10/12/2017
BE WISE WITH MEAL AND PORTION SIZE:
For many of us, one of the main goals of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is learning how to
eat less. Part of the problem is that we don’t have a realistic idea of what constitutes a serving. In an era
of jumbo meals, supersizing and free refills, overgenerous portions of food and beverages have become
the norm. In addition, eating habits that you learned from a young age – that it’s okay to have seconds,
that you should clean your plate, that dessert always follows a meal – can be difficult to break. But difficult
doesn’t mean impossible. You can train your body to feel full with less, just as it has become accustomed
to needing more.
Try these suggestions:
• Serve meals already dished onto plates instead of placing serving bowls on the table. This allows you to think
twice before having a second portion.
• Try using a smaller plate or festive party bowl to make the food seem like more.
• Eat slowly and savor each bite. When you eat too fast, your brain doesn’t get the signal that you’re full until
too late and you’ve already overeaten.
• Eat foods that are healthy and low in calories first. You can eat a lot of these foods without taking in a lot of
calories. When at a party – hit the vegetable trays first.
• When eating, focus on your meal and your company. Watching television, reading or working while you eat
can distract you. Before you know it, you’ve eaten much more than you wanted to.
• Stop eating as soon as you begin to feel full. Don’t feel as if you need to clean your plate.
• Designate one area of the house to eat meals, such as the kitchen table, and sit to eat your meals.
• If you’re still hungry after you’ve finished what’s on your plate, wait 20 minutes, mingle with other guests, and
then if you are still hungry, nibble on something low in calories, such as fresh vegetables or fruit.
• When ordering at a restaurant, request a take-home container. When you receive your meal, put part of it
in the container. Or ask that one-half of your meal be put into a container before the meal is served. Portion
sizes in restaurants can be two to three times the amount you need.
One serving is equivalent to:
One medium-size fruit (size of a tennis ball, your fist or a light bulb). Suggestions:
• Wake up with an orange for breakfast
• Add a sweet crunch to your lunch with an apple
• A pear is a quick and easy dessert
½ cup cooked, frozen or canned vegetables or fruit (smaller than a can of tuna fish). Suggestions:
• Grab some baby carrots for a snack
• Order pizza with mushrooms, onions, peppers, broccoli or spinach – that’s more than one serving
• Place canned sliced peaches or berries on low-fat ice cream
1 cup of raw leafy vegetables (a handful of greens counts as one serving). Suggestions:
• Add a handful of baby spinach to your sandwich wrap
• Have a mixed green salad with a slice of veggie-topped pizza for lunch
• Keep washed greens in the fridge for a quick salad snack
½ cup cooked dry peas or beans (think smaller than a can of tuna fish again). Suggestions:
• Add canned or frozen beans to vegetable soup
• Make a salad with a variety of lima, red kidney or green beans, diced onions and Italian dressing
• Toss pinto and garbanzo beans into a green salad
QUICK TIP: When dining out, here’s a new way of looking at those garnishes that make your plates so
beautiful: Eat them. Try that orange slice and especially that green parsley. Not only is parsley used to
