Americans are so accustomed to super-sized food portions in restaurants that many serve them at home as well on dinner plates approaching the size of platters. The unfortunate results include a rising level of obesity and digestive problems. Learn what a recommended serving looks like, and serve only that on smaller plates for better weight management and overall health.
Recommended Portions
To eat healthier portions, you have to learn to recognize them. One way is to compare them to common objects. For example, 1 cup of cereal or one baked potato should be approximately fist-sized, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. A medium fruit is baseball-sized, while cooked rice, pasta or potatoes should equal half a baseball. A 2 tbsp. serving of peanut butter is about the size of a ping-pong ball, while a serving of cheese should be about the size of four dice. A serving of meat should approximate a deck of cards, and a serving of fish should be the size of a checkbook.
Weight Management
By eating smaller portions, you can lose weight and maintain the loss. To help ensure that you lower your total food intake, use smaller plates at meal times. Put only recommended portion sizes on your plate, and chew thoroughly to slow your eating. If you feel the need for seconds when you finish the meal, put only a bite or two more of the food on your plate. When snacking, do not eat out of the container. Instead, measure or count out the number of pieces that comprise a serving into a bowl, and eat slowly.
Better Nutrition
Serving only recommended portion sizes increases the likelihood you will eat a variety of foods from different food groups. Meat is often the largest serving of food at a typical American meal, but if you stick to a playing-card size serving, you have room left on your plate and in your stomach for other foods. At each meal, aim for a recommended serving size of food from as many food groups as possible, including grains, fruits or vegetables, dairy and a protein source. Smaller portions of healthy food divided in this way guarantees a better balance of nutrients and better health.
Digestive Health
A sphincter located at the juncture of your esophagus and stomach normally prevents stomach contents and acid from back-flowing into the esophagus. Eating large amounts of food at one time distends the stomach and puts pressure on the sphincter, eventually weakening it. When this happens, the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois says, food and acid can back-flow into the lower part of the esophagus, resulting in gastroesophageal reflux disease. GERD not only causes pain and discomfort, it can increase your risk of esophageal cancer. By eating smaller portions, you can avoid developing or aggravating GERD, and avoid the discomfort that accompanies overeating.
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