Portions of food are getting bigger and bigger. Candy bars are bigger, fast food restaurants serve bigger meals for just a few cents extra and even regular restaurants serve larger portions than needed for a meal.
More Nutrition Quick Tips
One quick tip for weight control is to watch your portion sizes. The National Institutes of Health National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute has a neat document that will help you visualize healthy portion sizes.
Another way to look at portion sizes is to use your hand. One serving of protein should be about the size of the palm of your hand. One serving of green vegetables and salad greens could be the size of two fists, while starchy items like potatoes or pasta should be served in a portion about the size of one tightly clenched fist.
These healthy portions may seem small at first, but realize your stomach is only about the size of your two loosely fisted hands held together.
More Portion Control Tips
- If you eat at a restaurant, ask for a to-go container and take half of your meal home.
- If you like to snack while watching TV, measure out a small portion of your snack in the kitchen, don't take a whole bag of chips with you into your TV room.
- If the smaller portions leave you feeling hungry, fill up on vegetables like carrots and celery.
- Start your meal with a clear low calorie soup to ease your hunger so that you don't over-eat.
