Portion Control
We live in a super-size world. Our cars are big, our houses are big, and so are our portions. When you go to a fast-food restaurant, they don’t even advertise “small” as a choice: it’s medium, large, extra-large, and enormous. Even grocery stores offer extra-large sizes of nearly everything from candy bars to soda to potato chips. Learning how to control your portions is critical to meeting your weight loss goals.
The best way to begin managing your portions is to become an avid label reader. Understanding how many portions come in a package will prevent you from overeating. You may be surprised at how small a portion actually is.
The most accurate way to manage your portions is to measure, but using measuring cups can be cumbersome and impractical, so it’s best if you read labels and learn to visualize portion sizes. Portion sizes are less important with vegetables like broccoli and celery, where you can eat a lot without sabotaging your diet or getting too many calories, but it becomes extremely important to understand with foods like breads, grains, proteins, and fats.
Breads and Grains
When you are managing portions, it is important to remember that one serving of bread is one slice, not two. While the size of the slice may be important, it’s more important that you choose whole grains instead of white bread. One serving of a bagel is actually ½ of the bagel, so be careful when making your portion choices.
Pasta and noodles are measured by the cup; ½ cup of pasta or rice is typically one serving. To visualize how much that is without having to measure, one serving would be no more than what you could fit inside one of those little cupcake cups used for baking muffins and cupcakes.
Proteins
Proteins can be more difficult to “eyeball” portion size because they are typically measured in ounces. A typical serving size for almonds or other nuts is one ounce; one ounce is about the size of a golf ball. A single portion of lean meat is three ounces; that’s about the size of a deck of cards. An ounce of cheese is only about the size of your index finger. One egg is the typical serving size of this protein source.
Fats
It is important to have some fat in your diet, but be sure you are choosing healthy fat like Olive Oil or Omega-3 enriched low fat margarine. A serving size is about one teaspoon, or the amount of butter that would fit on the tip of your thumb.
Fruits and Vegetables
While size and portion is not nearly as critical with fruits and vegetables, you still should have an understanding of portion size. Apples and oranges should be “medium-sized,” or about the size of a tennis ball. One serving of dried fruit is about ½ cup, or what would fit in a cupcake paper. One portion of tossed salad is about one cup – typically about the size of your fist – although it’s not the serving of salad you need to worry about but the amount of dressing you use on it. (Try olive oil and vinegar for a healthy alternative!) A potato about the size of the palm of your hand is considered one serving.
If portion control is a difficult challenge for you, try using a smaller plate, avoiding all-you-can-eat temptations, and never super size your order. You can even try loading your plate with food and then taking away half of what you took. The more you can focus on controlling portions, the easier it will be for you to manage your calorie intake.
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Article Source: Portion Sizes and Control
