a serving of your favorite food looks like, try these visual aids:
1 tennis ball = 1 cup cooked pasta or rice
4 dice = 1.5 oz. hard cheese
1 deck of cards = 3 oz. steak, chicken or pork
1 checkbook = 3 oz. fish fillet
1 shot glass = 2 Tbsp. salad dressing
1 die = 1 tsp. butter or margarine
1 2-oz. Dixie cup = 1 oz. of nuts
1 baseball = 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
1 light bulb = 1/2 cup of vegetables
1 cell phone = 1/2 cup fruit
1 makeup compact = 1 cookie
1 hockey puck = 1/2 a medium bagel
