Guide to Healthy Eating and Portion Control

Dietitians agree that portion control is central to healthy eating and keeping our weight under control. But how many of us really know what a single portion of food is? We'd certainly never guess by looking at those huge, overflowing dinner platters at restaurants and super-sized portions at our favorite fast food joint. When 48 ounce cokes, 16 ounce steaks, monster muffins, and all-you-can-eat buffets are the norm, it's hard to remember that these really don't represent a true portion of food.

So what is a food portion? A portion is the serving of food we eat at a meal or during a snack. Contrary to what most people think, a portion is not the amount of food we are able to squeeze onto a single 16" dinner plate, but a certain quantity that can be measured in ounces and cups.

Over the past 25 years, with restaurants outdoing each other on portions, many of us have lost sight of what a true serving size actually is. It's no great wonder that so many of us are struggling with weight control.

Guidelines to Portion Size

The first step to portion control is to retrain ourselves as to what a proper portion is.

For packaged foods, reading the nutrition label on the sides and using measuring utensils can help dish up the right portion sizes. Instead of grabbing a handful of your favorite snack chips or rice crackers, simply count out or measure what a single serving size actually is. Don't trust your instincts until you've retrained yourself to think "small".

How many times have you poured out a bowl of cereal for yourself without stopping to think what a single portion really was? Instead of eyeballing that cereal, carefully measure it into the cereal bowl instead. One serving of cold cereal is about the size of a fist; not the size of a cantaloupe.

For other grain products, a single serving of pancakes is one CD sized pancake. One serving of cooked rice, pasta, or potato is 1/2 a cup or the size of a large plum. Are you a bread eater? A single serving of bread is the size of a cassette tape, and not a VHS tape.

A single serving of fruits and vegetables are usually the size of a baseball. A serving of dried fruit, such as raisins and currants, is equivalent to the size of a large egg.

And what about meat servings? A single serving of meat is 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of playing cards. A single serving of peanut butter is the size of a Ping-Pong ball.

Dairy products are easy to measure out portions. A single serving of milk is an 8 oz glass, while a serving of ice cream is 1/2 cup or the size of plum. A single serving of cheese is equivalent to 4 stacked dice.

Easy ways to manage portion control

Recognizing the proper portion sizes is one way to control those serving sizes, but there are some other things you can do as well.

One trick is to use smaller dishes in your household. I shelved our dinner plates and switched to luncheon plates instead. The smaller size automatically has me putting smaller portions on the plate. And those large sized beverage tumblers? They were sent to the thrift store and replaced with 8 ounce glasses which represented a true beverage portion. Smaller bowls and dessert cups also help in controlling portions.

If you enjoy eating out, train yourself to divide your portions in half, and set aside the rest for a doggie bag. Those restaurant portions are so huge that there's usually more than enough for two or three more meals. If you don't think you have the discipline to eat just half the meal, order from the kids menu or lunch menu instead. Some restaurants will even serve up half portions if you ask.

Stay away from buffets and never, ever super size anything no matter how great the deal. Our family stays away from those fast food meal combos altogether, and usually just buy a basic burger and one medium serving of fries to share. For beverages, we drink a glass of water before we go, which prevents us from ordering with our stomachs instead of our brains.

If you are like me, and can't resist gobbling down a whole bag of barbecued soy chips in one sitting, buy individually packaged 100-calorie snacks instead. Many companies have come out with a whole line of single serving sized snacks and chips which are ideal for satisfying that sweet tooth, without going hog wild.

Think before you cook

The best way to manage portion control at home, is to give thought to the food you are preparing for yourself or your family. Take the time to measure out food and add larger portions of those low calorie veggies and fruits. If you like to prepare huge batches of food at one time, simply measure out the other meals before serving up dinner. Get those extras out of view, and into the freezer right away. This will help prevent your family from overeating and reaching for seconds and thirds.

When we were kids, our mothers used to tell us to "slow down and chew our food." Mom knew that by taking the time to eat slowly instead of gobbling things down, was better for the digestion and left us more satisfied at meal times. Slowing down and being conscious of what we eat, is the first step in developing a routine of portion control that is easy to live with.