Download Nutrition - Food lab portions

Accelerating Growth – Phase I
Food Lab
Portions
Paulette Lambert, RD, CDE
It’s just not what, but how much!
Many of us watch what we eat, but not how much we eat. The size of the package or a
portion gives people a perceptual consumption clue as to what’s acceptable or normal.
Research tells us most of us make inaccurate estimates of serving sizes of food. Larger
packages, plates, bowls and containers can make a serving of food appear smaller than
it actually is. Studies showed those who order the big bucket of popcorn ate 50% more
than those that had the smaller buckets but they both reported eating the same amount!
Using larger plates can lead to 16% larger servings than those that use smaller plates
and bowls. The larger the plate, the more “white space” around the circle, the smaller
the food appears. Healthy foods such as salads and fruit should be served in larger
bowls, while the dinner plate for grains and protein should be smaller. The 9 inch dinner
plate of the 50’s needs to come back!
Another fact: the more food that is available, like those large barrels of pretzels we
stockpile, the more one will eat, often up to 50% more, just because a large amount was
available. Also the more visible the food the likely you are to eat more of it. The candy
dish on the desk or the cookie jar on the counter will cause trouble for most of us.
Studies do show that people can eat 20% less without noticing if we make 3 small, 100
calorie changes each day. That can mean by the end of the year, you could be as much
as 30 pounds lighter without really dieting.
Learning to accurately eyeball portions that are right for you is imperative if you dine out
often. Listed below are examples of references that can help you determine how much
you are eating.
•
The size of your fist = a medium piece of fruit, 1 cup of grains
•
The size of your thumb = 1 oz. of cheese
•
The tip of your thumb = 1 tsp. butter
•
A deck of cards = 3 oz. protein
•
2 bite-size pieces of meat, fish, chicken = 1 oz.
•
1 handful of chips, cereal, pretzels = 1serving of grain
•
Size of 2 golf balls = 1 scoop of ice cream
Correct your eating with these tips:
•
Measure 1 cup of cereal and see where it comes in your cereal bowl, most bowls hold 2
cups so it should be a half a bowl.
•
Use a food scale to determine protein portion for a week to train your eye for the right
portion. Check occasionally to reestablish references.
•
Focus on always leaving a couple bites on your plate to train yourself to be comfortable
leaving food on plate.
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Accelerating Growth – Phase I
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If you are really hungry, increase portions on salads, fruit and vegetables, it’s not likely to
cause an issue with weight.
•
Eliminate all calorie drinks, period!
•
Split meals when dining out with an extra side of vegetables to help fill you up or ask for
a “to go” container and put half the portion in there before you start to eat.
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