Did you grow up with parents telling you to eat up everything that is on your plate? Are you saying the same thing to your children?
Beware!
The portions of what we eat today have increased dramatically over the past 20 years! For eg.
In past: 1 bagel was 3″ and 140 calories
Today: 1 bagel is 6″ and 350 calories
In past: 1 cup spaghetti with sauce and 3 meatballs was 500 calories
Today: 2 cups spaghetti with sauce and 3 large meatballs is 1,025 calories
In past: 1 serving of fries was 2.4 oz and 210 calories
Today: 1 serving of fries is 6.9 oz and 610 calories
In past: 1 cheeseburger was 333 calories
Today: 1 cheeseburger is 590 calories
In past: 1 coffee, 8 oz with whole milk and sugar was 45 calories
Today: 1 Mocha coffee, 16 oz with steamed whole milk and mocha syrup is 350 calories
In past: 1 muffin was 1.5 oz and 210 calories
Today: 1 muffin is 4 oz and 500 calories
Reference: National Institute of Health
The problem is that as portion sizes have gotten larger over the years, so have we.
We see the words “supersize”. We see portions on our plates that can feed 2 or more people! We think that bigger is better; that we are getting value for our money. However, we are being fooled by a very strong marketing ploy!
When a larger portion is put in front of us, we will eat more than we need to without even realizing it!
What can you do to stay on top of your portion sizes?
When dining out, eat a healthy snack before going so that temptations such as the bread basket are under control. You could also ask the waiter not to bring you any bread!
When dining out, plan on eating about 1/2 your meal and bring the other half home. If you find that you do not have the control you need to eat only half once the food is in front of you, then ask the waiter to package half your meal before you begin to eat it. Or, you can split your meal with someone else.
Before dining out, check the restaurant’s menu online and make your best choice before leaving!
When at home, use smaller plates. This way you will eat less and will most likely still be satisfied. When using a larger plate, you will probably put more on it and then consume more than you need to. We have really large plates at home and I almost always use the side plate for my meals!
When snacking, portion out your snacks into a small bowl or plate rather than out of a large container or bag. Then put the container or bag away before you start eating your snack!
Slow down, chew your food thoroughly and really enjoy it. You will end up eating less.
Sitting in front of the TV or your computer while eating can cause overeating! We end up not even realizing that we did in fact eat something. I remember looking for my snack while working on my computer only to realize that I had already eaten it!
Don’t skip meals. This will make you hungry and your ability to control what you are eating will be jeopardized!
Finally, avoid all you can eat buffets!
What does a portion size look like?
Click here to see the Portion Size Chart from www.guardyourhealth.com.
Do you have any tips that you could share with us? If so, please put them in the comments below.
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