Portion Sizes: How Much Are You Eating?

In the United States, we are always on the run. It is not uncommon for a person to eat out more often than eating in one's own home. The portion sizes that individuals are purchasing at dine-in restaurants and fast food chains are much larger than what should be eaten. We are consuming much more food than we should be on a regular basis. This is affecting the overall state of health in America which has also sadly led to an epidemic of childhood obesity.

In our bigger-is-better and biggest-is-best society, we are inadvertently damaging our health and the health of our children. Not enough people are stopping to think about the long-term affects of overeating; rather we are often too overscheduled to examine what exactly we are stuffing into our bodies, and how much we are eating. Are you aware of how much food you are eating, and more importantly, do you know what the proper portion sizes are for adults?

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health, we can easily visualize how much food we should be consuming. If you visit http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/servingcard7.pdf you can print out a helpful card that details what a serving size should look like for grain products, vegetables and fruit, dairy and cheese, and meat and alternatives. The card is free and will assist you in remembering that, for example, one serving of cooked rice, pasta, or a potato is the size of half of a baseball, one serving of bread is the size of a cassette tape, and one serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards. Numerous additional examples are provided on the card by the institutes. They even recommend that you laminate the card for safe keeping. By keeping the card in your wallet or purse, you are taking the first step towards eating the correct serving sizes of foods which will help to improve your overall health. If you have children, the practice of eating appropriate portions is especially important. The children will learn by their parents' example and will have an appropriate understanding of how much food should be going into their bodies.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute also has an entertaining slide show entitled, "Portion Distortion" at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/index.htm. The slide show shows a picture of the size of food 20 years ago with the number of calories next to a picture of the typical serving size of that same food item today. Users are asked to guess how many calories are in the foods that we are eating today, along with the amount of exercise required to burn off those calories. It is both fascinating and educational. Everyone should take the time to learn how much more we are eating in today's world.

People that have been overeating are going to be shocked when they learn the correct portion sizes of foods. Some people struggle with eating the correct portion sizes because they just feel like it is not enough food. Keep in mind a few things. The food industry is serving you more than double of what you should actually be eating. We have grown accustomed to this lifestyle and have lost touch with how much food should be entering our bodies. Also, the human stomach is only about the size of two loose fists. Don't put more food into your body than it is meant to handle. Learn how much food you should be eating and change your lifestyle starting today.

Sources:

http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/servingcard7.pdfhttp://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/index.htm