Portion Control

In a perfect world, we would all practice the healthy diet habit of portion control. The problem is, that everywhere we go out of control portions rule. Many foods of today are 2 to 5 times bigger than they should be. We have lost the ability to judge a proper portion by eyeballing it. Giant portions look right to us!

Choosing a kids meal, which is a proper portion, seems laughable to us! Portions can be relearned and are easier to gain control of, than counting calories, which is impossible, especially as portion sizes increase. What can we do to gain control of our runaway portions? These Lifestyle Solutions to control portion distortion are effective:

• Learn proper servings and obey them. A serving is the recommended size, but a portion is how much you actually eat. Your portion should be the correct serving. Check out the USDA guidelines, especially for grains. If you can keep your grains under control, that is half of the battle. A grain serving is 1/2 a cup. Food labels use different servings. The USDA guidelines are correct. Use them!


• Cook the correct amount of servings. If you are cooking pasta for 4 people, cook only 4 pasta servings, divide it up and that is it. Do not cook the entire unit of pasta, and hope for leftovers. A 16 oz bag of pasta cooks 16 grain servings. If you cook that, and divide it between 4, your portion is 4 grain servings.


• Greatly increase your servings of fresh salads and vegetables. If your plate is at least half full of these, you will not be hungry. They are full of fiber and filling. Carbohydrates, and protein should not be the center of the meal. Use the half plate rule.


• Downsize your dishes. Many people use 12 inch plates. Buy a new set of 9 or 10 inch plates for daily use, or use salad plates. Fill your plate, and your brain will be satisfied. If you use bigger plates, you will eat more. A 12 inch plate has almost 50% greater surface area for you to fill with food. You might not even want that much food, but most of you will clean your plate! Eat from the smaller plate, wait 20 minutes, and decide if you are still hungry before you eat that extra amount.


• Use tall skinny glasses and you will drink less.


• Always assume restaurant meals are too big. Either split your meal before you start for take home, or split a meal with a friend.

This picture is a Turkey, Avocado, Tomato & Bacon Sandwich & Salad Lunch Plate from the Cheesecake Factory. The bacon could be eliminated, and this dish could easily be split between two people or half of the sandwich could be taken home for later.

Developing great portion control is the most effective healthy diet habit for weight control. As you become mindful of your portions, you can begin to develop some Lifestyle Solutions to correct your areas of overeating! You can’t rely on your eyes to do that. It’s a measuring game! Play the portion control game and win!