Sizing Up Your Food Portions
It’s hard to figure out what or how much makes up a portion when preparing your food. It’s obvious I’ve had to many portions on my plate and that is why I’m now having to lose weight.
Here are a few samples of various food and what counts as a serving:
1. BREAD: 1 slice of toast, 1 ounce of boxed cereal, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, 1/2 bagel
2. VEGETABLES: 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetable
3. FRUIT: 1 med piece of fruit, 1/2 cup mixed fruit, 3/4 cup fruit juice
4. MILK: 1 cup milk or yogurt, 2 ounces of processed cheese
5. MEAT: 2-3 ounces cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (size of deck of cards)
6. OTHER FOODS: 1 egg, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/3 cup nuts.
I have found that using a small size plate helps. It looks like you have a lot more to eat. For me, it’s mind over matter. As a child I was always made to clean off my plate. I still live that way but have changed to a smaller plate. Some things are so ingrained, I just can’t change. It’s all about adapting to continue this successful weight loss journey.
July 30th, 2007 at 10:19 am
I like to eat on smaller plates, too. It’s like ‘forced’ portion control.
September 17th, 2009 at 8:02 am
The smaller plates really work. I was in Ikea recently and they now have giant huge sized plates on sale. They might suit a restaurant, where they artfully place miniature food items, with threads of coulis joining up these tiny treasures. But at home, we would just load the plate to the border.
A full small plate at home feeds the eyes better than a huge plate with a lonely serving somewhere in the middle, with all that empty space crying out for filling.