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.