September 2003

 

Sizing Up Sensible Food Portions
Lynda Zimmerman, ZimmermanL@missouri.edu    

You may have seen the current promotion at McDonalds: you can get a 42-ounce soda for just 69 cents! It’s quite a deal, but do we really need a beverage that is 7 times the size of a Coca-Cola when it first appeared on the market?

This is just one example at one fast food restaurant.

Without a doubt, it is a huge challenge to eat only the portion sizes we really need. The following tips will help you avoid the pitfalls of our super-sized society.

Redefine Your Portions

The serving size is a fundamental concept of everyday nutrition, and unfortunately we’ve gradually lost sight of what a reasonable portion is.

The Food Guide Pyramid provides guidelines on how many servings are recommended each day at different calorie levels, as well as the amount of food that counts as a serving in each food group. The “Nutrition Facts” panel on food labels also can be used as a reference for portion sizes.

Keep in mind that standard servings are not necessarily “one-size-fits-all”. Portion sizes and overall dietary requirements depend on several factors, including activity level. Some people may need to eat more—or less—of certain foods than the serving sizes indicated by the Food Guide Pyramid or food labels.

For example, a serving of rice for a person following a diabetic exchange diet would be 1/3 cup whereas the Pyramid portion is 1/2 cup. Similarly, someone who is not very active may only need 3/4 to one cup of cereal for breakfast (which is the usual serving size on the Nutrition Facts label), while someone who is very active may need two or three servings.

Create Mental Snapshots

Now see how your “normal” portions (or “helpings”) stack up against the “standard” servings. This can be done by following the simple steps below.

First, check the serving size listed on the Nutrition Facts label for each food or beverage you consume (use Pyramid portions for fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods that do not have a food label). Second, measure out the amount specified in the serving size using a measuring spoon or cup (or food scale for meat, fish, or poultry). Finally, empty the food on a plate, or in a bowl or cup.

At this point, make a mental note of what you see. How full is the glass or bowl? How much room does the food take up on the plate? How does the serving compare with the amount you would typically eat, if you were not measuring the food?

Continue measuring and weighing and you will soon learn a lot about standard serving sizes. You may also be surprised by some of your usual servings.

If this sounds like a lot of work, don't worry—you don't have to keep it up forever. It’s not practical or realistic, especially when you eat away from home. It would also take some of the enjoyment out of eating if you had to do it all the time! Just remember: the more often you practice weighing and measuring foods, the easier it is to estimate correct servings by “eyeballing” it.

Use Visual Cues

A good way to estimate portions is to use familiar objects as a frame of reference. For example:

• 1/2 cup rice is about the size of a muffin paper
• 3 ounces of fish, chicken, or meat looks like a deck of cards or a computer mouse
• 1 medium-sized fruit looks like a tennis ball
• 1 ounce of cheese looks like a pair of dice
• 2 tablespoons is the size of a ping pong ball
• 1 teaspoon looks like the tip of a thumb

Quiz Yourself

Even if you’re feeling confident of your measuring abilities, occasionally it’s a good idea to do a quick “reality check” to be sure the portions of foods and beverages you regularly eat are on target. If your servings are a bit off the mark, you may want to practice weighing and measuring again for a while.

For more information, see “Food Guide Pyramid” at http://outreach.missouri.edu/hes/fn/pyramid/ and “How much are you eating?” at http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/Pubs/Brochures/HowMuchAreYouEating.pdf. Or, request copies by e-mailing me or writing to: Callaway County Extension Center, 5803 County Road 302, Fulton, MO 65251.