Type “portion size” into the Google search engine, and you will find countless articles linking the average serving size to the nation’s obesity epidemic. When did portions become so large? For starters, 20 years ago the national portion size was markedly lower.
Nutrition Nut knows the importance of eating the right things, but is too much of a good thing bad? The answer is yes.
Yesterday I fixed an afternoon snack of tomato bisque soup, and as I read the back for ingredients I noticed two things: Amy’s Tomato Bisque Soup Low in Sodium has a heck of an amount of sodium (340mg) and – more importantly – has a serving size for two in a single can. An entire can easily fill an bowl and satisfy a small appetite.
We must always read the serving size of every packaged good. Another post will teach you to decipher the foreign language of nutrition labels, but for now, you’ll learn how to determine recommended portion sizes for optimal health and satisfaction.
The key to familiarizing yourself with portion size is to follow these easy to remember estimates.
How to Eyeball it:
Rounded handful (equal to ½ cup)– cooked or raw vegetables, cut fruit, cooked rice or pasta. This is a great measurement for snacks.
Palm of your hand (don’t count your fingers!) – serving of meat or poultry, like ¼ pound hamburger patty, one chicken breast. Fish can have slightly larger portion size, because most are low in fat and high in protein.
Tennis ball– ½ cup of ice cream
CD – one serving of pancake or small waffle
Six dice– one serving of cheese
1 teaspoonof peanut butter
1/2 of things– baked potato, Chipotle bowl, etc.
Here is a printable and all-encompassing portion control chart:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/printable/wallet-portion-control-size-guide
Not only do we need to learn the recommended measurements, but we must also understand the psychological process of food consumption. In today’s society, the feeling of fullness after a hefty meal is synonymous with feeling satisfied.
However, this is not the case. First we need to slow down our eating. The French practice eating meals in a lingering hour or two, while Americans are often seen driving down the road shoving a whopping Big Mac in their mouth. Your body takes a while to digest and eating at a slower pace gives your body ample time to realize it’s satisfied. This behavior can reduce overindulgence.
Sipping on water continuously throughout the meal will help you to slow down and enjoy your food. Know that eating with people is a social behavior but you are eating for sustenance and nutrition. Enjoy your friends and family but always remind yourself to eat slowly and finish when you have eaten the recommended portion. Sometimes I get carried away in camaraderie and eat twice the size of food my body actually needs. What does your body do with excess food? It stores it, which you don’t want.
Other ways of preventing overeating are to-go boxes, sharing and hydration. To-go boxes are your best friend when eating out. You should never clean your plate when at a restaurant; their portions are often two to three times greater than the recommended serving. Also, never be afraid to split with friends. You can feel thoroughly satisfied by splitting a meal with a friend and not have feel stuffed from overindulgence. Lastly, drink a glass of water before every meal. Overeating can be a sign of dehydration. Your body is in need of water so it continues to fell unsatisfied. Drinking a glass of water an hour to thirty minutes before meals can kill overeating habits.
If you don’t want to remove cubed cheese and crackers or a cup – not bowl – of ice cream from your ideal diet, then you must be a defender of portion control. Even if you are an herbivore vegan, overeating healthy foods is equally detrimental. Even tasteless romaine contains carbohydrates.
Try out these portion sizes next time you eat a meal!