Guide to Healthy Eating and Portion Control

Dietitians agree that portion control is central to healthy eating and keeping our weight under control. But how many of us really know what a single portion of food is? We'd certainly never guess by looking at those huge, overflowing dinner platters at restaurants and super-sized portions at our favorite fast food joint. When 48 ounce cokes, 16 ounce steaks, monster muffins, and all-you-can-eat buffets are the norm, it's hard to remember that these really don't represent a true portion of food.

So what is a food portion? A portion is the serving of food we eat at a meal or during a snack. Contrary to what most people think, a portion is not the amount of food we are able to squeeze onto a single 16" dinner plate, but a certain quantity that can be measured in ounces and cups.

Over the past 25 years, with restaurants outdoing each other on portions, many of us have lost sight of what a true serving size actually is. It's no great wonder that so many of us are struggling with weight control.

Guidelines to Portion Size

The first step to portion control is to retrain ourselves as to what a proper portion is.

For packaged foods, reading the nutrition label on the sides and using measuring utensils can help dish up the right portion sizes. Instead of grabbing a handful of your favorite snack chips or rice crackers, simply count out or measure what a single serving size actually is. Don't trust your instincts until you've retrained yourself to think "small".

How many times have you poured out a bowl of cereal for yourself without stopping to think what a single portion really was? Instead of eyeballing that cereal, carefully measure it into the cereal bowl instead. One serving of cold cereal is about the size of a fist; not the size of a cantaloupe.

For other grain products, a single serving of pancakes is one CD sized pancake. One serving of cooked rice, pasta, or potato is 1/2 a cup or the size of a large plum. Are you a bread eater? A single serving of bread is the size of a cassette tape, and not a VHS tape.