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Smarter Eats: Use Smaller Plates and Grab It to Go
I grew up in a house where I was told to clean my plate. Not always a bad thing but it stuck with me for many years, even after serving sizes kept growing. I'm also a fast eater, something I've been working on, but I sometimes overeat before realizing I am full.
Visual Reminder: What Portion Sizes Look Like
Serving sizes have grown so much in recent years that we barely remember what an average portion is supposed to look like. When restaurants offer us tremendous amounts of food, it's difficult to put down the fork and say "done," even after you're full. Overeating can sabotage your goals of reaching or maintaining a healthy weight, so here's a visual guideline from ABC showing how big the portion sizes on your plate should be.
What Does 300 Calories Look Like?
I've showed you what 200 calories looks like, and I've showed you how you can burn 200 calories, but check out this video. It shows what 300 calorie meals look like. If you're watching your calories, it's great to see visuals, since 300 calories can be a lot or a small amount of food.
You Asked: Fruit Serving Size?
You're asking and I'm answering . . .
Diet Tip: Order Kid-Sized Portions
Is it me, or are portion sizes totally out of control? I try to plan on sharing my meal with someone else or taking half of it home, but if the food is in front of me, I'm more likely to nibble at it. So if you're really trying to watch your calories, here's a tip — order a kid-sized portion.
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Keep it Simple: Portion Sizes
We all have a hard time deciphering portion sizes, especially when we're eating off a large plate, or even wedge shaped foods. There are some pretty simple ways to measure portion sizes but sometimes even that is too confusing.
One very simple technique for figuring out how much you should eat is using this simple diagram from the Daily Bureau of Canada.
Size Does Matter: Portion Sizes Made Easy
I don't know about you, but I get confused with how much of what is what when it comes to serving sizes. I can read the labels just fine, but when it comes to visualizing how much 3 ounces of fish is, I have a hard time doing it. Luckily MealsMatter.org has come up with this handy dandy way to visualize portion sizes:- Woman's fist or baseball - a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
- A rounded handful - about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta - this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels
- Deck of cards - a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don't count your fingers!) - for example, one chicken breast, 1/4 pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop
- Golf ball or large egg - one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts
- Tennis ball - about one half cup of ice cream
- Computer mouse - about the size of a small baked potato
- Compact disc - about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle
- Thumb tip - about one teaspoon of peanut butter
- Six dice - a serving of cheese
- Check book - a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)
Thanksgiving Portion Primer
Few of us, if any, sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with a food scale in hand. Nevertheless, portion control on this day of feasting still matters. Using visual cues can certainly help keep your plate from turning into a pyramid of starch and fat.
Healthy Eating Tip: See Less, Eat Less
When it comes to eating, we're very visual people. If food looks delicious, we're more likely to eat and enjoy it, and research shows that the more that's in front of us, the more we have an appetite for. Since we tend to eat whatever is on our plate, set yourself up for success by giving yourself an appropriate portion size.
Portion Distortion: Less Is Not Always More
Food portions have gotten larger over the years. From "super size," to "all you can eat" most food portions are enough to feed at least two or three people. You may be thinking, "So what?"
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