Preventing Portion Distortion

 

 

 

 

Obesity…do we really know the impact of our food portion size has on our health? Sometimes we are either ignorant or just don’t care  what  food portion size is appropriate for ones self. I am ignoring the later and hoping you will think a little more about the food portion size you are eating. We are going to look at ways to measure portion sizes through visual aids and tips to prevent portion distortion.

 

 

  1. Eat portions the size of your fist     

 

  • Measuring and weighing food is the most accurate way to determine a food portion, but you can eyeball it with a little practice.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests thinking about serving sizes as common objects.

 

 

 

 


  1. Eyeballing Portion Sizes                                                   

 

  • Bagel = a hockey puck
  • 1/2 to 1/3 cup of fruit, vegetables, pasta or rice= a small fist
  • 3 ounces of cooked meat, poultry or fish = a deck of cards
  • 1 ounce of cheese = 4 dice
  • 1 teaspoon of margarine or butter = a thumb tip
  • 1 serving of snack foods (pretzels, chips) = a small handful
  • 1 muffin = a large egg
  • 2 tbsp. Peanut butter = a golf ball
  • 1 baked potato = a computer mouse

 

 

3.      Split your entrée when dining out         

 

·         Order the doggie bag before the meal is served, and box half the entrée before beginning the meal.

·         Or, share an entrée, even if you have to pay a surcharge.

·         Order small portions like appetizers or a child's plate.

·         Stay away from value meals in fast food restaurants and specify "small" for each item.

  

 


  1. Serve meals on salad plates                                                

 

  • Serve meals on smaller plates like dessert or salad plates.
  • Eat smaller portions slowly. Set up rituals to make the meal last longer.
  • Put more emphasis on conversations.

 

 

 


5.      Store food in small bags 

 

·         Shopping in bulk doesn't have to bust the belt. Break jumbo packages into smaller, individual-sized portions and freeze for later.

·         It's human nature to eat more if the food is available and research shows you will cook more pasta from a larger package

 

 

 


6.      Add fruit and vegetables to meals

 

·         Not all calories are equal.

·         Substituting healthy food can fill you up with the right nutrients and leave you feeling satisfied.

·         Research suggests adding water-based foods like salads, fruits, and vegetables to add volume and increase a sense of fullness.

 

 

 


7.      Ask For the SMALLEST SIZE            

 

·         A McDonald's Big Mac packs 590 calories, while a regular hamburger contains 280 calories.

·         A super-sized order of French fries at most fast food restaurants contains around 800 calories, while a small order is about 250.

·         A 14-ounce steak at the Outback Steak House contains 1,213 calories. A healthier 3-ounce portion is 260 calories.

·         Studies find people are just as satisfied with less food but will eat more if it's on their plate.

 

 

 

 


8.      Say "no" to super-sized bargains      

 

·         It's hard to resist a bargain like a jumbo size of fries for only 31 cents more than a small size or a Big Gulp for pennies more than the large size drink.

·         But it's not really a bargain when it comes to saving money at the expense of increasing girth.

·         The health benefits of downsizing outweigh the so-called bargains of larger portions.

·         You can eat the same quality of food, but by cutting down the quantity of the serving sizes you can lose weight and stay healthy, too.

·         There's no honor in being a member of the clean-plate club.

·         Especially if it's a plate from the all-you-can-eat, family-style buffet.

 

 

 

You can eyeball your portion sizes as discussed or you can keep it really simple, and just make sure your plate looks like this — don't forget the FRUIT and MILK!

 

 

                            

 

 

Sources:

1. Embrace Your Health! Lose Weight If You Are Overweight, NIH Publication No. 97-4061, 1997. Available online at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ health/public/heart/other/chdblack/ embrace1.htm.

2. How much is a serving? American Diabetes Association. Available online at: http://www.eatright.org/ erm/erm062802.html.

3. Warshaw, H. Estimating Food Portions? Easy! American Diabetes Association, 2000. Available online at: http://www.diabetes.org/ main/community/forcast/ page84.jsp.

 

Food Portions and Servings: How Do They Differ? USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 1999. Available online at: http://www.usda.gov/ cnpp/Insights/insight11.PDF.

5. Estimating Portion Size, Joslin Diabetes Center , 2001. Available online at: http://www.upstate.edu/ library/hicx/pated/diabetes/ pdf/estportion.pdf.

6. Mokdad, A. The Continuing Epidemics of Obesity and Diabetes in the United States, The Journal of the American Medical Association, September 12, 2001;Vol. 286, No. 10. Available online at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/ issues/v286n10/abs/ joc10856.html.