Healthy Cooking 3/8: Portion Control (aka Portion Distortion)

[aprincessmom]

I don't know about the rest of you but the biggest part of my weight management problem is portion control. As my WW friend pointed out to me, I eat lots of healthy foods. But it's the "lots" part that gets me in trouble.

So I thought today I would share my pain with everyone and focus on portion sizing. Using WW, I have been really reading the nutrition labels and have found some interesting things. First, a couple of questions for you.

• How many servings are in the standard individual fruit juice bottles?
  Typically 2 or 2.5 servings are contained in an "individual serving" bottle. The Food Pyramid states that 6 fluid ounces equals one serving; however, many exchange programs like WW or diabetic exchanges list one serving as 4 fluid ounces. Always check the label.

• Is a typical serving size of cereal 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup or 1 cup?
  All of the above. Again, read the nutrition labels carefully. My Cheerios serving size is 1 cup but when I eat Total the serving size is 3/4 cup. And Kix will let me have 1 1/3 cups per serving.

• How many servings of grain (based on the food pyramid charts) are in one standard bakery shop bagel?
  If you said 6 servings (that's right ---SIX), you are correct. Which is the equivalent of 6 slices of bread. And while it may be low in fat, the portion size makes it a very unwise choice.

• Does a typical cup of soup have 1 or 2 servings?
  Two. While many are low in fat and high in fiber, it is a two serving product so make sure you double all those calorie and fat numbers to get your true intake

Americans love their big portions -- whether it's that 16 ounce prime rib or a plate full of pasta or that bagel from the coffee shop. It's part of the reason we are, as a nation, in terrible physical shape. Bigger is not necessarily better -- whether it's that extra large navel orange or a supersized Coke.

Bottom Line (no pun intended): It doesn't matter how healthy your diet becomes, if the portions are out of range you will gain weight.

These past 7 weeks while on WW I have been measuring, measuring and measuring again. I keep my kitchen scale, measuring spoons and measuring cup right out on the counter where I can see them. And I've been both pleasantly and miserably surprised by some of the sizing and amounts I'm allowed in a serving.

Here are some helpful guides for measuring a serving size if you don't have your scales or utensils handy.

• Three ounces of meat, fish or poultry -- the recommended standard serving size -- is about the size of a deck of playing cards, the palm of a woman's hand or a computer mouse.

• Standard servings of fruits or vegetables are about the size of a small fist. The calorie difference is the key here. A standard size pear (considered small) is about 60 calories. A larger pear has 80 or more calories. May not sound like much but it adds up because you are eating more than one serving.

• One ounce of cheese, a standard serving size, is about the size of a woman's thumb.

• One-half cup is the size of a small fist. A full cup would be the size of a small hand holding a tennis ball

• The tip of your thumb (from fingertip to the first knuckle) is about 1 teaspoon; three of these would equal 1 tablespoon. And example of a 1 teaspoon per serving food: butter or margarine. Salad dressing is typically a 2 tablespoon serving food.

• If you are eating out, consider the following strategy: divide your plate into quarters. Make sure veggies/fruit fill at least 2 quarters, grains 1 quarter and protein the final quarter.
  Since most restaurant main entree servings are at least 2-3 times an average serving size, consider sharing the entree with a companion or ask for an extra plate when served. Divide the entree into the proper portion and move the remainder to the extra plate. Ask the server to wrap this for you immediately. That way you won't be tempted and it will be ready for take-out when you leave the restaurant.

And that's my healthy cooking and eating tips for this week.

So...am I the only one with the portion control problem? How many of you have been measuring to get correct serving sizes in your new healthy lifestyle? Have you been surprised by what you've discovered? Let us know what you've discovered!

Jeanne

 

[gepetto]

I bought the WW digital scale and have been weighing my food. What I would guess was about 4 oz of chicken turned out to be over 6 when I weighed it.

I also use a lot less salad dressing when I put it into little cups and dip the lettuce in.

 

[leahannpen]

As soon as I started measuring and weighing, I started losing... imagine that! Actually I've been using a scale that rather stinks, and I'm thinking about popping over to Ebay to see if I can get a deal on a digital scale for ease.

And, let me just say, I LOVE your posts here each week. They are so informative and are the reason I have been spending more time here. Thanks so much for all the great info... I know I really appriciate it. It has been very helpful to me...!!! Please, keep them coming!!!!!!!

Now, if they would just make serving sizes bigger!