How to Know the Difference Between Portions and Serving Sizes
We all tend to use the words "portions" and "servings" size interchangeably, but there are clear differences between the two. According to the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, "portions are the amount of foods you choose to eat" whereas the serving sizes are, "measures used to describe the amount of foods recommended from each food group." Knowing the difference between portions and serving sizes is just one solution in the battle against obesity.
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Things You'll Need
- 5 fruits and vegetables each day
- Shopping list
- Healthy recipes
- Healthy snacks
- Measuring cups
Instructions
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Know The Difference Between Portions and Serving Sizes
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Skip the urge to super-size. Most fast food restaurants offer super-sized menu options. Your body does not need the extra food and it can be detrimental to your health. According to the US National Institutes of Health Service, Medline Plus, eating smaller portions is an essential strategy towards weight management.
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Choose your dinner wisely. Order a half-portion instead of an entire meal or share a dinner with another person if the portion size is large. No one needs to eat a 16 oz. steak alone. Paying for an extra plate as opposed to an entire dinner will save you more than dollars in terms of your health.
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Measure the serving size. Most packages will recommend the serving size. For instance, cereal boxes recommend a serving size of ¾ cup or 1 cup. Freely pouring cereal into a bowl actually doubles the portion. Measure the serving and top off the cereal with one of the recommended daily fruit servings to provide yourself with a satisfying portion.
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Read package labels. Most prepackaged items that appear to be single serve products actually contain two servings. This is especially the case with regard to snack packages. The deception that they are "single serve" will lead you to devour the entire package.
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Eat on smaller plates. This seems like a relatively simple strategy but the University of Hawaii's Department of Nutrition states, "one way to eat proportionally is to begin with a smaller 9" plate, where one-half of the plate is filled with fruits and vegetables, one quarter filled with starch (preferably whole grains) and the remaining quarter filled with protein."
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Tips & Warnings
It isn't always practical to pull out the measuring cup; therefore you can use the following guides to help you visualize the recommended serving sizes:
Your fist equals one cup of cereal or one baked potato.
Three ounces of meat or grilled/baked fish is equal to one deck of cards.
Two Tablespoons of peanut butter equals one ping-pong ball.
One teaspoon of margarine equals one dice.
One-quarter cup of raisins equals one large egg.
One medium fruit equals one baseball.
One-half cup of fruit equals one-half baseball.
The American Cancer Society offers an interactive online calorie tool to help you calculate your recommended caloric intake. Visit them on the web at cancer.org.
Drink a glass of water before eating a meal. Sometimes thirst is confused with hunger and satisfying the thirst will preclude overeating.
Eating the portion you choose rather than the recommended serving size will lead to unnecessary weight gain that can cause serious health concerns according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The World Health Organization (WHO) cites, "The latest WHO projections indicate that at least one in three of the world's adult population is overweight and almost one in 10 is obese. Additionally there are over 20 million children under age five who are overweight."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends never eating directly from the package, as you will have a tendency to overeat. Place a serving of the food into another container.
