Food Portion Sizes Past & Present

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one-third of adults are obese. Carrying around extra fat mass can harm many functions of your body. Your heart, metabolic system, arteries, liver, kidneys, even your eyes can suffer from uncontrolled weight. Limiting calories by controlling portion sizes can improve your health and loosen your pants.

What is a Portion?

A portion and a serving size can be confused. Think of it this way: A portion is an amount of food that you control. You choose how big or small a portion you want to eat. A serving size is the amount of food the manufacturer uses to gauge the amount of nutrients in the food. If you decide to eat a large portion of food, you may be consuming a few servings of that particular food.

Then and Now

It seems as though as time passes, the American appetite increases. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, portion sizes are growing -- not just the portion sizes that we choose to eat, but also the portions served to us. Twenty years ago, the average bagel was 3 inches in diameter and provided 140 calories. Today, the average bagel is 6 inches in diameter and is 350 calories, more than double the calories of 20 years ago. One cheeseburger has gone from providing 333 calories to 590 calories, again almost double. One soda used to consist of 6.5 ounces of fluid; today you can go to your local convenience store and get a soda of 20 ounces or larger. The calorie difference is more than triple, from 82 calories to 250 calories. Eat that cheeseburger and soda together and you've got a whopping 840-calorie meal.

Estimating Portion Sizes

Controlling your portion size is literally in your hands. Simple visual guides can help you more accurately estimate the amount of food you should be eating. A serving of fruits, vegetables or carbohydrates should look like a rounded handful. A serving of meat can be compared to the size of a deck of playing cards. A serving of fish should be about as big as your checkbook. Finally, a serving of cheese should equal the size of about six dice.

Your Guide to Portion Control

There are further steps you can take to control your portion sizes. The Centers for Disease Control suggests splitting your entree when you go out to eat. You can share with a friend, or take the other half to go and eat it as two meals. Another portion-control sabotage is television snacking. Mindless eating can add up: Before you know it, you've eaten the entire bag of potato chips. Instead of bringing the whole bag to the couch, portion out how much you want to eat into a bowl, and limit yourself to that amount.