Simple suggestions for controlling food portions

May 2, 9:39 PMLA Diets ExaminerLorie Dudley

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Diets Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

 

Americans are suffering from what nutritionists call "portion distortion," or an inability to judge what is and is not a reasonable serving size. Our problem isn't just what we're eating, but how much. The trouble began during the last decade when fast food chains began offering super-sized value meals. The Journal of Public Health Policy reported in 2007 that portion sizes offered by fast food chains are two to five times larger than when first introduced. Food package sizes also increased and it became more difficult for consumers to control their serving sizes. Standard size dinner plates grew in size from 10 to 12 inches, and cups and bowls became larger as well. Combined, these problems have contributed to an obesity epidemic.

The good news is that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand proper portion sizes. Lisa Young, PhD,  Rd, author of The Portion Teller, recommends what she calls the "handy method." For example, one serving of meat, fish or poultry is about the same size as the palm of your hand, while a cup of rice is about the size of your fist. Another method, relating portion sizes to every day items, works well for many people. Here are some common comparisons to help you. 

• A woman's fist or baseball - one cup serving of vegetables or fruit
• A rounded handful - about one-half cup cooked or raw vegetables or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or one-half cup of cooked rice or pasta; also a good measure for snack servings, such as chips and pretzels
• A deck of cards or the palm of your hand - a three-ounce serving of  meat, fish or poultry
• A golf ball or large egg - one-quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts
• A tennis ball - about one cup of ice cream, potato, pasta or rice
• A computer mouse - about the size of one pancake or small waffle
• A ping-pong ball  - two tablespoons of peanut butter or sald dressing
• Four dice - one ounce of cheese

For more exact measurements, use measuring cups, measuring spoons, or a kitchen scale to measure or weigh the serving size portion listed on food package labels. If you do this consistently, you will soon be able to eyeball correct portion sizes. For more information on serving sizes and a convenient wallet sized card that compares food servings to every day items, visit the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website.