Practice Portion Control
Posted on November 25, 2014
Years ago, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was asked how she had managed to stay so thin.
“I only eat half of what they put on my plate,” was her reply.
In the US we have “portion distortion.” Many of us don’t even remember what an actual serving size is anymore. We are living in a super size society where more is equated to be better! Most of us eat the amount of what we are being served, or we eat so fast that we overeat past the point of feeling full! Serving sizes in restaurants have not only tripled, but in some cases have quadrupled from the standards set by the US Department of Agriculture.
Some of us may have been brought up as children to eat what was on our plates; whether you liked it or not or were already full. What happened is that we turned off the mechanism in our brain that tells us when we are full. The result is growing waistlines and an overweight and obesity epidemic!
As a good rule of thumb for appropriate portion size make sure your plate is full of vegetables, only a quarter of the plate is for your starch and the other quarter is for your protein. Another good habit is to eat more slowly. It takes about 20 minutes to feel full. If you are still hungry after eating and waiting for 20 minutes, then help yourself to seconds of vegetables!
The following information is an excerpt from the United States Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: Serving sizes of foods are set by the United States Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The USDA sets these standard measures for individuals as a guide to receive the correct amounts of food and to keep track of the servings you have in a single day. The serving sizes are references to follow to ensure the correct number of nutrients every day. However, how do we know or measure the foods that we eat on a day to day basis to receive the correct serving size? Many people do not carry around a scale in their back pocket to measure out foods. Provided below are a few visual representations to remind you of the correct serving size. Use these tips and compare them to your normal serving and see how you stack up. Then compare them to the servings that you are normally given in your favorite restaurant. I think you will be surprised at the actual amount of food that is given to you in restaurants as compared to the standard serving size set by the USDA.
Here are some recommended serving sizes:
- One half cup cooked rice or pasta is equal to the size of a tennis ball, which is one serving.
- One medium potato is the same size as a computer mouse and is considered one serving of starch.
- One cup of raw fruits or vegetables is the size of a baseball and equals one serving.
- One half cup cooked fruits or vegetables is the size of a tennis ball and is one serving.
- 3 ounces of cooked meat or poultry is the size of a deck of cards and is one serving of meat.
- 3 ounces of cooked fish is the same size as a checkbook and is equal to one serving of fish.
- One serving of cheese is equal to one dice cube.
- One cup of ice cream is the same size as a baseball and is one serving.
- Two tablespoons of peanut butter is the same size of a golf ball and is equal to one serving
If you know that you have a party to go to, practice portion control for the week leading up to it and then enjoy yourself at the party. Once you get used to the appropriate portions, you will find that you feel full much quicker! You will actually eat less at the party too!
Don’t forget to take my quick weekly quiz and claim your reward. Act now before they are all gone!
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