Focus on Portion Size
Portion size is the amount of a single food item served in a single eating session – as a meal or a snack.
A portion size is different from a serving size. When you get a serving size of “large fries”, it may actually have 5 portion sizes. See the difference?
You have to focus on portion size, not serving size when you determine how much you should eat in a single eating session. Do not let what’s put in front of you to eat at home, or in a restaurant, or in a serving package be your guide. A portion size is the amount you should be eating and it may be much smaller than a serving size. Understanding and using portion control is an important component of eating healthily.
No set number of calories or amount of physical activity will help everyone to maintain a healthy weight, lose weight or keep weight off. How many calories you need to eat each day depends upon many factors, including your age, gender, current weight and level of physical activity. Controlling portion size will help you to consume a healthy amount of calories.
How to Use Portion Size
- Use a smaller plate at meals. A 10-inch plate is a better option for your dinner meals.
- Put your full meal on your plate as opposed to putting big platters of dishes on the table that you continually go back too while eating. Eat your single 10-inch plate of food.
- Have a glass of water with your meal and leave the sugary drink or alcohol as something you sip after finishing your water. Even better, leave out the sugary drinks as much as you can.
- If you are doing your own grocery shopping, simply buy better options. If you shop healthily at the grocery store, you will eat healthier at home – you’re in charge! You can’t eat a gallon of ice cream at midnight if you bought only 2 single serving sizes!
To learn more go to the CDC’s web page on Portion Size.
