The trend towards larger portions is evident everywhere.  Frozen diet meals advertise larger portions.  Automobile manufactures are making cars with larger cup holders.  Newer additions of cookbooks specify fewer servings per recipe.  Restaurants use larger dinner plates.  Current sizes of french fries, hamburgers and soda pop are 2-5 times larger than in the 1960s. In fact, the portion size of current market place foods almost always exceeds the standard serving size.  Some of the largest excess over the USDA (United Stated Department of Agriculture) standards were in the cookie category (700% larger); the pasta category (480% larger); the muffin category (333% larger); the steak category (224% larger); and the bagel category (195% larger).   Foods companies have found that large portions increase profits and attract consumers seeking value. 

The average American today consumes 148 more calories per day than the average American in 1980.  One study had this figure at 300 more calories a day.  One hundred and forty-eight calories a day doesn’t sound like a lot of food.  It is the difference between a regular sized hamburger and a quarter pound hamburger; an extra two tablespoons of salad dressing; half of a small apple bran muffin; an ounce of Pringles; an ounce and a half of cheese; five Hershey kisses (regular or sugar free); seven ounces of wine; eleven ounces of soda pop; eleven ounces of orange juice; an extra 3 ounce serving of lean meat; or a few large spoonfuls of macaroni and cheese.  Healthy foods, comfort foods, junk foods or sugar free sweets…those one hundred and forty-eight calories can sneak so easily throughout the day that we’re not even aware of them.  But signs of those extra daily calories begin to make an appearance.  If you are in a weight loss mode, your weight loss may begin to slow down to a crawl.  If you’re in a maintenance mode, you may notice your clothes begin to tighten.  A pound on the tummy, a pound on the hips…slowly those one hundred and forty eight extra calories make themselves known.  If no action is taken, a year later 15 extra pounds will adorn your body and the year after that…another 15.  Scary stuff.  So what’s a person to do?

Educate yourself.  The American Institute for Cancer Research finds that most Americans believe that the kind of food that they eat is more important in managing their weight than the amount of food that they eat.  Most people are not able to identify standard serving sizes for foods.  They know that baked chicken is a better choice than fried chicken, but have little idea about an appropriate serving or portion size.  It is important to keep in mind that overall good nutrition and total calories consumed are more important for weight management and good health than eliminating or severely restricting a specific nutrient. 

Estimate portion sizes.  Take the time to measure out single serving sizes onto your plates and bowls for one day, then remember what a serving looks like and eyeball it the next time.  Estimate three ounces of meat as the size of a deck of playing cards, the palm of a woman’s hand or a computer mouse.  A half-cup serving of fruit, rice, pasta, or vegetables is the size of a half of a baseball or a small fist.  Your thumb is about the size of an ounce of cheese.  A small hand holding a tennis ball is a one-cup serving of milk, yogurt, or fresh greens.  Most people are driven to eat by what they see rather than how they feel.  By putting too much food in front of you, you will perceive this oversized portion as normal.  If you begin to serve smaller portions, you will soon perceive this amount of food to be normal.  You will be satisfied with smaller amounts of food. 

Set yourself up for success.  The Barix Clinic’s Food Guide is a great way to plan out a balanced, healthful diet.  Keeping portions small and eating six small meals a day will keep your energy high and your hunger at bay.  To establish new habits, plan out your meals for a month and then keep a food log to track what you are actually eating.  You may be surprised by the little extras that you were not aware of. 

Avoid pitfalls.  Serving meals family style encourages second portions.  Instead, prepare your plate with appropriate portions in the kitchen and do not go back for seconds.  Never eat out of the bag or carton.  Ask for a “to go” container when your food arrives at a restaurant.  Before eating, remove all but an appropriate portion from your plate and put it into the “to go” container immediately.  You may want to share a restaurant entrée with one or two other people.