The Second Rule of Healthy Eating – Portion Control

[MrzDiva]

TweetAn important rule of healthy eating is to get your portion sizes under control so that you are not supersizing your meals. The serving sizes listed on the food labels in the grocery store are mathematical calculations of the best amount of food to eat. The trick with portion control is to translate those numbers into a visual image of what that serving size looks like on your plate. Correct portions relate directly to the success of your diet and nutrition plan.

Supersizing

Meals do not just get supersized in fast food restaurants. Americans supersize their meals everyday by using extra large plates, bowls, cups and glasses. They then proceed to fill them to the brim with food or drink, thinking that one plateful is conservative as long as they do not get seconds. They consider that, as long as they do not refill their juice glass, they have not exceeded a healthy limit. They do not take into account the size of their dishes.

Therefore, the first thing you can do to improve your diet and nutrition is to use smaller containers to serve your food onto at every meal. Use smaller bowls, plates, cups and glasses so that, when you eat a portion size that is healthy for you, the image you get is not of a nearly empty dish. Instead, a smaller plate more accurately displays the completeness of your healthier portion size.

Realistic Estimates

Some foods are easy to quantify. If you need an 8 ounce glass of milk, just get an 8-ounce glass and fill it. If you are unsure of how many ounces are in your glass, fill a measuring cup with 8 ounces of water and pour it into the glass. Mark the glass to the level of the water. After you have used that glass a few times, you will have a better idea of how much 8 ounces is.

It is more difficult to estimate the portion size for other foods. That is where comparisons to everyday objects come in handy. For instance, saying one piece of fruit is a serving is not very informative. There are small oranges or apples and extremely large ones. Surely they should not be counted the same. In fact, a medium sized portion of fruit is considered one serving. For apples or oranges, that would be the size of a tennis ball. Other portion sizes can be compared to objects, such as a deck of cards to a meat portion or a pair of dice to a portion of mayonnaise.

The Bottom Line

Most foods do not come weighed and measured into the exact portions sizes that are right to eat. It is up to the individual to figure out how much of the food she should eat. A little common sense in choosing dinnerware and a little study into proper portion size will go a long way towards improving your diet and nutrition, and ultimately your health.

[Dzone]

TweetIve cut down from 10 tacos to 8