What Portion Sizes Are Right For You?

Food portion sizes in our country have doubled, in the past twenty years. How can you determine what a portion should look like? Here are some tips.

The definition of healthy eating can differ greatly depending on who you ask. On top of that there are the mixed messages coming fromm media, friends, family and even health professionals. The one thing we can all agree on is that portion sizes have grown, making it increasingly difficult to identify what a portion should look like.

Food portion sizes in our country have doubled, in the past twenty years. The National Heart Blood and Lung Institute offers visuals to empower us to understand the differences between the way we used to eat and how we eat today.

For example, twenty years ago, a plate of spaghetti and meatballs clocked in at about 500 calories; today it’s more than double, with double the pasta and instead of small meatballs‚ we are eating three large ones. The average bagel size has doubled in the past 20 years The normal soda serving size today is about 20 oz. Compare that to a mere 6.5 oz 20 years ago. That’s just a bit over three times the sugar and calories!

So how can you determine what a portion should look like? Here are some tips:

• Meat (animal protein) should be about the size of the palm of your hand, or a deck of cards, 3.5 to 4 or 5 ounces depending on your size. Three ounces of fish is about the size of a checkbook.
• Cheese portion should be about the size of three dice, 1.5 ounces or approximately 170 calories.
• One cup of yogurt is about the size of a baseball and accounts for one serving.
• A portion of crunchy veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, kale or carrots is about the size of a baseball, which equals about one cup. The same portion can be used for leafy greens like salad, which one could easily consume two cups.
• Twenty-three almonds, or ¼ cup, is a great snack and is about the size of a golf ball. You can also use the golf ball measurement for two tablespoons of hummus.
• What about fruit? Think baseball again, a good-sized apple is about the size of a baseball or even a little smaller. Dried fruit portion should look more like a golf ball since they are more concentrated.
• A cup of soup should also be about the size of a baseball.
• Craving a sweet treat? Keeping the sweet to the size of a pack of dental floss will keep you within your health goals.

For more visuals, click here.